Nottingham Panthers Director of Hockey Guillaume Doucet revealed new signing Nick Dineen was one of his main targets to sign for the Elite Series.
The 32-year-old is the latest import to commit to the tournament, which begins in early April as Panthers continue to build their team.
And for Doucet, he’s a player who ticks a lot of boxes after arriving from Norwegian side Lillehammer.
“Nick was the kind of guy I was after in this recruitment,” he said. “He’s someone with experience and that we can rely on in different situations.
“He’s a bit older, he’s played in some good leagues and has been around for a while so he’s just who I was after for the centre spot.
“Nick’s a player that I would call a responsible centreman, but if he can produce offensively, he’ll bring a lot to the table.
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“Plus, he’s been the captain in Lillehammer and we’ll get to know him, but he could be a leader for us.”
Like many of the other import signings across the four teams in the Elite Series, Dineen comes from Norway’s Fjordkraft-Ligaen, who have scrapped the remainder of the campaign because of coronavirus.
Doucet believes the sudden availability of players from Norway alters things for the tournament and the teams involved in terms of recruitment.
“The Norwegian league cancelling for the rest of the season has changed things for everyone in recruiting and a lot of good players became available,” Doucet added.
“The fact they’ve been practising since January was a big plus as well. It’s good that these guys will arrive and more or less be ready to go.
“It’s tough to judge the Scandinavian leagues, but from what I gather, it’s fast and it has younger players to get to show what they can do to move up.
“Someone who does well in a league like that over a period of time will translate well into our league.”
