The festive season has truly arrived.
In the month of November, the Elite League enjoyed or endured — depending on your perspective — a bumpy ride.
The Fife Flyers’ lost and lost and lost, until they finally stopped the rot at the 18-game mark.
Down in the Midlands, the Coventry Blaze went 2-6-2, while the Nottingham Panthers raced to seven wins and one overtime loss.
It’s still as tight as ever at the top of the table: the Sheffield Steelers lead the way in points, but Nottingham have the edge in points percentage.
With that said, let’s dive into our Team of the Month selections, with five teams represented this time around.
Elite League Team of the Month: November 2025
Ben Bowns, Cardiff Devils
Ben Bowns, Cardiff Devils (Image: Scott Wiggins)
Ben Bowns made six appearances in November, backstopping the Cardiff Devils to four wins and two full shutouts.
The Team Great Britain stalwart started the month by blanking the Steelers in Sheffield, stopping 1.91 goals above expected as Cardiff raced away 4-0 winners.
Bowns faced stiff competition in the race for the net in November, narrowly beating Sami Aittokallio (who maintained .921 save percentage, despite losing on three of his five appearances for the Glasgow Clan) and Eamon McAdam (who made 101 saves on 104 shots through three starts and three wins for the Sheffield Steelers).
Nick Welsh, Manchester Storm
Nick Welsh, Manchester Storm (Image: Mark Ferriss)
Nick Welsh is an obvious choice for the Team of the Month — he was twice picked in our Team of the Week, continuing the fine form that saw him included in our October All-Stars.
The 28-year-old is well-established as the Manchester Storm’s standout defenceman, playing in all situations under the direction of Cam Critchlow, and his consistency is key.
Welsh made nine appearances in November, scoring ten points (three goals, seven assists) during a spell that saw him held off the scoresheet only three times.
The Storm won three games by one-goal margins, contests in which the Canadian hit eight points.
Welsh has the clutch gene — and the Storm continue to reap the rewards.
Dominic Cormier, Sheffield Steelers
Dominic Cormier, Sheffield Steelers (Image: Dean Woolley)
Dominic Cormier will always be divisive.
In the context of this competition, he is elite offensively.
But, on the defensive side of the puck, his work often leaves something to be desired.
It should therefore come as no surprise that Cormier’s attacking output powered his run to a spot in the Team of the Month: eight points (two goals, six assists) in 10 games.
The Sheffield Steelers defender narrowly beats Belfast’s Mike Lee to a place in the Team of the Month because of their duel on 1 November.
Sheffield won 4-1 on the day, with Cormier recording a primary, powerplay assist and a secondary tally to tie the score five-on-five.
Cole Sanford, Cardiff Devils
Cole Sanford, Cardiff Devils (Image: James Assinder)
Cole Sanford always to sneak under the radar in debates about the Elite League’s best players.
Since arriving on these shores four seasons ago, the Canadian has 303 points (153 goals, 150 assists) in 293 games — and he shows no signs of slowing down at the start of his thirties.
Sanford’s standout performance of the month came on 28 November, scoring a hattrick and notching an assist in the Cardiff Devils’ 7-1 win over the Guildford Flames.
He also twisted the knife on the Belfast Giants on 9 November, registering a primary assist, before twice finding twin in a 5-3 home win.
Sanford closed out the month with 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in 11 games.
Ross Armour, Nottingham Panthers
Ross Armour, Nottingham Panthers (Image: Panthers Images)
Ross Armour registered a point on seven of his eight appearances last month, with his hattrick in the Nottingham Panthers’ 4-3 win over the Sheffield Steelers on 22 November headlining the run.
Playing on Danny Stewart’s third line alongside Bryan Lemos and Didrik Henbrant, the Canadian scored 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in eight games as he continues to consolidate his fan-favourite status in the East Midlands.
Jordan Kawaguchi, Belfast Giants
Jordan Kawaguchi, Belfast Giants (Image: Derek Black)
Jordan Kawaguchi played nine times in November; only once did he fail to etch his name on the scoresheet.
The Canadian started the month strong, scoring a hattrick in Belfast’s 5-3 take down of the Dundee Stars on 9 November, and ended it with three consecutive multi-point games.
All in all, Kawaguchi tallied 14 points (10 goals, four assists) from his first-line role alongside Nicolas Gauy and Jake Gaudet.
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