Fri 26 Jun 2026 - 1:00PM
THE RETURN OF TIMMY: THE LOWDOWN ON HIS CAREER
By Jono Bullard
American forward Tim Doherty returns to Nottingham for a third season in black and gold after finishing 2025/26 as the highest point-scorer with 61 points.
The 30-year-old was voted the club's MVP by the coaches, the Players' Player of the Year and was chosen in the 2025/26 EIHL All-Star First Team.
He was also the second-highest point-scorer in the Elite League for the 2025/26 regular season and was equal first in the EIHL with assists, scoring 39 along with Belfast Giants defenceman Mike Lee.
Doherty has been a huge part of Panthers success over the past two seasons, winning the Play-Off Championship, IIHF Continental Cup and Challenge Cup. He's played 136 games, scoring 56 goals and 75 assists for 131 points overall.
His formative hockey years were in his native Rhode Island at St George's School in the United States High School Prep system. He played three seasons for St George's starting in 2010/11, icing in 60 games and scoring 109 points (36+73).
The 2013/14 season saw Doherty join Boston Jr Bruins of the US Premier Hockey League Premier where he was a team-mate with Bryan Lemos for the first time.
That season saw Bruins win the USPHL Premier Championship, beating New Jersey Hitmen 4-3 and 5-4 to win the best-of-three final by two games to nil to take the Dineen Cup.
Doherty went on to play for the Jr Bruins for another two seasons, posting total figures of 129 games played, scoring 151 points (68+83).
After catching the attention of Maine University Black Bears coach Dennis ‘Red’ Gendron, Doherty signed for them in the NCAA where he would join fellow future Panthers Chase Pearson and Mitch Fossier on the roster.
He had originally committed to Brown University while with Boston, so had to sit out the 2016/17 season after transferring to Maine.
Doherty quickly got into his stride with the Black Bears and played 101 games for them over three seasons, scoring 34 goals and 43 assists for 77 points.
He also got his first experience of the United Kingdom in 2017 when Maine took part in the Friendship Four tournament in Belfast, scoring a goal and an assist in Black Bears' second game against RPI.
For his final season in NCAA, Doherty made the move to Penn State University Nittany Lions. He played 22 games. scoring eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points.
After finishing the season with Penn State, Doherty joined Allen Americans of the ECHL, making his pro debut. After 12 games for Allen, he joined fellow ECHL side Wheeling Nailers for 14 games and extended his stay there to the 2021/22 season.
His ECHL career continued in 2022/23 when he was traded to Maine Mariners, teaming up with Mitch Fossier once again and also Reid Stefenson who would join the Panthers with Doherty in the summer of 2024.
He achieved his best-ever ECHL season figures in 22/23, scoring 76 points (22+54) in 73 games to finish top of Maine’s scoring.
Doherty returned to Maine for the start of the 23/24 campaign on an AHL contract with Maine’s affiliate Chicago Wolves but was traded to Hartford Wolfpack, meaning that Maine had to send him to Hartford’s ECHL affiliate Cincinnati Cyclones.
He scored 14 points in 21 games for the Cyclones before heading to Europe, signing for Italy’s Cortina of the Alps Hockey League.
In 23 league and playoff games for the Italians, Doherty scored 28 points (8+20). In the summer of 2024, he put pen to paper with the Panthers and the rest, as they say, is history. Welcome back Tim.