The Black and Gold Wire

In a time when the Elite League's approach to junior development is under immense scrutiny , Panthers appear to be building a strong homegrown contingent for the long term. It's a core that's seen quite a decline over the past 5 seasons. Club legend Matt Myers and defenceman Paul Swindlehurst moved on at the end of the 2015/16 season. Two years later, goal machine David Clarke would hang up the skates, before stalwart Robert Farmer got his chance to follow Corey Neilson to Germany.  This summer it's taken an even bigger hit, with established Brits Robert Lachowicz, and likely Brett Perlini on their way out. Goaltenders Jackson Whistle (Belfast), who many had tipped for a starting role, and more expectedly, Sam Gospel (Leeds), have both departed. Prospect Joseph Hazeldine made a somewhat surprise move to Manchester, which, in summary, made the Panthers depth look quite thin compared to some of their competitors.  Replacing these players is no easy task, with a shortage o

  Import limits and British player development are what seem like a never ending debate throughout the British ice hockey world. It's a topic that I've been keen to delve into for a while, and now seems like a good time, following league chairman Tony Smith's revelation on the roster size for the 2021/22 season.  To summarise, match night rosters can have up to 19 players. A maximum of 14 can be imports (non British trained players). This means, should coaches use all 14 import slots, that only 5 Brits can be on a team's roster.  This has been met with widespread criticism across all fanbases for being a big step back for developing homegrown talent in a league where chances for Brits are becoming harder to come by. Coaches will almost always use the import limit to the maximum, and why shouldn't they? They are hired to win after all.  With hockey being a minority sport in the UK, I do believe the league has a responsibility to grow the sport for aspiring homegrown

The Panthers defensive recruitment was capped off on Saturday, with the addition of recent ECHL all star Brady Norrish to complete an intriguing core at the blueline to say the least.  Starting with Norrish himself, and it looks like we could have landed ourselves a gem. Many EIHL team's import additions come from the East Coast, but not many can boast being an all star, suggesting we have landed one of the league's top d-men.  That being said, he didn't play a single game in 2020/21, which is a little concerning, but there many examples of that not being a barrier for high level performances. Jackson Whistle and Ollie Betteridge were outstanding in the Elite Series after not taking to the ice for 14 months. In contrast though, they were playing at lower levels to what they were used to, and therefore there is added risk with signing Norrish. If it pays off though, we could be looking at one of the league's top defenceman.  Staying on the subject of top defenceman, Mark