Not content with announcing the signing of Craig Moore on Monday, Nottingham Panthers last night boosted their defensive line roster with some more brutality with the capture of Kelly Summers from German side Eispiraten Crimmitschau.
Summers had been in Germany since 2020 with 42 games in the DEL2, following previous spells in the ECHL & AHL following his graduation from Clarkson University in 2018.
During his time at Clarkson, Kelly was named to the NCAA (ECAC) All-Rookie Team (2014/15) and the NCAA (ECAC) First All-Star Team (2017/18) whilst contributing 71 points (18 goals, 53 assists) in 149 games for the programme over four seasons.
He then signed his first professional contract with the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder where he spent two campaigns, earning himself a call-up to the AHL’s Binghamton Devils in the process during his sophomore season on the coast, adding 48 points (14 goals, 34 assists) across 97 games to his resume.
Head Coach Gary Graham spoke to panthers.co.uk after securing Kelly’s signature for the upcoming campaign, stating “Kelly is a true two-way defenceman that reads the play very well.
“He has a great shot and good first pass out of the zone, he is excited to be a Panthers player and will play a big role at our club this season.”
Summers joins a number of new stars at the Panthers ahead of the new campaign including, Craig Puffer, Alex Dubeau, Tanner Sorensen and Luke Ferrara, with some existing stars also returning to ice at the Motorpoint Arena for 2022/23, including the likes of J.C. Brassard, Jordan Kelsall and Matthew Myers.
*Main image @PanthersIHC Summers will add quality in the Nottingham defence-line.
