Tue 12 May 2026 - 5:00PM

BETTERIDGE BACK FOR 11TH FULL SEASON

Ollie Betteridge has signed a deal to return to the Nottingham Panthers for his 11th full season.

The club's current active longest-serving player, last season he passed Paul Adey to move seventh on the all-time list and has now made 608 appearances for the Panthers in all competitions.

After coming through the junior section of Nottingham Ice Hockey Club, Betteridge first iced for the Panthers as a teenager in 2011-12.

He signed his first full-time deal in 2015-16 and celebrated his testimonial last season, alongside helping Panthers win the Continental Cup and Challenge Cup.

Betteridge scored a huge goal in the group stages of the Challenge Cup which proved crucial as he netted an equaliser with 41 seconds remaining against Coventry to force overtime.

Panthers went on to win on penalty-shots to secure the two points needed to progress to the knockout stages which set-up the path to secure the famous trophy for a ninth time.

Betteridge said: "It's always an easy decision to come back. This is my home and there's no place I'd rather be.

"We had a good season last year. Winning two trophies was amazing but we know we can do better and want to push for that league title.

"We've been building for a while now and three trophies in two seasons shows we really are heading in the right direction."

Betteridge, who is part of the Great Britain roster for the World Championship which gets under way in Switzerland at the weekend, joins Matt Alfaro as confirmed names on the roster for the 2026-27 season.

Head Coach, Danny Stewart, said: "Getting Ollie back is crucial to build quality depth for our club. He brings energy every night and can play up and down the line-up.

"He’s a Panther through and through and I’m excited to work with him for another year."