Thu 4 Jun 2026 - 10:00AM

NEW BOY IN TOWN: LOWDOWN ON MAT ROBSON

By Jono Bullard

Netminder Mat Robson joins the Panthers from Elite League rivals Coventry on the back of two standout seasons for the Blaze.

On joining the club, Robson told Panthers TV: "I am so excited to be joining the Panthers. I know how great the atmosphere is at the Motorpoint Arena with my visits there with the Blaze.

"Panthers are a club on the up and there has been some great success in recent years. I am looking forward to being part of it as we look for more success going forward."

The Mississauga, Ontario native began his junior career in and around Toronto. He played three seasons in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) between 2012/13 and 2014/15 - two for Lindsay Muskies followed by a year with Toronto Patriots.

He won the OJHL Championship with Patriots in 2014/15 when they beat Kingston Voyageurs in the Buckland Cup Final. Robson finished the playoffs that season with a goals-against average of 1.77 and a save percentage of 93.7% in 22 games.

Another championship followed in 2016/17 with Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). The Vees played three seven-game series in three rounds of playoffs to win the Fred Page Cup, with Robson finishing with stats of 2.21 goals-against average and a save percentage of 92.0% in 21 games.

Robson signed with the University of Minnesota Gophers in the NCAA the following season. Over two campaigns in 2017/18 and 2018/19, Robson played in 45 games for the Gophers, achieving a goals-against average of 2.57 and a save percentage of 92.4%, setting a team record for save percentage in the 2018/19 campaign.

He became a free agent at the end of the 2018/19 season and signed with Minnesota Wild in the NHL. He was assigned to their AHL affiliate Iowa Wild where he played 26 games during the 2019/20 season, posting a goals-against average of 2.97 and a save percentage of 90.1%.

Robson made his first foray to Europe in 2021/22, signing for German side Straubing Tigers of the DEL. He returned to North America the following season, icing 10 games for Rochester Americans in the AHL and 21 games for Cincinnati Cyclones in the ECHL.

In 2022/23, Robson joinied Anglet of the French Ligue Magnus, playing 40 games before heading to Poland in 2023/24 to ice for Cracovia Krakow, playing 13 games.

His move to the Elite League came in the summer of 2024 when he signed for Kevin Moore at Coventry Blaze, playing two seasons at the Skydome and establishing himself as one of the top goaltenders in the league.

Robson played 121 games for Blaze, achieving a goals-against average of 2.99, a save percentage of 91.5% and three shutouts, two of which came in Sheffield against the Steelers.

He led the Blaze to the 2026 Challenge Cup Final with a save percentage of 93.7% in 12 games and finished the 2025/26 season being voted on to the EIHL’s Second All-Star team.

Due to his mother Helen being Welsh, Robson was able to apply for British citizenship and was selected in Pete Russell’s Great Britain squad for the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.

He played five games in Switzerland, earning his first cap against Austria in GB’s first game, and was voted Player for the Tournament by the Great Britain Supporters' Club.

Robson will now continue his EIHL career in Nottingham. We all look forward to welcoming him to the Motorpoint Arena in August.