Neilson joins GB camp
This morning it was announced that Panthers coach Corey Neilson would be joining Pete Russell as an assistant coach for the Great Britain national side.
They will be working with Doug Christiansen, who has recently been named as the new head coach.
Neilson has a wealth of knowledge and experience of the game, he was previously a third-round NHL draft pick for Edmonton Oilers in 1994. His career has seen him play in the American Hockey League, East Coast Hockey League, as well as a stint in Germany.
This season will Corey’s 8th season in the UK with Panthers and 6th as coach. He took up the coaching role In 2008 when previous coach Mike Ellis left the club,
His first season as player-coach saw him take panthers to a third place finish in the Elite League and runners up in the end of season playoffs, where they lost to rivals Sheffield Steelers.
Panthers remain in the hunt for the league up till the last few months of the season in 2009/10, where they finished third again, for the third season running.
Corey did bring some silverware to the team though, when they beat Cardiff Devils to win the challenge cup for the second time in 3 years.
The next 3 seasons saw silverware returning and staying in the lace city, when Neilson coached panthers to a win in the challenge cup for the second year running beating the Belfast Giants, then finished the season playoff champions once again defeating the Cardiff devils.
The 2011–12 season is known as the DOUBLE-DOUBLE as Panthers repeated the previous year’s feat, beating Belfast in the challenge cup to win it for the third year in a row and then defeated Cardiff again in the playoff final.
The 2012/13 season is Corey and panthers most successful season to date, Neilson guided them to a GRANDSLAM of trophies, (which is still being debated by fans) where they picked up for the third year in a row the Challenge Cup and Play off trophy, adding to that the Elite League title for the first time in 57 years. This saw Neilson pick up Elite League Coach of the Year.
Neilson said: “I am so pleased to be involved in the national side and look forward to working with Doug and Pete.
I have a great passion for Great Britain, so it is very special to be appointed as assistant coach. I am very keen to develop British talent and to continue the work I have done with British players at the Panthers and those, such as Robert Lachowicz, who previously attended my Teen Ranch training camp in Canada.”
