CHL, NCAA Eligibility Impacts Pano Fimis of the Erie Otters recently announced his commitment to play for Notre Dame in the NCAA [https://thehockeynews.com/ncaa/] next season. The overage centreman spent his first two OHL seasons with the Niagara IceDogs after the team drafted him second overall in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection. He was subsequently traded to the Erie Otters partway through the 2022-23 season. Since the move to Erie, Fimis has been a point-per-game player with 139 points in 128 games with the Otters. This season he leads the Otters in points with 11 goals and 30 assists. Erie will be relying on Fimis for the back end of the season due to the injury sustained by Matthew Schaefer at the World Junior Championship. Without the young star, Fimis will need to pick up the scoring to help Erie stay in the top half of the Western Conference. By signing with Notre Dame, Fimis will extend his hockey career and continue developing while going to school. Notre Dame is currently ranked outside of the top 20 teams in NCAA Division 1 men's hockey. They play in the Big 10 division which includes the top ranked Michigan squad. Fimis will be a great addition to Notre Dame. His skill and 200-plus OHL games of experience make him ideal for a team looking to climb the NCAA rankings. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
