Pano Fimis

July 2022 – Fimis went undrafted in his first year of eligibility for the NHL Draft. He will return to Niagra for the 2022-23 season. Nick Richard

February 2022 – Pano Fimis is one of the more under-the-radar players in the upcoming draft class. He is currently in the middle of his first season in the OHL, and while his production has only started to pick up lately, he has demonstrated promising qualities in his game. His ability to generate takeaways and use his vision to find teammates are noticeable assets to his game. As he finds open ice, he uses quick but effective crossovers and powerful strides to generate speed to maneuver through traffic. When the opportunity arises, Fimis’ shot can be deceptive as he uses curl-and-drags and a quick release. While he isn’t afraid to shoot the puck in the right areas, he is more of a pass-first player.

The impressive and more underrated part of his game is how smart he is away from the puck. When pressuring his opponents, he uses his stick first, makes body contact, and separates the man from the puck, stealing it and transitioning into the offensive play. Fimis is above average in the faceoff circle and anticipates extremely well on the defensive side of the puck. Not many players in the class demonstrate the ability to anticipate or generate turnovers like him. While he isn’t the biggest player on the ice, he doesn’t shy away from contact. He will have to continue to refine his decision-making and his accuracy on long-range passes, but the tools are there for Fimis to develop into a promising middle-six center down the road. Evan Pace