Nottingham Panthers have confirmed the signing of forward Matt Carter.

The Canadian has spent the last two seasons with Rapaces de Gap in France, where he averaged more than a point per game and helped the team claim the title in 2014/15.

Carter grew up with Panthers’ forward Chris Lawrence and the pair are said to have a telepathic understanding on the ice.

Head Coach Corey Neilson said: “They still play alongside each other every summer and they’ve played ice hockey together since they were babies.

“We’ve had chemistry between players in glimpses in the past, but last year we really saw it between Stephen Schultz and Andy Bohmbach and I wanted to build and grow on it again this year.

“So with Larry and Matt very much on the same page, plus the added enthusiasm for Matt as all the reports are on the lines of him being highly-skilled, having great hands and being very good in front of the net, on penalty shots and more – it made a lot of sense to get him onto the Panthers’ roster.”