Dominik Groh
Netminder • Sterzing/Vipiteno (Alps Hockey League)
A 28-year-old Czech netminder who becomes one half of an entirely new goaltending tandem for Fife.
2026/27 Season Preview
Fife Flyers
A near-total roster reset as the rebuild begins in earnest
DT Rating
★★
Predicted Finish
8th–10th
Quick Facts
Head Coach
Tim Wallace
Captain
Garet Hunt
Arena
Fife Ice Arena
2025/26 Finish
10th
Power Play
19.17%
Penalty Kill
76.00%
DT Ratings
Our editorial assessment of each team's fantasy potential heading into the new EIHL season.
Attack
★★★★★
3.5Defence
★★★★★
4.0Goaltending
★★★★★
3.0Depth
★★★★★
3.0DT Value
★★★★★
3.5Club Overview
A club in rebuild
Fife enter 2026/27 as a club in genuine rebuild mode. Last season ended at the bottom of the Elite League table, a 54-game campaign that produced just 28 points and no playoff hockey. GM and head coach Tim Wallace now leads the rebuild, with veteran forward and captain Garet Hunt doubling as player-assistant coach to help steer the dressing room through the transition.
The scale of the turnover is hard to overstate. Of last season's squad, only four players return: Hunt, fellow forward Mason Alderson, young defenceman Ethan Hadden and defenceman Cole Giannandrea. The rest of the roster has been rebuilt from the ground up over the summer, a near-total reset rather than a typical offseason refresh.
Summer reinforcements
Up front, Fife have brought in a wave of North American forwards with recent college and ECHL pedigree: Lucas Chard, Evan Dougherty, Chase Dubois, Cameron Hough, Xander Lamppa and Zachary Power all arrive fresh to the Elite League, alongside English forward Kyle Watson from Sheffield. Slovak forward Michael Drábek and Finnish forward Mika Partanen add further options up front, while Canadian rookies Mike Petizian and Cole Stewart join as first-year pros out of the University of New Brunswick and St. Francis Xavier University respectively.
The blue line has been rebuilt around Victor Björkung and Max Coyle, with Isack Bandu, Joseph Pierce and Joona Vainio adding further depth, and Ben Solder arriving from Guildford Flames. Local product Reece Kelly also joins from Sheffield Steelers.
Between the pipes, Dominik Groh and Jordan McLaughlin form an entirely new tandem: Groh arriving from Italy' Alps Hockey League, McLaughlin from Hull Seahawks.
Departures & outlook
The most notable departure is symbolic as much as practical: former NHL forward Milan Lucic has retired after his spell in Fife. Simon Després, Andrew McLean, Ryan Nicholson and Jonas Emmerdahl have all departed the blue line, while a long list of forwards — Keaton Jameson, Anton Karlsson, Justin Ducharme, Ben Brown, Ethan Somoza, Logan Neilson, Giordano Finoro and Johan Porsberger — have also moved on. Shane Owen departs in goal too, as Fife moves to a completely new tandem.
With this much change, Fife are genuinely difficult to project. A fresh identity under Wallace could pay off quickly, but rebuilding a roster this extensively usually takes time to gel, so expect an adjustment period early in the season.
Summer Arrivals
Jordan McLaughlin
Netminder • Hull Seahawks
Scottish-born and stepping up from NIHL level to share the crease duties in a rebuilt Fife side.
Victor Björkung
Defence • Zaglebie Sosnowiec (Poland)
The most experienced of Fife's new defencemen at 33, giving the retooled blue line a veteran anchor, returns to the EIHL after spending a season with Nottingham in 23-24.
Max Coyle
Defence • Aalborg Pirates (Denmark)
A mobile, right-shot defenceman who should see significant minutes on a blue line short of returning faces.
Xander Lamppa
Forward • Maine Mariners (ECHL)
A center capable of playing wing too, giving Fife lineup flexibility up front.
Evan Dougherty
Forward • Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL)
Arrives with legitimate top-six scoring potential from a competitive ECHL environment.
Ben Solder
Defence • Guildford Flames
Brings Elite League experience and familiarity with the British game to an otherwise unfamiliar blue line.
Joona Vainio
Defence • Hermes (Finland)
The Finnish defenceman arrives from Hermes, adding depth to a blue line short on returning faces.
Reece Kelly
Defence • Sheffield Steelers
A local product who joins from Sheffield Steelers, adding depth to the defence corps.
Isack Bandu
Defence • St. Lawrence University
Joins as a rookie out of St. Lawrence University, adding fresh depth to a completely rebuilt blue line.
Joseph Pierce
Defence • University of Minnesota-Duluth
Joins as a rookie out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, adding further depth to the defence corps.
Cameron Hough
Forward • Peterborough Phantoms
Adds depth to the forward group, arriving from Peterborough Phantoms.
Chase Dubois
Forward • Briançon Diables Rouges (France)
Adds depth to the forward group, arriving from Briançon Diables Rouges in France.
Kyle Watson
Forward • Sheffield Steelers
An English forward who adds depth to the forward group, arriving from Sheffield Steelers.
Lucas Chard
Forward • Wilfrid Laurier University
Joins as a rookie out of Wilfrid Laurier University, adding depth to the forward group.
Zachary Power
Forward • University of Western Ontario
Joins as a rookie out of the University of Western Ontario, stepping into a wide-open forward group.
Michael Drábek
Forward • Vlci Zilina (Slovakia)
Adds further depth up front, arriving from Vlci Zilina in Slovakia.
Mika Partanen
Forward • Re-Plast Unia Oświęcim (Poland)
Adds depth to the forward group, arriving from Re-Plast Unia Oświęcim in Poland.
Mike Petizian
Forward • University of New Brunswick
Joins as a rookie out of the University of New Brunswick, adding further depth up front.
Cole Stewart
Forward • St. Francis Xavier Univ. (Canada)
Fife's most recently confirmed signing, joining as a rookie out of Canadian university hockey.
Summer Departures
Milan Lucic
Forward • Retired
The former NHL forward and Stanley Cup champion closes out his playing career after a spell with the Flyers.
Simon Després
Defence • Melbourne Ice
A significant loss of experience from a blue line now almost entirely rebuilt.
Shane Owen
Goaltender • Sheffield Steeldogs
Long term stalwart Owen drops to the NIHL in a eyebrow raising move, as Fife moves to a completely new goaltending pairing for 2026/27.
Keaton Jameson
Forward • Dundee Stars
One of several forwards to leave as part of the wider roster overhaul.
Anton Karlsson
Forward • Manchester Storm
Left Fife in February before a stint in Sweden, and now resurfaces at a fellow EIHL club.
Justin Ducharme
Forward • Guildford Flames
Moves on to a divisional rival after a season with the Flyers.
Andrew McLean
Defence • Norfolk Admirals (ECHL)
Returns to North America as the blue line is completely rebuilt.
Ben Brown
Forward • Dundee Stars
Moves on to a fellow Scottish side.
Ryan Nicholson
Defence • Gap (France)
Departs for France as part of the wider blue-line overhaul.
Ethan Somoza
Forward • Cergy-Pontoise (France)
Another forward departure to France's top division.
Logan Neilson
Forward • Briançon (France)
Also moves on to France after his time with the Flyers.
Giordano Finoro
Forward • Milano Hockey Club (Italy)
Departs for Italy as part of the wider roster overhaul.
Jonas Emmerdahl
Defence • Unconfirmed
Departs Fife as the blue line is rebuilt from the ground up.
Johan Porsberger
Forward • SC Riessersee (Germany)
Moves on to Germany after his time with the Flyers.
Projected Line-up
With so much of the roster brand new and pre-season still to play out, these combinations are a rough guide based on the confirmed squad rather than any confirmed deployment, so expect more change here than at most clubs once camp opens.
First Line: Evan Dougherty, Xander Lamppa and Mika Partanen
Second Line: Cameron Hough, Zachary Power and Chase Dubois
Third Line: Lucas Chard, Garet Hunt and Mike Petizian
Fourth Line: Kyle Watson, Mason Alderson and Michael Drábek
Extra Forward: Cole Stewart
First Pairing: Victor Björkung and Max Coyle
Second Pairing: Joona Vainio and Joseph Pierce
Third Pairing: Isack Bandu and Reece Kelly
Depth: Ethan Hadden and Cole Giannandrea
Netminders: Dominik Groh and Jordan McLaughlin
Players To Watch
DT Star
Evan Dougherty
The most proven scorer among Fife' new forwards, and likely to see first-line minutes from day one.
Sleeper Pick
Zachary Power
Steps up from Canadian university hockey with a chance to grab a significant role on a wide-open forward group.
Breakout Candidate
Max Coyle
A right-shot defenceman who could see top-pairing minutes almost immediately given how thin the returning blue line is.
Top Defenceman
Victor Björkung
The most experienced defender on a rebuilt blue line, likely to anchor the top pairing and eat significant minutes.
Starting Netminder
Dominik Groh
Expected to carry the heavier share of the workload in Fife' new-look crease, for better or worse behind a rebuilding defence.
Fantasy Outlook
DT Verdict
Fife are the hardest team in the league to project this season. Almost the entire roster is new to each other and to the Elite League, which usually means an adjustment period before results and fantasy production stabilize. Worth monitoring early rather than loading up on Fife assets before puck-drop.
Season Prediction
Season Prediction
8th–10th
Best Case
A quicker-than-expected turnaround and a fight for a playoff spot.
Worst Case
Another bottom-of-the-table finish while the new roster finds its feet.
Confidence
Low
A near-complete roster reset under a new coach makes Fife a genuine wildcard. There's real upside if the new pieces click faster than expected, but this is about as much uncertainty as one team can carry into a season.
Bold Prediction
Bold Prediction
The rebuild works immediately — Fife return to the playoffs in year one.
A 28-point season with 26 of the same faces back would be one thing; a near-complete reset with 20 new arrivals is genuinely unpredictable in either direction, and everyone's assuming it means another year at the bottom. It's just as plausible a clean slate and a fresh voice behind the bench is exactly the shake-up this club needed.
2026/27 Squad
24 players named for 2026/27 — 20 new since last season.
Netminders (2)
88GBNew
Jordan McLaughlin
from Hull Seahawks (NIHL)
98New
Dominik Groh
from Sterzing/Vipiteno (AlpsHL)
Defence (9)
6GB
Ethan Hadden
10New
Victor Bjorkung
from Zagłębie Sosnowiec (Polska Hokej Liga)
18Rookie
Joseph Pierce
from Univ. of Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA)
22GB
Cole Giannandrea
23New
Max Coyle
from Aalborg Pirates (Metal Ligaen)
24Rookie
Isack Bandu
from St. Lawrence Univ. (NCAA)
27GBNew
Reece Kelly
from Sheffield Steelers (EIHL)
45New
Joona Vainio
from Hermes (Mestis)
96GBNew
Ben Solder
from Guildford Flames (EIHL)
Forwards (13)
9New
Xander Lamppa
from Maine Mariners (ECHL)
19Rookie
Zachary Power
from Univ. of Western Ontario (USports)
21New
Mika Partanen
from Re-Plast Unia Oświęcim (Polska Hokej Liga)
25Rookie
Lucas Chard
from Wilfrid Laurier Univ. (USports)
28New
Michael Drábek
from Vlci Zilina (Extraliga)
37GBNew
Kyle Watson
from Sheffield Steelers (EIHL)
39New
Cameron Hough
from Peterborough Phantoms (NIHL)
59New
Evan Dougherty
from Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL)
74
Garet Hunt
81Rookie
Cole Stewart
from St. Francis Xavier Univ. (USports)
86Rookie
Mike Petizian
from Univ. of New Brunswick (USports)
90GB
Mason Alderson
92New
Chase Dubois
from Briançon Diables Rouges (Ligue Magnus)
Editors Note
This preview reflects confirmed signings and departures as of early September 2026, cross-checked against EliteProspects' transaction log.