Fri 29 Jul 2022 - 8:15PM

The Nottingham Panthers will be able to call upon British netminding pair Luca Sheldon (20) & Matthew Bloor (18) during the 2022/23 Premier Sports Elite League season.

Currently icing for the Nottingham Lions (NIHL 1) the duo will get the opportunity to train with the Panthers throughout the week and will serve as back-ups to Alex Dubeau and Jack Berry on game days when a full compliment of "non-homegrown" skaters take to the ice.

Having both Luca and Matthew available means that whilst one is backing up Alex or Jack the other will be able to continue to gain valuable in-game time between the pipes with the Lions ensuring their continued development on all fronts.

This is the first step in The Nottingham Panthers and Nottingham Lions having a closer working relationship during the upcoming season and beyond to ensure there is a pipeline to the pros created for the next generation of local talent.

Matt Bradbury of The Nottingham Lions gave his thoughts to panthers.co.uk about the link up: “We have been in regular communication with both Omar and Gary over the last few weeks and we are excited to be working closely with them. It’s an exciting time for ice hockey in Nottingham and we look forward to strengthening our partnership over the next year.

“This is an amazing opportunity for both Luca and Matthew as part of their development and it doesn’t get any better than this.

“We are so are grateful for the support from the Panthers to make this possible.”