Panthers leadership group - the right choices?

As important as ability is, good leadership is also essential for success. Having endured seven successive failed title challenges as a Panthers fan, it has often been the case where mentality has lacked rather than ability. That's why it's reassuring that the club have taken their time when selecting a captain and an unusually high 4 alternates. 

The most important piece of this mini puzzle is quite obviously the captain, who has been confirmed as defenceman Steve Lee. This will be his second time captaining the club after he did so in 2017/18. Although it was an underwhelming domestic season, Panthers European campaign was sensational as they became the first British team to qualify for the CHL knockouts. 

Lee as a player is a bit of a marmite figure amongst Panthers fans, but it is quite telling that he will have captained the club under two different head coaches. 

At the end of the day though, it's hard to give an accurate verdict because captaincy comes down to character and communication rather than purely the example that they set. However, you do get the vibe that Lee is mature and composed.

That's aside from the shed load of experience that he brings. That's 13 EIHL seasons at 3 different clubs to be exact, 10 of which have been in a Panthers jersey. During that time he was a part of Panthers golden era for trophies, so he certainly knows a thing or two about winning at this level. 

That being said, it was somewhat of a surprise to hear his name as the choice for the C. Many fans saw Ollie Betteridge as a front runner and it can't be denied that his incredible work rate and improvement season upon season would have set a very good example. 

Matthew Myers name was also in the hat, and as far as experience goes, he's as good as it gets. The Welshman centreman is one of the most decorated EIHL players of all time having been part of some of the best rosters the league has ever seen at Cardiff and Nottingham. 

To no real surprise, both Betteridge and Myers will be alternates, who are joined by Canadian duo Taylor Doherty and Brady Norrish. 

Norrish is arguably the standout new addition to the roster having earnt an ECHL all star game spot and played a handful of AHL games. In just 2 professional seasons, that's an impressive CV and a player of that quality being in the leadership group is more than sensible. 

Doherty again brings the experience you expect to feature in a leadership contingent, having bulks of games in North America and around Europe. 

What's also interesting is that there is an almost even split of forwards and defencemen, assuring their presence is at both ends of the ice. That's a smart move and a good way to take advantage of the fact you are now allowed 4 alternates. 

Having 3 established EIHLers and 2 new imports in this group could also be beneficial as you're getting both an inside and a more, shall we say, outside perspective. Whether that actually came into the thought process or not is unknown to me, but it could work out well. 

Overall, these seem like well calculated choices that have been thought out over a 6 week period. Patience has been needed but today's announcement could be a big step for the progress of the Panthers roster.