Mon 1 Jun 2026 - 07:00AM
THE RETURN OF JOE HAZELDINE: THE LOWDOWN
Great Britain international defenceman Joe Hazeldine has returned to Nottingham Panthers for a third spell with his home-town club.
Born in March 2001, the 25-year-old came through the Nottingham Junior Club based at the National Ice Centre.
He was an-ever present for the Midlands at EIHA conferences from under-11 to under-17 and also represented England six times - four as captain - at the Quebec International Peewee Tournament, alongside new Panthers team-mate Patrick Larkin.
At just 15 years old he was playing up to under-18 level and was captain of the Nottingham Tigers (under-15s), scoring an impressive 79 points in 16 games while captaining the side in the 2015/16 season.
He got his senior hockey debut the following season, icing a game each for the Nottingham Lions and Deeside Dragons in the NIHL.
Hazeldine also played three games for Great Britain Under-16s at a tournament in Dumfries, helping the team to victories over Netherlands, Belgium and Spain.
More international recognition followed for Great Britain Under-18s and Under-20s. He was part of the gold medal-winning under-18s side that earned promotion from Division 2A in Tallin, Estonia in 2018.
He also represented the under-18s in Székesfehérvár, Hungary and the under-20s in Tallinn, Estonia. His final under-20s appearances came in January 2020 in the 2A tournament in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Joe first signed with Panthers in the summer of 2017 on a two-way with NIHL side Swindon Wildcats and made eight appearances in the black & gold during his debut season.
He returned in 2018/19, making 25 appearances in between his games for Telford Tigers in the NIHL where he was on a two-way contract.
His final season of his first Panthers stint came in 2019/20 where he made 41 appearances for Panthers, along with 14 appearances for NIHL side Peterborough Phantoms.
Hazeldine picked up his first point in Panthers colours on 6th October 2019 with an assist in a Challenge Cup group game against Sheffield Steelers.
With the covid pandemic shutting down domestic hockey, Hazeldine made his first trip overseas signing for German fourth-tier side ES Weißwasser U23, an affiliate of DEL2's Lausitzer Füchse who were then coached by former Panthers head coach Corey Neilson. He played seven games in Germany, scoring one goal and seven assists.
Hazeldine then signed for Manchester Storm in the Elite League, making his debut for them during the 2021 Elite Series in Nottingham. He made a total of 125 appearances for Storm, scoring seven goals and 23 assists for 30 points.
His second overseas trip came after leaving Storm, signing for Hungarian Erste Liga side Fehérvár Hockey Academy. After 14 games in Hungary, Hazeldine left to return to Nottingham in December 2024 for his second spell with Panthers. He played 40 games during the season, scoring two goals and 10 assists while averaging 18:09 of ice time.
At the end of the season Hazeldine left Panthers, joining up with former Panthers head coach Corey Neilson at Glasgow Clan. Having developed into an excellent blueliner, Joe stayed in Glasgow for two seasons, scoring five goals and 36 assists for 41 points in 133 appearances.
At the end of his first season in Glasgow, Joe made his debut for Great Britain at the Division 1A World Championship in Romania, helping GB to promotion to the top flight.
In the 2026 World Championship in Switzerland, Hazeldine made five appearances on the GB blueline but missed the final two games because of an upper-body injury.
Hazeldine now returns to Nottingham for his third spell with the Panthers and will no doubt be an excellent addition to Panthers defensive unit for the 2026/27 season.