Panthers Champions Of Europe - Again

It’s been a successful week in the modern history of the Nottingham Panthers, capping it off on Saturday evening by becoming the first UK side to win two, Continental Cup competitions.

Victorious in Ritten, Italy, back in 2017, the Panthers were actually runners-up three years later when losing out to Danish outfit, SønderjyskE Ishockey, in Vojens, Denmark, in 2020.

Fast-forward to the Nottingham-histed final round of 2026, and the Panthers not only emerged victorious with their second, Conti Cup success, but they also became just the fourth side in competition history to register a second success.

Belarussian’s Yunost Minsk have won the tournament three times, doing so in 2007, 2011, and 2018, whilst the Swiss pairing of HC Ambri-Piotta and ZSC Lions, in 1999 and 2000, and 2001 and 2002, have also succeeded twice apiece.

Victory for the Panthers meanwhile is the culmination of all the hard work, on-and-off ice, over the past couple of seasons as Danny Stewart’s charges have seen a rise back to the upper echelons of the British game.

Last season the Panthers finished third in the Elite League before going on to win the Play-Offs, whilst also being beaten semi-finalists in the Challenge Cup; that momentum has carried on into the new campaign, with stunning effect.

Well-placed in the Elite League, with a current, top three placing, the Panthers also have a late-February double header with rivals Sheffield Steelers in this seasons Challenge Cup semis to look forward to.

Going into the Continental Cup, Stewart’s ‘Ice Kings’ picked up an impressive, 7-3 home success over Scottish side, Fife Flyers, Ross Armour’s brace adding to efforts from Nolan Volcan, Zsombor Garat, Jordan Kelsall, Jakob Stridsberg, and Matthew Marcinew, as the Panthers warmed up in style.

After their success, Panthers Head Coach, Danny Stewart said: “I’m proud of these guys and it’s something they will remember forever.

“They are just a great group of guys and it’s so good for the city.

“On the back of last year hopefully we can keep this momentum going and hoist a couple more.

“The physicality we played with, the commitment to defending and the small details – that’s why they’re lifting the trophy;” (more here).

THE 2026 IIHF CONTINTENTAL CUP

Hosting this season’s Conti Cup had Stewart’s side in prime position to be among the favourites for success, but nobody really could have expected that which played out before their eyes.

The opening game would see Herning Blue Fox (Denmark) defeat Angers Ducs (France) 4-1, before the Panthers took over in game two with a stunning, 4-0 win over HK Mogo (Latvia) as Brendan Harris, Didrik Henbrant, Bryan Lemos, and Zsombor Garat all netted.

Herning proceeded to lose their next game, going down 6-2 against Kazakhstan side, Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk, and Katowice defeated Mogo 3-2 in OT; the Panthers then opposed Katowice in their respective, final group game.

As Kevin Carr had done in game one, Jason Grande did in game two, the netminders producing 20+ shot shut-outs as the Panthers again won 4-0, Tim Doherty bagging a double alongside scores from Nolan Volcan and Didrik Henbrant.

Making their victories all the more worthy was the fact that in both games the Panthers had played, and alongside successive shut-outs, the first periods were both scoreless, Stewart’s men charging into the final, opposing a Torpedo side who’d wrapped up their group games with a 3-2OT loss to Angers Ducs.

CONTI CUP FINALS DAY

Prior to the main event, of Panthers – Torpedo, and Mogo edged a seven-goal thriller with Angers with Rudolfs Maslovskis netting the decider; Herning then claimed the bronze with a 3-2 success against Katowice as Josh Prokop grabbed the decisive penalty score.

PANTHERS 4 TORPEDO 2

Chase Pearson (via Andy Potts/IIHF here)

“We were a little bit nervous for a couple minutes, when they score back-to-back shifts that’s not good.

“But we stayed cool and scored the empty netter to see it out.

“Then to win in front of this crowd was amazing.”

Onto the final itself, and a packed-out Motorpoint Arena of more than 6,500 spectators witnessed a spectacle of contrasting styles on another famous, sporting night in Nottingham.

The opening came close to being the same as the Panthers’ previous two outings, against Mogo and Katowice, before Matt Spencer netted in the dying seconds, finishing off a move from Doherty and Volcan.

Further chances were created by the hosts in the second period before finally extending their lead with a quick-fire double just after the half hour, Lemos netting the second before Cooper Zech added the third with a penalty-shot.

Torpedo battled back to within a score in the third period, Stanislav Borovikov and a deflected, Mikhail Rakhmanov effort had the score at 3-2 in the fifty-ninth minute; the Panthers though struck the killer blow when Zsombor Garat wrapped up proceedings with an empty-net score at the death. To cap a fine tournament success for the Panthers, Forward Didrik Henbrant was named the ‘Forward of the Tournament.’

BRITISH CONTINENTAL CUP SUCCESSES

The Panthers’ second Conti Cup success, inside a decade, is the third success by a British side in the competition, and their twenty-third trophy since their 1980 reforming.

Cardiff Devils won last season’s tournament, also on home ‘ice’ (Cardiff), with London Knights being runners-up (Zurich, Switzerland, 2001), and Belfast Giants the same (Belfast, Northern Ireland, 2019) before the Panthers picked up their silver medal in Vojens, Denmark.

Saturday 17 January 2026 though belonged to Nottingham Panthers, a second Continental Cup adding to a League Championship, seven Play-Offs, five Autumn Cups, and eight Challenge Cups, since their second coming.

Could there be more silverware to come? Only time will tell, but the odds are looking good so far…..