Panthers blueline complete

So there we have it. Corey Neilson completes his 2010/11 roster and all that remains now is the seemingly endless wait for the puck to drop in September. In the meantime let’s do the only thing hockey starved fanatics can do in the off season…..speculate over the new season, starting with a look at Panthers roster for 2010/11.

As a general feeling I like what Corey has done through the off season. We’ve turned our back on the glamour ‘should walk the league on paper’ roster and gone with a noticeably more workmanlike, dare I say down to earth set of guys. The addition of Davey Graham as bench coach is a move that cannot be underestimated. A seasoned bench coach, Graham will bring a level of management stability to game night, something that last seasons roster were, at times, crying out for.

The early re-signing of netminder Kevin St. Pierre was a move I welcomed, more for its stabilising influence than anything. This stability was, however, short lived as St.Pierre contacted the club to inform them he would be unable to take up his roster spot for family reasons. As one door closes another opens and Craig Kowalski was soon named as the new man between the pipes. In hindsight I think it’s fair to say that in exchange for losing the stability of keeping a netminder for two consecutive seasons we have upgraded in the ability stakes. Kowalski, a 29 year old hailing from Michigan, comes with an impressive pedigree including a save percentage of over 90% from his 35 AHL games to date. Backing up Kowalski will be former Steeler Dan Green, with Sheffield born Geoff Woolhouse heading in the opposite direction. Green is a seasoned EIHL back up who will do a job when called upon by Neilson.

All eyes were undoubtedly on the blueline as recruiting progressed, with many fans keen to see our perennially leaky defence plugged. The return of British d-men Danny Meyers and Stephen Lee to line up alongside player-coach Neilson were the inevitable and expected first pieces of the jigsaw, and good moves in my eyes. Danny got back to somewhere near his best last term, his absences from the roster coinciding with some awful performances and results. I think it’s fair to assume the Ascot born 27 year old will retain the ‘C’ and will be looking to add to the Challenge Cup success he led the team to in 09/10.

19 year old Lee, a product of Hull’s youth system, was the rising star of the season just gone and the only bad move I can see is not tying him into a multi-year deal. Lee will mix it with any player, loves to throw hits and will drop the gloves when required, there is little not to like about the guy. Local lad, and a product of the Nottingham youth system, Tom Norton is another bright prospect and was handed a pro contract for the coming campaign. He will no doubt benefit hugely from the experience and opportunity in front of him. Not out of his depth at EIHL level at all the onus is now on 20 year old Norton to up his consistency and cement himself as a genuine contender for regular ice time.

The early capture of vastly experienced 29 year old Canadian, Jonathan Zion from rivals Sheffield was big news during the early stages of Neilson’s roster building. One of few players to emerge from a terrible campaign in the steel city with credibility Zion is an offensive d-man whose addition should see the coach log fewer minutes; something many fans, including myself, have been calling for. Additionally, with Neilson and Zion quarterbacking the two power-play units, the offensive push from Panthers when they have the man advantage ought to be nothing short of relentless. Zion’s experience should not be overlooked; he has significant AHL and ECHL experience in North America alongside a stack of games across the European leagues and brings much more than just on-ice ability to the roster.

The final place on the blueline went to St. Louis native (and son of former NHL star Rik) Brock Wilson. Much like his father Brock is a stay at home d-man who coach Neilson noted “plays mean, and he ticks all the right boxes for me”. The addition of a solid guy in that final slot was an absolutely vital part of the puzzle. Neilson seems convinced that Wilson is the guy to carry that burden. Only time will tell if he’s made the right choice but overall it has to be concluded that Panthers do appear, on paper at least, a more solid unit at their own end of the ice.

Overall I feel that Neilson has put together a blueline, backstopped by a quality netminder, who can give us the much desired stability many have craved for some time. Whilst we were perhaps hopeful of a ‘bigger name’ signing in the spot now occupied by Wilson we should perhaps not be surprised that the theme of low key, hard working, level headed players has been continued.

Cardiff	v	Edinburgh
11th February 2012 19:00
Dundee	v	Hull
11th February 2012 19:00
Nottingham	v	Belfast
11th February 2012 19:00
Sheffield	v	Coventry
11th February 2012 19:00
Fife	v	Braehead
11th February 2012 19:15
Braehead	v	Fife
12th February 2012 00:00

Dundee	6-2	Fife
5th February 2012 18:30
Cardiff	4-5	Braehead
5th February 2012 18:00
Sheffield	2-4	Belfast
5th February 2012 17:00
Coventry	6-1	Fife
4th February 2012 19:30
Belfast	4-1	Cardiff
4th February 2012 19:00
Nottingham	6-2	Dundee
4th February 2012 19:00

	Club	GP	W	L	OL	GF	GA	Pts
1	Belfast Giants	41	33	8	3	167	83	69
2	Nottingham Panthers	40	30	10	2	182	87	62
3	Sheffield Steelers	35	30	5	0	133	77	60
4	Coventry Blaze	40	25	15	1	153	113	51
5	Cardiff Devils	39	20	19	10	124	112	50
6	Braehead Clan	39	22	17	2	146	127	46
7	Hull Stingrays	41	11	30	4	107	165	26
8	Edinburgh Capitals	38	11	27	3	89	170	25
9	Dundee Stars	40	7	33	5	95	163	19
10	Fife Flyers	39	7	32	5	79	178	19

Peterborough	v	Guildford
8th February 2012 19:45
Swindon	v	Basingstoke
11th February 2012 17:45
Guildford	v	Peterborough
11th February 2012 18:00
Slough	v	Sheffield
11th February 2012 18:30
Milton Keynes	v	Bracknell
11th February 2012 19:00
Manchester	v	Telford
11th February 2012 19:00

Slough	3-0	Basingstoke
5th February 2012 18:30
Guildford	4-2	Milton Keynes
5th February 2012 18:00
Manchester	6-3	Swindon
5th February 2012 17:30
Telford	6-8	Peterborough
5th February 2012 17:30
Sheffield	3-0	Peterborough
4th February 2012 19:30
Milton Keynes	1-3	Manchester
4th February 2012 19:00

	Club	GP	W	L	OL	GF	GA	Pts
1	Guildford Flames	38	26	12	3	172	111	55
2	Manchester Phoenix	39	24	15	3	145	123	51
3	Slough Jets	37	24	13	2	167	117	50
4	Sheffield Steeldogs	38	22	16	4	119	101	48
5	Milton Keynes Lightning	37	22	15	1	116	99	45
6	Basingstoke Bison	38	21	17	2	135	126	44
7	Swindon Wildcats	39	15	24	5	126	134	35
8	Bracknell Bees	37	13	24	8	107	142	34
9	Peterborough Phantoms	38	14	24	2	123	164	30
10	Telford Tigers	39	9	30	2	106	199	20

	Club	GP	W	L	OL	GF	GA	Pts

	Club	GP	W	L	OL	GF	GA	Pts

	Club	GP	W	L	OL	GF	GA	Pts

	Club	GP	W	L	OL	GF	GA	Pts

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