The Elite League signed off for the calendar year with fireworks.
The Cardiff Devils hold a slender, one-point advantage at the top of the standings on New Year’s Day, with the Nottingham Panthers, Sheffield Steelers, and Belfast Giants all within four points of the summit.
For the first time since October 2024, there is a new name at the bottom of the pack.
The Fife Flyers overtook the Dundee Stars in the final days of 2025, fuelled by a high-scoring, midseason addition.
It’s still very much all to play for in the Elite League, as exemplified by the Coventry Blaze’s 5-4 win over the Panthers on New Year’s Eve.
The Blaze had lost four of their previous six games and trailed 4-1 with 24 minutes left to play in Nottingham.
With that in mind, let’s dive into British Ice Hockey’s Elite League Team of the Month for December, featuring players from six teams…
Elite League Team of the Month: December 2025
Mitchell Balmas, Sheffield Steelers
Mitchell Balmas, Sheffield Steelers (Image: Scott Wiggins)
Mitchell Balmas enters the New Year as the Elite League’s leading point- and goal-scorer. He also ranks 11th in assists.
His inclusion in our Team of the Month for December doesn’t carry a tonne of shock factor.
But it’s still worth diving into the numbers and performances behind his inclusion, headlined by a hattrick in the Sheffield Steelers’ 4-3 loss to the Nottingham Panthers on 27 December.
Balmas had three more multi-point games, all of them resulting in victory, and closed out the month with seven goals and four assists in eight games.
Ironically, the Canadian’s worst display of December came on his final appearance, when he went -3 in a 5-3 home loss to the Manchester Storm.
Mathieu Gosselin, Guildford Flames
Mathieu Gosselin will finish the season as a point-per-game player.
The 26-year-old has 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 24 regular-season appearances for the Guildford Flames, averaging 21:21 ice time as the team’s top centreman.
His impressive form continued in December, with nine points (six goals, three assists) in eight games.
Gosselin is also holding his own in the face-off circle, finishing the month an even 90-90 on the draw.
David Booth, Fife Flyers
David Booth, Fife Flyers (Image: Derek Young)
David Booth is the most controversial inclusion in the Team of the Month.
But hear me out.
The 41-year-old signed for the Fife Flyers at the start of the month, ending a five-month spell without a team, and scored a hattrick on his third Elite League appearance.
And it wasn’t an inconsequential triple: it powered Fife’s 6-3 win over the Dundee Stars on 30 December, lifting Jamie Russell’s squad out of tenth position for the first time in 14 months.
All in all, the American has five goals and six assists in four Fife appearances — and has already lifted the Flyers back into a competitive window.
Mike Lee, Belfast Giants
I often wax lyrical about Mike Lee. And there’s no harm in repeating the act.
The 29-year-old delivered nine points (three goals, six assists) in as many games, including a highlight reel-worthy overtime winner to sink the Glasgow Clan on 30 December.
Result | #EIHL @BelfastGiants 4-3 OT @ClanIHC pic.twitter.com/QGpKwF04Fr
— Elite Ice Hockey League | #EIHL (@officialEIHL) December 30, 2025
Insane.
David Noel, Nottingham Panthers
David Noel also had nine points (four goals, five assists) in December, including a three-game goal streak to close out the month.
Called upon in all situations by Danny Stewart, the 26-year-old has been an integral part of the Nottingham Panthers’ title tilt and will play a key role as silverware is won down the stretch.
Ben Bowns, Cardiff Devils
Ben Bowns, Cardiff Devils (Image: John Uwins)
Ben Bowns’ case for a Team of the Week slot is as watertight as they come.
The 34-year-old made nine starts in December, backstopping the Cardiff Devils to seven wins, two shutouts, and a brief stint at the top of the table.
With 227 saves on 242 shots, Bowns owned a .938 save percentage through the festive period, helping Cardiff emerge from one-goal encounters versus the Coventry Blaze, Glasgow Clan, and Belfast Giants on the winning side.
The Rotherham native was at his best on 6 December when he turned aside five (out of five) high-danger scoring chances in a 2-1 win over Belfast.
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