Ben Ellington follows up his article from 2nd May 2024 where he talked about Danny Stewart’s appointment as Nottingham Panthers Head Coach. Now well into the 2024/25 season, Ben appraises how Stewart has done so far.
Back in May, I wrote about Danny Stewart’s appointment, and I quote, “Has it been met with universal acceptance? Certainly not.” I also wrote “The 2024/25 season promises much, I really hope it can deliver.” Some nine months on from Stewart being revealed as the new Head Coach of Nottingham Panthers, I want to look at the progress that has been made at the club since his appointment and if he has managed to win over those who were skeptical of his hiring.
Firstly, the nay sayers. I think it’s fair to say that Danny Stewart has now won over the vast majority of the Panthers fan base. You only how to look at how the team has performed so far this season, as I write, Panthers have the joint best defensive record in the Elite League along with table toppers Belfast Giants. They also have statistically the best netminder in the league currently for goals against average and save percentage in Jason Grande. Add to that three forward lines of scoring depth, an ability to score goals in bunches and an ability to go on long winning runs, I’d suggest that very few would be unsatisfied with how Stewart has got his team performing so far.
Since the return to playing after the break for the COVID pandemic, it would be fair to say that the Panthers have not met expectations, certainly in 2021/22 and 2022/23. I would be unfair to include last season for obvious reasons. Despite changes in playing roster, coaching and off-ice, nothing seemed to be improving in the organisations results. This season that has changed dramatically. The team is challenging in the league and in the cup, they are playing entertaining (and more importantly winning) hockey. The team looks balanced, settled and has an uncanny ability to score goals in quick succession, as seen on Friday night with four goals in 100 seconds against Guildford Flames. While the players will rightly take the plaudits, Stewart has to take credit for getting the team to play his way and currently it is paying dividends.
Another thing to look at is mid-season recruitment. Now this may be praise to lay at the door of CEO Omar Pacha, but Zsombor Garát, Mitch Fossier and Jason Grande have been superb additions to the squad. Garát leads the league on plus/minus with +25, Fossier is scoring at well over a point a game and Grande has propelled himself to the top of the netminder statistics with his performances. When you factor in how solid the defence has been, the scoring from the top nine forwards and the form of Ryan Bednard prior to injury, you can only conclude that recruitment has been excellent this season. I said that this season promised so much and so far, it is delivering.
Another thing that impresses me greatly about Stewart is his honesty. His post-game interviews are a breath of fresh air, every question is answered straight and he is brutally honest. As an example, he said on Friday after the 7-4 victory over Guildford “We weren’t good tonight” and “…for me probably the worst we’ve played all year” I think that honesty has endeared him to the fanbase, Stewart comes across very much as being a ‘what you see is what you get’ type of character and I strongly believe that the fanbase appreciates that.
For me, a foundation is now being built, but a foundation is only good if it has a building to support. It is imperative that Stewart remains to continue the progress of this season and that we also retain a core of this team to provide some much-needed stability going into 2025/26. I believed Danny Stewart was the right appointment when it was made. Now I strongly believe it, and I very much doubt I’m alone in that.
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