The Elite League celebrated the start of the new year by vowing to be as random and unpredictable as ever.
In the first week of January 2026, the Manchester Storm and Coventry Blaze earned shock wins over the title-contending Sheffield Steelers and Belfast Giants.
Players up and down the league made their case for a space in the Team of the Week, with highlight reel-worthy plays aplenty as their new years resolutions came into effect.
With that, let’s dive into our all-star selections for gameweek 17.
Elite League Team of the Week: DeRidder, Pearson lead the way
Drew DeRidder, Manchester Storm:
Drew DeRidder couldn’t have asked for a better start to the year.
The American shot-stopper had himself a night on New Year’s Day, turning aside 44 shots to backstop the Manchester Storm to a 4-0 win over the Sheffield Steelers.
DeRidder denied both high danger-scoring chances he faced, including Grade-A looks for Dominic Cormier, Sam Tremblay, and Mitchell Balmas from the low slot.
He also led Manchester to a 5-4 overtime win in Fife versus the Flyers and made 39 saves on 42 shots in a slender loss to the Guildford Flames.
With a .952 save percentage in gameweek 17, DeRidder is more than deserving of his place in the Team of the Week.
Jere Vertanen, Coventry Blaze:
After the Coventry Blaze fell 5-0 on home ice to the Cardiff Devils on 27 December, you could be forgiven for believing that Kevin Moore’s side had brought a one-way ticket out of the playoff picture.
Instead, the Skydome Arena squad bounced back by taking five points from the six available this time out.
Jere Vertanen played a crucial role for the Blaze, scoring in their 4-3 overtime loss to the Nottingham Panthers on New Year’s Day, before adding another two goals to his tally in Coventry’s 4-3 takedown of the Belfast Giants on 4 January.
The rangey defenceman is now up to 14 points (nine goals, five assists) in 25 regular-season appearances.
Mike Lee, Belfast Giants:
Mike Lee scored once and provided two assists as the Giants marked the turn of the year with three wins in four games.
His best play of the round came on 30 December when he went coast-to-coast to net the overtime winner versus the Glasgow Clan. Clutch.
Chase Pearson, Nottingham Panthers:
Chase Pearson had plenty to celebrate this holiday season, tallying six points (two goals, four assists) in four games.
The Canadian was at his most decisive on New Year’s Day, scoring and providing a primary assist (both on the powerplay) to help Nottingham take Coventry down 4-3 at the Motorpoint Arena.
Matt Alvaro, Guildford Flames:
You just never know what you’re getting from the Guildford Flames.
But whether they’re burning brightly or at risk of being put out, Matt Alvaro’s production can always be relied on.
The Canadian’s best performance of the round also came on 1 January, scoring twice (including the game-winner) and providing a primary assist to condemn the Cardiff Devils to a 3-5 loss in Wales.
All in all, he checked out of gameweek 17 with six points (three goals, three assists), two regulation wins and an overtime loss.
Alvaro has tallied a point on each of his last six appearances.
David Booth, Fife Flyers:
David Booth, Fife Flyers (Image: Derek Black)
David Booth was forced to wait a month to make his Elite League debut and he repaid the Fife Flyers for their patience by scoring a hattrick on his third appearance.
And it wasn’t an insignificant triple: it lifted Fife out of tenth place for the first time since October 2024, powering their 6-3 win over the Dundee Stars on 30 December.
The American tallied five goals and one assist in three gameweek 17 appearances.
READ MORE:
