Panthers settling in
So far, so good for the Pelham Panthers.
The Panthers participated in a pair of pre-season tournaments over the last two weeks — winning the Doug Burr Memorial Tournament in Pelham and also playing in the Canuck Classic in Niagara Falls — and head coach Chris Lukey has been encouraged by what he has seen.
“I’ve really been impressed with the returning group of kids and with the character of all the kids in camp,” Lukey said. “That’s half the battle. We have a really good group of kids and I’m really impressed with their maturity and character.
“Character is everything and they have bonded together and take care of each other. They’re a good group.”
Lukey and his staff are still in the process of finalizing the roster. The Panthers open the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League season Friday, Sept. 24 at home versus the Hamilton Kilty B’s and have several exhibition games scheduled beforehand.
“We’re making strides every day,” he said. “We’re down to about 25 players.
“There are still some player movements to make and we’re still waiting for some to come in. We’re still looking to beef up our lineup for sure so there are a couple of spots available for sure.”
One area that appears set is between the pipes with returning veteran Brayden Kelso and newcomer John Burbidge.
“We have two older, mature guys. Kelso coming back really helps and Burbidge has been pretty steady for us,” Lukey said.
As well, Lukey said returning forwards Jonah Devereaux and Cody Miskolczi have been impressive.
“They are two guys who really have seemed to matured in their game on and off the ice,” Lukey said. “They have been leaders big time for us.”
The Panthers plan to ramp up practices in the coming weeks.
“We’re really going to just start piecing the puzzle together,” Lukey said. “I told the players when they return after Labour Day we’ll start working on putting our season game plans together and start working on our systems and slowly start putting the program together.”
Even though it is early, Lukey feels the club is starting to form an identity.
“When we started the first tournament, I asked the kids to play full out and step out and lead and they have responded to everything I have asked. I’ve seen a great identity, a great group of kids.”
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