A good draft for the Panthers?

The drama of an EIHL off season usually spans five months, but a large chunk of that was squeezed into one chaotic hour on Monday. In a season where everything is so condensed, the new and intriguing concept of a British player draft showed that to the extreme. 

The four participating teams were put on the spot on a Facebook livestream for all fans and players to see. Each club revealed their picks over 10 rounds, not long after revealing their 5 protected British players. This means that 60% of the players who will wear each team's jersey is now known, plus their reserve 'taxi squads'. 

It was one hell of a spectacle that the league deserves a tonne of credit for. Building a buzz around a short tournament with only four teams was always going to be hard. However, in the challenging circumstances we find ourselves in, this draft added something different and interesting to it. 

It makes sense to start with the biggest talking point, and the Panthers provided just that by acquiring the first overall pick. Plenty of time had been given to speculate after the EIHL revealed that a trade proposal had been made without revealing the teams involved. 

Initially, it seemed it would be anyone but the Panthers, because they had a starting quality Brit goaltender in Jackson Whistle. This allowed for an extra import out skater and would give ice time to someone who was arguably seen as a long term starter for the club. There's no need to sacrifice valuable later picks for Bowns, surely? 

Panthers dropped that bomb though, and got the draft off to an exciting start. Great Britain's number one, a boyhood Sheffield Steelers fan, is going to be wearing the black and gold. 

One can't help but feel that this is a little naïve on the Panthers part in relation to Jackson Whistle though. If this was a normal season where winning meant everything then this would no doubt be an outstanding move from Guillaume Doucet to land a generational talent in terms of British goaltenders. 

But we need to look at the purpose of this tournament, the first being to prepare Great Britain for the World Championships. Having both Brit goalies on one team is, in that regard, pretty ridiculous because their ice time should be maximised. This is especially true for Whistle who has not played in over a year. For his sake, a trade would be beneficial, which Doucet stated he was open to. 

Another benefit of this tournament is that it can help teams in preparing for next season, when we will likely have an authentic and meaningful season. When Whistle was first bought in, it made sense that he could be a starter for the Panthers in the long term. If not, it's depth between the pipes that not many teams can boast. Giving him the starting role for the Elite series made sense. Instead, the club have opted for a short term option in a tournament that has little meaning, which could unsettle Whistle and harm both Great Britain and the Panthers going forward. 

Dare it be said though, could this be a way to lure Bowns to the Panthers full time? Probably not, but drafting him could turn out to be a genius move if so. Crazier things have happened. 

But in a simpler sense, the big positive is that Ben Bowns is wearing a Panthers jersey, and that's well, quite a nice thought, isn't it? We are talking about the Great Britain number one who is a three time EIHL netminder of the year, who has cleaned up accolade after accolade. Regardless of what you think of winning this tournament, its better to do so than not, and at the end of the day, we want a high quality product which Bowns helps to ensure. 

Doucet used his next pick, acquired through the trade, to bring in another of his former teammates, Lewis Hook of the Belfast Giants. Hook is a promising forward who has put up 68 points in all EIHL competitions over the last 3 seasons. Whilst Craig Peacock seemed like the best player available at this point, Hook is not at all far off. He has in fact played for the Panthers before in the Champions Hockey League as a teenager. 

Getting a defenceman next was key, especially an experienced one with Josh Tetlow being the only blueliner on the roster. Doucet had very little hesitation in picking another Belfast Giant, Mark Garside, who had been at the Northern Irish club for the past 10 seasons. Garside is well established at this level, and picking him seemed like a no brainer. 

The theme of going with familiarity continued throughout the rest of the draft. Promising young Brits Owen Griffiths, Jordan Kelsall and Kieran Brown have all been a teammate of, or were coached by, head coach Tim Wallace in the past. This familiarity to Doucet and Wallace across the roster could prove very beneficial in getting results, especially if some imports from last season's roster are also confirmed as returning. 

Craig Garrigan also joins from the Dundee stars, along with Liam Stenton, who Doucet said were both well referenced from their previous coaches, as well as stating that Stenton would likely be in the lineup if Brett Perlini is unable to play. 

Following the final additions of Morgan Clarke-Pizzo (son of Panthers legend David) and goaltender Will Kerlin, it gives the Panthers an average squad age of 24.4 years old. Having a decent sized core of young players possibly brings potential for some potential long term additions, which would certainly be beneficial. The Panthers Brit pack depth has dropped off the last few seasons with the departures of David Clarke and Robert Farmer, so getting at least one of these players on the roster for 2021/22 would be ideal. 

Overall, the Panthers drafted well. That being said, it would probably have been more beneficial to our depth to not make the trade for the first pick to ensure depth. Ben Bowns playing in the black and gold is still going to be very exciting. 

Aside from the potential trade coming up involving Whistle, the attention now turns to import signings. There will inevitably be new faces and hopefully some returnees that many fans were keen to see after a 2019/20 campaign of progress. 

Winning the tournament would be great, as would seeing the GB players thrive, but from a Panthers perspective, using this tournament as a building block for a title charge next season is something the club should be taking advantage of. 

It's sure to be an interesting few weeks of recruitment, and an entertaining return to action!