Doucet: No expectations on Kevin

Nottingham Panthers Director of Hockey Guillaume Doucet says there are no expectations on new signing Kevin Domingue after he joined the club for the Elite Series.

The 25-year-old is the second import to commit to the short format competition and will be looking to make the most of his chance with Nottingham.

And Doucet admitted he’s a player he’s kept tabs on since the summers where he worked in a gym near Montreal.

“I used to help a friend, who ran a gym in Laval, on the outskirts of Montreal and Kevin used to come in when he was 15/16 as he was started out in his career and I kept tabs on him,” Doucet told British Ice Hockey.

OFFICIAL: The Nottingham Panthers have signed Kevin Domingue (@kevdom17) for the #2021EliteSeries. ?#BeTheRoar | #EIHL | #PanthersNation pic.twitter.com/kJJ5mvflj8

— The Nottingham Panthers | #2021EliteSeries (@PanthersIHC) March 16, 2021

“He’s a player who’s become something of a late bloomer and I was pleased to see him find his scoring touch at the University of Ottawa.

“There’s no expectation on him coming in, especially as a first year pro, but I’m keen for him to get the chance and this is a great opportunity for him.

“This series gives us the chance to try out players, with, perhaps a view to look ahead to next season, if it goes ahead and every other team, whether they’re playing or not will do the same.”

Domingue spent four years in Ottawa, averaging just over 38 points a season before making the transition to professional level, where he iced for ECHL side Tulsa Oilers.

His time there ended last month when he played 11 times and picked up two assists, but will be keen to make a big impression for Panthers.

Doucet also spoke of the difficulties he’s had in trying to bring back some familiar faces to the club, a year since the 2019-20 and subsequent season were scrapped because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I’ve found that bringing back some of the guys we had before has proved to be much more difficult than I expected,” he added.

“It’s not been as easy to bring the band back together, you might say, as those players have moved on.  They’re either playing elsewhere, they have jobs or for whatever reason, just can’t come.

“This is why this is an opportunity for a player like Kevin to come in, hopefully impress and look to earn a spot for next season, if all goes well.”