Hartshorn Scoops Player of the Year Award
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
In recent weeks the Manchester Mayhem announced their Player of the Year for 2025 and saw a new name on the award, with netminder Daniel Hartshorn becoming the sixth player to have his name engraved on the award, and the second time for it to be a netminder. It saw Hartshorn taking over the netminding responsibilities for the Mayhem last year; this was due to their starting goalie, Darren Pomfret, missing the back end of the 2024 league and playoff campaign through injury.
But with netminding being a very difficult position, Hartshorn seemed to take to it like a duck to frozen water, so to speak, putting in a good performance on debut in a 6-4 loss down at Cardiff, only to then not only register his first win, but also a first shutout too coming in a 6-0 victory against the Sheffield Steelstings at home, in only his second start between the pipes..
Despite him playing one game less — that being due to the Mayhem’s game with Peterborough being cancelled after ice problems at Widnes — he put in a fantastic ‘rookie’ season between the pipes, posting a save percentage of 76.8% (unofficially, due to goalie stats not being recorded by all) as Manchester finished fourth in the standings, and Dan capped his year off with a solid showing down at Lea Valley for the playoffs weekend.
We caught up with the Player of the Year to get his reaction and look back over his first season donning the mask and playing goal.
Q: Firstly, congratulation on winning the Player of the Year award for 2025 - How does it feel to this win the award?
DH: Thank you! I’m incredibly proud, but honestly my first reaction was pure embarrassment and shock. We were in the changing rooms after training when it was announced, and I just remember thinking, “There are so many people here who’ve achieved so much more than me.”
As it’s sunk in, though, I’ve started to appreciate what it represents. I’ve worked really hard this year, not just on my own game, but trying to support others where I can, and to be nominated and recognised by the team means a lot.
I’ve also been really lucky with the people around me. Karl, for example, has spent so much time at the start of sessions just firing shot after shot at me, as well as constantly pushing and testing me. That kind of support forces you to improve, and I don’t think I’d be anywhere near this level without it. So yeah, I’m really grateful, but it definitely feels like something I now need to live up to.
Q: How did you think your first year went playing between the pipes instead of being an out-skater?
D.H: It was tough, really tough at the start.
As a defender, I was focused on pushing myself physically and doing everything I could to reduce chances. Moving into goal, I realised very quickly how much of it is mental. You have to read the game, manage your emotions, pick up on patterns and player tendencies, it’s constant.
I remember one game early on where I let in two or three goals in the first period, all from the same mistake. That was a hard moment because you’re then battling your own thoughts, trying not to let things spiral. But I managed to reset, lock in, and I don’t think much else got past me after that. That was probably one of the first times I realised how important the mental side is.
For me, “locking in” now means drowning out everything around me and focusing purely on the game, tracking players, reading plays, spotting risks and opportunities. Early on it felt overwhelming, but now, when I get it right, it almost becomes second nature.
I’ve also been surprised by just how physical the role is, despite all the padding, some of those hits really hurt!
Overall, it’s been a constant cycle of improvement, hit a wall, adjust something, improve, then find the next issue. It can be frustrating, but I’ve come to really enjoy that process.
Q: What brought about the change of position for you, from playing out to now being the very last line of defence?
D.H: I always enjoyed playing defence, but I had a bit of a habit of throwing myself at pucks in last-ditch attempts to block shots, which isn’t always ideal!
I think it was Megan who first suggested I give goalie a try one night as I was coming off the ice. At the time it just sounded like something fun and different to experience.
Then there was… the incident with Daz. I tried to turn after a late shot, lost control, and ended up dislocating his shoulder. Straight away I felt like I needed to do something to make up for it, and stepping into goal, seeing the game from his perspective, felt like the right thing to do.
After the first session, I knew I loved it. And from there, it just grew.
Q: Was there a moment during the year where you feel it seemed to click and feel more confident in the new role?
D.H:I kept waiting for that moment all season where everything would just click, but the truth is, it hasn’t really worked like that.
Every game has been a mix of moments I’m proud of and moments where I’ve made mistakes and had to learn from them. For a long time, I felt like I was progressing but also holding myself back because I hadn’t quite figured out my setup.
Over the last couple of months, though, things have started to shift. I’ve changed how I sit in the sled, getting closer to a 90-degree position and sitting more upright, and that’s made me feel a lot more mobile and in control.
It’s helped with reacting to quick, scrappy play around the net and being more aggressive in challenging incoming plays. That said, every improvement seems to uncover something else to work on, so I’ve now got a long list of things I want to tweak.
So I wouldn’t say there’s been one “click” moment, but I definitely feel like things are starting to come together heading into next season.
Q: Any stand out match or save you made last year that springs to mind?
D.H: One of my favourite games was the 3rd/4th playoff match against Cardiff. They’re always a great team to play, and after a rough first day where I was dealing with food poisoning, it was a really enjoyable, competitive way to end the season.
But the moment that stands out most for me was actually a save where I ended up fracturing a rib.
A player was coming in on goal with no one able to stop them, and I had a split-second decision, stay back and hope I could make the save, or take control and force the situation. I chose to throw myself forward to try and take away their time and force an error.
I landed hard, straight onto my chest, I think onto a stick, and had this sharp pain and a moment where I couldn’t properly breathe. But I stayed in the game, there was no way I was coming off.
And honestly, my first thought after it was… it was worth it. I’d do it again.
That moment changed how I think about goaltending. It made me realise there are so many more ways to influence a play beyond just reacting in your comfort zone. Since then, I’ve been trying to push myself to explore those limits more and not just fall back on the same patterns.
