The Elite League’s summer shuffle is done.
Rosters are built, imports are in, and preseason is in the books. Now, it’s all about who makes the leap in regular-season play.
Every team has added something new — a proven scorer, a hungry rookie, or a gamble that could change their season.
Some signings will fade into the background; others will define the year.
Here’s one fresh face from each club that’s worth your attention in 2025-26.
2025-26 Elite League Players to Watch:
Fife Flyers: Didrik Nøkleby Svendsen (Left/Right Wing)
Listen to Max Birbraer speak and you’ll quickly notice a theme: he’s big on identity — and physicality matters.
Didrik Nøkleby Svendsen arrives in Fife with a significant role to play.
The 30-year-old will serve as a cornerstone cultural piece for Birbraer’s new-look Fife Flyers, playing with more than just a physical edge.
Svendsen is a man-mountain (6-foot-3, 256lbs) and he plays like it.
Elite League Signing: Didrik Nøkleby Svendsen, Fife Flyers (Image: EHL)
Before signing with Fife, he spent seven seasons in Norway’s EliteHockey Ligaen, recording 51 points (30 goals, 21 assists) in 357 games. Oh, did we forget to mention his 881 PIMs?
Svendsen will play a middle-six role as the Flyers target a return to competitiveness.
Expect him to crash the net, throw his body, and just be an all-round menace.
Manchester Storm: Gary Haden (Centre)
Gary Haden is well-known to Elite League fans.
The 26-year-old made his professional debut with the Glasgow Clan in 2022-23, scoring 47 points (24 goals, 23 assists) in 54 games.
He reached even greater heights the following season: 56 points (27 goals, 29 assists) in another complete 54-game season.
Haden signed-up for a third season with Glasgow, but left the Clan after seven games (in which he provided two assists).
He returns to the Elite League with the Manchester Storm after short-term stints with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades (13 points in 16 games) and DEL2’s Lausitzer Fuchse (four points in seven games).
Haden is a high-quality centre and Manchester’s standout summer signing.
Dundee Stars | Justin Bean (Defenceman)
The Dundee Stars have a silky, puck-moving defenceman in Justin Bean.
He arrives in Scotland with three seasons of professional experience, headlined by a 35-point effort in the ECHL last term.
Bean, 29, looks the part of a top-pair defenceman for Dundee.
Standing at 6-foot-3, his natural physical gifts pair neatly with his eye for a smooth breakout pass.
Guildford Flames | Mathieu Gosselin (Left/Right Wing)
I’ve said it many times this offseason: ECHL production often translates in the Elite League.
And there’s plenty to like about Mathieu Gosselin’s track record: 54 points (20 goals, 34 assists) in 75 games.
The 26-year-old, now two seasons into his professional career, also built an impressive collegiate resume.
Through four seasons at Clarkson University, he scored 117 points (44 goals, 73 assists) in 160 NCAA appearances.
Gosselin, a right-shot forward, is a true playmaker, acting off instinct in the offensive zone.
If he finds chemistry with his new Guildford Flames teammates, the Quebec-born winger could be on for a point-per-game campaign.
Coventry Blaze | Sam Ruffin (Forward)
Kevin Moore is a firm believer in NCAA D-III talent.
And Sam Ruffin is the Coventry Blaze’s biggest summer gamble.
Elite League Signing: Sam Ruffin, Coventry Blaze (Image: Induy Fuel)
The 26-year-old arrives in the Elite League with two seasons of professional experience, split between the ECHL and SPHL.
Ruffin’s ECHL numbers are lukewarm (10 points in 44 games), while his SPHL production (25 points in 26 games) catches the eye.
But Ruffin’s Coventry move didn’t come as a result of his professional production.
Moore is betting on his NCAA D-III output carrying over into the Elite League.
Through four seasons at Adrian College, Ruffin scored 136 points (50 goals, 86 assists) in 102 games.
That sure is spicy.
And Moore firmly believes that Ruffin will be a difference maker for the Blaze this season.
“I intimately know that level, so I know what role a player can jump over to,” Moore said of his forming stomping ground.
“If you’re watching a D-I fourth-liner, you might sit there and think he can make the jump as a middle-six player. Whereas another coach might sign a player from D-III and pigeonhole them as a fourth-liner – and that player then never gets the chance he deserves…
“There are really good players there who are playing twenty minutes a night versus eight minutes a night for a fourth-line guy in D-I.
“That ice time just compounds itself every year. I try not to sleep on leagues and players – those athletes are incredible and I’m happy to be coaching them.”
Cardiff Devils | Christian Stoever (Netminder)
Christian Stoever arrives in Cardiff after a sparkling final season in the NCAA.
The American made 18 appearances for Bowling Green State University last term, upholding a .942 save percentage and a 1.76 goals-against average.
He enters the Elite League fray with a clear objective: unseat Ben Bowns as the Devils’ starter.
At 6-foot-3, Stoever has the natural, physical attributes to thrive and is a player to watch this season.
Nottingham Panthers | Brendan Harris (Forward)
The Nottingham Panthers have a potential point-per-game scorer in Brendan Harris.
“Brendan is a dynamic signing for us,” said head coach Danny Stewart.
“He brings a combination of speed and creativity that will make him a very effective player over here.”
Capable of playing at centre or down the flanks, the American hit 66-in-66 in the 2023-24 ECHL season, leading the Jacksonville Icemen in goals and assists.
It’s a crowded field in Nottingham, who went unbeaten in preseason, but Harris has the look of a top-line leader.
Sheffield Steelers | Nick Seitz (Forward)
Nick Seitz needs no introduction.
The American scored 59 points (30 goals, 29 assists) in 54 regular-season appearances for Coventry last season, landing in Sheffield as one of the Elite League’s top marksmen.
Elite League Signing: Nick Seitz, now of the Sheffield Steelers (Image: Scott Wiggins)
“His skating is a huge strength and I think he will fit in really well with a couple of our other forwards,” said Steelers head coach Aaron Fox.
“Nick obviously has a great scoring touch, but it’s the spots [on the ice] he finds that will set him apart for us.
“Sometimes you worry about recruiting guys who play in those small barns, but Nick actually scored more goals on the road than at home and a good chunk of them were against the top teams.”
Seitz has the edgework and hand-eye-coordination to build on his dominant debut season — and projects as a top-six winger in Sheffield.
Alexis Gravel | Belfast Giants (Netminder)
Alexis Gravel is another interesting addition between the pipes.
Joining the Belfast Giants with one season of professional experience, he is a product of the QMJHL and USports.
He spent most of last season in the ECHL, recording a .927 save percentage through 23 appearances for the Orlando Solar Bears, before playing two games for DEL side Adler Mannheim.
Gravel, like Stoever in Cardiff, faces stiff competition from Team GB stalwart Jackson Whistle.
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