Luke Ferrara: New Nottingham Panthers forward enticed by new coach and CEO

Luke Ferrara played for Nottingham's fierce rivals Sheffield earlier in his career

Chief executive Omar Pacha and head coach Gary Graham's persuasive powers were key to a move to Nottingham Panthers, says new forward Luke Ferrara.

Ferrara, who turns 29 on Tuesday, ended a five-year stay at Coventry Blaze to move to the National Ice Centre.

He has scored 101 goals in 318 Elite League games during his career.

"They said all the right things and have the best intentions for the club," Ferrara told BBC Radio Nottingham.

"They both seem very genuine and that's something I want to be a part of. They also cared about me as a person and my development as a player.

"I want to keep getting better every year, and they've done everything they could do to get me here."

Ferrara keen to grow amid Panthers rebuild

The Panthers are in the midst of a rebuild, with new head coach Graham and CEO Pacha installed over the off-season, and Ferrara's signature is part of that overhaul.

His experience with Sheffield Steelers and the Blaze, as well as a short stint in France with Bordeaux, and playing for Great Britain at the World Championship, make the Peterborough-born forward a welcome addition to the roster.

"People keep saying I'm in my prime, but hopefully there's still more to come," he continued.

"Maybe the mentality I have is, if you're not aiming to get better then you're coming to the end of your career and I'm not ready for that yet.

"I like to be a loyal guy. But I'd come to a point in my career where I wanted to try something new.

"Coming to Nottingham, with the rebuild going on, I know they want to get right back to the top and that was something very enticing for me."

The Panthers have also agreed a new deal with forward Jeremy Welsh for next season.

He was their top scorer in 2021-22 with 68 goals in 66 games in all competitions.