Panthers Brit quota - the future is bright
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 of high quality Brits available to provide the advantage of depth beyond the 14 player import limit.
This forces clubs to develop the talent themselves, and Panthers look to be heading in the right direction on that front. Three players aged 21 or under have been added to the roster. Although Sheffield, Belfast and Cardiff appear stronger in the Brit department for the here and now, Panthers are on their way to building a quota to be reckoned with for years to come.
Former Great Britain under 20's goaltender Will Kerlin was kept on after the Elite Series, who joins from rivals Sheffield. There's always a worry with young players in his position that they will simply be bench warming and that is an obvious concern.
However, if the club utilise the 20 year old in the right way, whether that's through a two way deal or trusting him with ice time, then one of the most promising young puck stoppers at this level could fulfil his potential.
A teammate of his was Morgan Clarke-Pizzo. The son of Panthers legend David has had a similar career path to Kerlin. He headed to North America where he would put up near a point per game in the USPHL over 2 seasons before being drafted in for the Elite Series by the Panthers. He would play in 5 of the 14 games during the tournament.
He will likely be playing the majority of the season in the NIHL, where his club is yet to be confirmed, but is on a 2 way deal with the Panthers.
In the same press release, it was also confirmed that 17 year old Jack Hopkins will be training with the club whilst playing for the Telford Tigers. Hopkins is one of the best young forwards in the country right now and looks destined to reach the heights of your Clarkes, Dowds, Ferraras.
In 2019/20, he was the top scorer for Nottingham at both under 18 and under 20 level by some distance. After a stint in Germany last where he continued to surpass over a point per game, he would make his senior step up with the Nottingham Lions. He would continue to thrive, posting 27 points in 14 games despite being one of the team's youngest players.
It looks like the Nottingham junior system have produced a scarily good forward who the Panthers absolutely must make the most of.
These three players will of course be joined by two other promising players who themselves are under the age of 24.
Jordan Kelsall (22) will very possibly be a regular this season. He does not look at all out of place at the EIHL level, providing a good offensive zone presence. If he can start adding some end product then he could have an important role to play in the long run.
Of course, the most obvious player to talk about here is Josh Tetlow. Aged 23, he could very well be a crucial asset for the Panthers this season. His menacing physical presence has put him further up the pecking order for Tim Wallace to the point where he received his senior Team GB call up.
Tetlow was a regular on the penalty kill against some of the World's best and was a key player for the national side. One expects this to be his breakout season in the EIHL if that's an indicator of what to expect.
With 5 of the Panthers 7 contracted Brits being under 23, adding some more established quality to that core was important this offseason. Steve Lee's surprise return addresses that, as does Ollie Betteridge's inevitable extension. Both have had to endure the British junior system and both display captain like qualities, so they are good mentors for these players to have.
Points and big performances are most likely to come from the 14 imports on any roster, but that is especially true with the Panthers this season. Patience will be needed regarding the British contingent, but it looks like the producing of the club's next homegrown generation is well underway. Guillaume Doucet and Tim Wallace deserve high praise for taking a chance on these players and seeing them work their way onto the main stage will be a lot of fun over the coming months and years...
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