Fri 28 Aug 2026 - 7:00PM
WEEKEND PREVIEW: AMIENS AND RICHARDSON IN TOWN
With Panthers successfully negotiating their first pre-season game on Sunday, beating Ducs D’Angers 4-2, it’s the Ligue Magnus who provide the opposition once again as former Panthers forward Bruce Richardson brings his Gothiques D’Amiens side to the Motorpoint Arena on Saturday in the GM the GM Memorial Trophy (19:00 face-off).
Amiens return for a second consecutive year after being beaten 6-0 by Panthers in pre-season last August. This will be the fifth time that the teams have faced each other in pre-season with Panthers winning all previous encounters.
The sides have also faced each other twice in the IIHF Continental Cup. The first time was in Amiens on 18th October 2004 when Panthers skated to a 3-1 victory.
The second time was in Vojens, Denmark on 15th November 2019 where Panthers came away with a 4-2 win.
Amiens finished in eighth place in the Ligue Magnus in 2025/26 with a record of 15 wins, two overtime wins, 20 losses and seven overtime losses from the 44 regular-season games.
They lost a six-game series (2-4) to Rouen in the Ligue Magnus playoff quarter-finals and reached the third round of the French Cup, losing 2-1 in overtime to second-tier side HC Caen Les Drakkars,
It will be a very different Amiens side that will grace the Motorpoint Arena ice on Saturday night. Just six players survive from the 2025/26 roster - Justin Bergeron, Mathieu Mony, Antonin Plagnat, Kieran Craig, Illes Djemel and Virgile Gauffriau.
Bruce Richardson’s 2026/27 squad has many new faces who will be familiar to the Nottingham fanbase after signing from Elite League clubs. Netminder Alexis Gravel spent part of last season with Belfast Giants, Finnish defenceman Jere Vertanen joins Amiens from Coventry Blaze as does forward Elijiah Barriga.
Tyler Hinam comes in from Manchester Storm and Nick Seitz has signed from Guildford Flames. Brandon Magee rounds off the EIHL experienced players having iced for Fife Flyers in the 2021/22 season.
The big attraction is the return of Bruce Richardson. He took over as Head Coach for Amiens in the summer from his good friend and another former Panther, Kevin Bergin.
Richardson scored 127 points for Panthers in 126 games in all competitions. He enjoyed many intense battles with Panthers Head Coach Danny Stewart who was then playing for Coventry Blaze.
We look forward to welcoming Bruce back to the Motorpoint Arena on Saturday night.