Pano Fimis – Niagara IceDogs – Player Profile

HT	WT	DOB	POS	SHOOTS	OHL DRAFT	NHLCS	COUNTRY
5’11”	176	6-17-04	C	R	2nd in 2020	77 NA	CANADA

SEASON	LEAGUE	TEAM	GP	G	A	PTS
2019-20	GTHL U16	Toronto Jr Canadiens	32	14	28	42
2019-20	U16 AAA	Toronto Jr Canadiens	59	41	63	104
2020-21	OHL	DID NOT PLAY	0	0	0	0
2021-22	OHL	Niagara IceDogs	44	9	23	32

Pano Fimis was an elite offensive producer at the Under-16 during the 2019-2020 season and the Niagara IceDogs used the second overall pick to select him behind his Toronto Jr Canadiens teammate Ty Nelson (North Bay Battalion).

If you spend any time watching Fimis you will notice his head is on a swivel, He is constantly surveying the ice and knows exactly where everyone is and this allows him to find open ice at both ends of the rink. If the puck finds his stick, he’s one step ahead and usually makes the right decision.

Fimis is a creative player who seems to be able to make something out of nothing. He has Charmin soft hands and can find his way out of traffic, scan the zone and then dish off a tape-to-tape pass. It’s his ability to read and react that makes him a force to contend with and that goes for 5vs5, the powerplay and the penalty kill.

Fimis has all the puck skills you want in a player and the hockey IQ to go along with it. But he doesn’t come without any warts. Fimis lacks the mass to withstand battles along the walls and to get to the net as he can rather easily be knocked off. He’s going to have to put in a lot of work to bulk up and gain some strength.

Additionally, Fimis isn’t exactly a speedster when it comes to his skating. I want some speed in a player that is 5’11”. First steps, separation gear and top speed need some improvement. And best, he is slightly above average when it comes to skating.

Obviously, the lost 2020-2021 season had an effect here. Not only did he not play any games during the pandemic lost season, but lost too was the ability to put some meaningful work in to improve on the areas he needs to work on.

Am I worried? Not really. Almost every player at this level needs to mature physically and Fimis is no different. As long as he is willing to put in the effort, it’s not a problem. If not, he could be another Cole MacKay who added no bulk to his frame from his 2019 draft year until today.

And with professional ice-skating coaches, I’m not to worried about that either. The Pandemic didn’t help with him seeking to improve on his blades. But NHL teams are going to have to be impressed with his hands and ability to think the game and be confident that his skating will improve to select him higher that 77^th that NHL Central Scouting has him ranked among North America Skaters.

Fimis lost most of the month of March due to injury, so he’s going to have to have a very strong finish to the season. And he is doing just that with the IceDogs scoring twice and adding four helpers in the four games since his return.