Previewing the Panthers Elite Series roster

The long awaited return of Panthers hockey is just days away. Despite it being in the form of a four team tournament behind closed doors, getting to watch the team I support after so long is certainly exciting. 

The British player draft followed by the signing news overload that followed has certainly created a buzz. Like any EIHL season, it has summoned talking points and the odd PR disaster. Normal service has somewhat resumed, all things considered. 

Do I think we have the strongest roster? No. I think Sheffield take that claim. They had the strongest protected Brits list, and their import signings look excellent, even if their Brit draft was not as strong as others. 

Does that mean I am pessimistic about the Panthers? Also no. Regardless of results (to a reasonable degree), the aim of this tournament from the clubs perspective should be to have players we can add to next season's core. Winning a four team tournament is not exactly anything to shout about, but it is an opportunity for players to put themselves in the shop window. 

Three of those players who have a point to prove are Christophe Boivin, Dominic Talbot-Tassi and Kevin Domingue. I specify these three because they are first year professionals who are using up nearly half of our precious import slots. This has received both criticism and optimism from fans league wide. Each side raises valid points, but I am personally happy to have them on board. 

If this was a normal campaign where silverware was the be-all end-all, I would have my reservations about such a large chunk of imports not being established professionally. Sure, one or two out of 13-14 is fine, but nearly half of eight? Probably not. 

Silverware isn't the be-all, end-all here though. Are they even awarding a trophy at all? Banners will not be raised for winning it (not that Panthers raise banners anyway). Therefore, taking more risks than usual seems justified. 

Talbot-Tassi and Boivin recently earned themselves USports East Divsion all-star team spots. Another player who did the same (albeit in the West division) was Josh Roach, who was a key player in the Belfast 2018/19 league winning side. A bit of food for thought, perhaps. 

'USports best kept secret' is how one writer described Domingue, who was the top scorer in their playoffs last season. He was the University of Ottawa's regular season top scorer in 2019/20 too. He has already started to establish himself in the professional game, having played in the ECHL this season. 

Our college contingent will be accompanied by some experienced teammates to learn from. Mark Matheson was phenomenal for the Panthers last season both offensively and defensively. Re-signing him was a no brainer, especially as he was part of our coaching team. 

Somewhat surprisingly, he is our only returning import, but three signings from Norweigan side Lillehammer assures cohesion amongst the imports. Even in normal circumstances, they would be very promising signings who bring fantastic CV's. 

The most promising of the three are forwards Nick Dineen and Austin Cangelosi. They have put up solid numbers over multiple seasons at Lillehammer. Dineen appears to have performed well across Europe over the last 9 seasons too, and was captain in 2019/20, suggesting he brings leadership. Cangelosi, who brings AHL and DEL experience, was their top scorer this season with 26 points (14+12) in 23 games. 

Like Dineen, teammate Brendan Ellis has picked up points consistently at Lillehammer over the past 4 seasons. Tim Wallace's system involves the defence getting involved in the attack, so it's very encouraging in that regard. 

Consistent numbers continue to be apparent across the team with Johno May joining after a good career in the ECHL. He was a league all-star in 2018/19, the same year he earned a brief AHL call up. 

I have covered most of my thoughts on our Brit quota in my article covering the Brit draft, but I will reiterate that it's a good core. There's a blend of youth and experience in there, and poaching at least one of them for next season would be welcome. 

Could that happen with Ben Bowns? Drafting him hints we could be trying to lure him, even if it is a bit of a long shot. It would undoubtedly be a statement of intent if we could pull it off.  

The speculated trade involving Jackson Whistle never sufficed, which is not ideal for Team GB or even the Panthers in the long run. We do however have very good depth between the pipes now. 

One change to our Brit core since then is Bobby Chamberlain, one of the best players in the NIHL. He has only ever had brief EIHL call ups, but now has a great opportunity to prove himself. 

As I stated in my Brit draft article, Wallace and Doucet having players they are familiar with will be beneficial. They have played with/coached players such as Lewis Hook and Owen Griffiths, as well as players on our protected list such as Ollie Betteridge and Josh Tetlow. Brett Perlini, should he return from Italy, would be the icing on the cake. 

Overall, this is an intriguing roster, and all we can do at this point is speculate. Hockey is played on ice, not Elite Prospects, so the real talking will be done over the coming weeks...