8 is enough!

August 20, 2021
North Saanich, B.C.

Panthers fans on the Peninsula will only have to wait until August 26th to see 16-year-old Ethan Lingard carry on the Lingard family tradition of watching #8 spin around the big white sheet.  But Josh Lingard, who was arguably a Top 5 player in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League, aged out at the end of last season and has now given way to his younger 'Big' brother Ethan.   

Having been born and raised on the Peninsula and having played his entire minor hockey career with the Peninsula Minor Hockey Association (PMHA), Ethan Lingard has aspired to be a Panther from a very young age. Along the way he also played on several successful, regional spring league hockey teams.

One of Ethan’s greatest achievements from minor hockey is also one of his biggest disappointments. In March 2020, his Peninsula Eagles Bantam team won the Vancouver Island Playoff Championship and they were headed to the BC Provincial Championship tournament in Williams Lake. To say they were excited would be an understatement. The whole team, including the coaches, bleached their hair, in solidarity. However, the night before they were to leave for “Provincials”, word was received that, due to COVID, all sports activities were cancelled. Lingard said it was the biggest disappointment he has faced in his life, so far.

Ethan’s journey with the Peninsula Panthers Junior Hockey Club began back in 2012, when he was just 7 years old. The Panthers’ organization sponsored a "Player of the Week" program that is still in effect today, where a local minor hockey player is featured each week at their Friday night home games. The minor hockey player skates in the Friday night game warmup with the Panthers, is introduced to the crowd, and receives a special plaque and other items and then has a front row seat at the end of the Panthers bench for the first period.



Josh played the past four seasons with the Panthers.  But the Panthers also kept a close eye on Ethan who affiliated with the Panthers last year and was able to practice with the team and with his brother. The two had a major disappointment with the effects of the Global Pandemic raising it's ugly head and that was losing the opportunity to practice and play games together on the Peninsula Panthers at the Junior level.



“If I could describe my game to you, I’m a big, fast power forward who reads the ice very well, I can score and my biggest strength is my play-making ability”, Lingard stated.  Although his strengths naturally lend him to play at centre, he is also comfortable playing on the wing, where he can use his size to win battles on the boards. Lingard said his goal is to continue to improve in all aspects of the game and to become a complete two-way hockey player and eventually move up to Junior A. Ethan is 16 years old, in grade 11 at Stelly’s Secondary School, and works part-time at Thrifty Foods in Sidney. He enjoys all sports but hockey is his passion! Lingard is a self-proclaimed stats fanatic and sees his future incorporating his interest in both sports and stats. “I can’t wait to get the season underway and get my first taste of junior hockey. I’m super excited to play for this great organization and also wear my brothers #8".

"We are all really excited to welcome Ethan into the Organization," said GM Pete Zubersky with a sizeable grin.  "The young fellow had an advantage going into camp with the name Lingard but that played nothing into our decision to sign him.  Ethan had a really good camp and is comfortable in the room and I think he will develop an absolute ton this season.  He is in the right place.  Kids go down to Major Midget and play against the best 15-year-olds in the Province but not the best 16's or 17's.  Ethan will be playing against 20-year-olds, many of whom could be playing in the BCHL.  We are a real winner in keeping the tradition alive and so is Ethan.  It's a perfect fit in my mind."

Lingard will be in the lineup this coming Thursday, August 26th when the Panthers host the Westshore Wolves at 7:30 pm.  With Level 3 restrictions currently in place in the Province due to Covid19, a maximum of 200 fans will be allowed into the friendly confines of the Panorama Recreation Centre so the Club is asking fans to arrive a bit early.