COVENTRY, UK – With two expansion teams now confirmed as competing in the Elite League next season, Coaches face a race against time to sign up the cream of British talent as they prepare to try and wrestle the Elite League title from a dynasty Coventry Blaze side.
The Elite League is playing an 11 import system in 2010-11 which means there will be a need for roughly 80 British-trained players.
Team Great Britain this year missed out on a medal at the World Championships after a 26 hour volcano-infested coach journey to Slovenia. However, whilst the team were battling for Queen and Country, including a last minute dash to Slovenia by car by Nottingham Panthers 19 year old defenceman Stephen Lee, Elite League coaches around the country were looking at building their British roster for the coming season.
One player unable to feature in their plans is Ben O’Connor, the former OHL defenceman spent this past season with Edinburgh Capitals but has also had a spell with the Coventry Blaze. O’Connor took the opportunity to follow Stevie Lyle, Daniel Scott and Greg Owen to ply his trade in the League Magnus in France. He’ll join Matic Kraij, the Newcastle Vipers import who has also signed on the dotted line for the French side.
Also following head coach Doug Christiansen through the exit door at Edinburgh is promising young forward Mark Garside. Garside, who was a standout player in the Slovenia campaign has inked a 2 year deal to join Playoff Champions LBM Belfast Giants.
Christiansen has left the Capitals (Photo Edinburgh Capitals)
Whilst they have retained experienced defenceman Kyle Horne, Coachless Edinburgh Capitals will be keen to replace the lost talent and face a race against time with their fellow Scottish teams Dundee Stars and Braehead Clan to sign up the best of Scottish talent.
Conversely, Garside joins a strong British pack at Belfast which already boasts Elite League leading scorer Colin Sheilds, former Peterborough Phantom Colin Peacock and Great Britain goaltender Stephen Murphy, who has had spells in the Swedish leagues. Meanwhile, Belfast could potentially look to Graeme Walton, GB reserve Nathan Craze and Ireland captain Mark Morrison to round off an impressive British element to their team. Morrison, who announced his retirement at the end of the season, captained the Irish national team to Gold at the Division 3 World Championships and potentially could be tempted back for another season.
Over the water, long time title rivals Coventry Blaze are rebuilding for a new season. The first to add a new imported face to the league in the shape of Brad Zenon, they also have a British hole to fill in their line up with utility player and GB international Tom Watkins moving on to coach the Telford Tigers of the EPL following 10 years service with the Blaze. Also moving on are long time stalwarts captain Adam Calder and Danny Stewart, both to coach against GB & Blaze Head Coach Paul Thompson at Braehead Clan and Newcastle Vipers respectively. The Blaze have inked arguably the standout British player of the last 5 years, Jonathan Weaver, to a long term contract. Weaver was once again named as the winner of the Alan Weeks Trophy as the Best British Defenceman, an honour he has now retained for 5 years with Newcastle Vipers and Coventry Blaze. Also returning is fellow GB international Russell Cowley who is also on a long term deal with the club, the Swindon native is another long term servant of the club having one season away with Cardiff Devils interrupting an otherwise stellar period of Blaze service.
The Blaze have developed an English National League side, where Head Coach Joel Porier has decided to move on, which will provide the Blaze with a choice of prospects to call up to the senior team. Meanwhile, Solihull native Joe Henry, GB under 20 netminder Tom Murdy and England U19 international Jack Watkins all face an uncertain future and are yet to ink returning contracts with the champions. GB international Greg Chambers is back with the Blaze, but will play as an import having not trained as a junior here in the UK.
Travel a small distance up the M1, and the occupants of the Trent FM Arena, GMB Nottingham Panthers, are firing on all cylinders to acquire a title worthy British pack. Coach Corey Neilson wasting no time in re-signing goalscorer David Clarke, GB blueliner Danny Meyers and outstanding GB prospect Stephen Lee. Meanwhile, Neilson has also signed Robert Lachowicz from Manchester Phoenix in the EPL where the winger put up 44 points under the tutelage of Great Britain legend Tony Hand. Lachowicz, is currently attending University in Nottingham and joins fellow Nottingham native Tom Norton as promising youngsters at the club. Marc Levers is another renowned British player to have signed up with the club, leaving only back up netminder Mark Hartley and Scottish forward Ross Dalgleish not signed for the coming season.
Arch rivals Sheffield Steelers are also looking strong for the coming season, with what GB Head Coach Paul Thompson describes as the best Brit pack in the Elite League. A key resigning of Ashley Tait who spent the season in Italy got David Matsos’ side off to a great start to their recruitment. Also featuring for the Sheffield Steelers are returning captain Jonathan Phillips and the ever improving Robert Dowd, both Great Britain internationals. However, with four import defenceman already signed up there is a question mark over the future of long time defenceman Mark Thomas who may look for more ice time elsewhere, so too prospect Ben Morgan who has had a solid year on a poor Steelers club this term. Up front the team could also look to re-sign promising forward Rob Farmer and Utility player Jason Hewitt.
Huppe – left the Stingrays (Photo Hull Stingrays)
Like the Giants, the Cardiff Devils have opted for an all British pairing between the posts with Stevie Lyle returning to the second year of a three year agreement with his hometown club. The former French league champion also played for Great Britain in the World Championships, and joins Mark Richardson who returns to the blueline. Richardson earned rave reviews last season and is seen as a natural successor for Jon Weaver in the GB fold. Also signed on the dotted line is fellow GB international Phil Hill who has been in great form since his move to the Bay from Sheffield Steelers. Meanwhile Cardiff natives such as Alex Symonds, Ben Davies and Michael Crisp await to see if they will be donning the Red and Black next term.
Lyle heading back to Cardiff (Photo Jessica Roberts)
Another team knowing they will need to rebuild this year is the Newcastle Vipers. Playing the full season out of the Whitley Bay facility will give the team a home advantage due to the unique nature of the rink, but loosing club legend David Longstaff as well as promising youngster Dean Holland will put a dent in the clubs plans. Both players have decided to ply their trade in the EPL with Guildford Flames and Manchester Phoenix respectively. Following Holland and Longstaff in closing their locker for the last time with the Vipers is Ben Campbell who has also decided to join an EPL side. After less than a week in the job, new coach and former Blaze assistant captain Danny Stewart did sign Liam McAllister as back up netminder after a good season with the English National League’s Whitley Warriors meaning Richie Lawson will also likely not be returning to Newcastle. Stewart has also signed up good prospects Jamie Tinsley and Nathan Salem to stem the tide of players leaving the Vipers. Stewart will be in the market for more British players as he builds his squad from the ground upwards.
Also with a big job on his hands is another current Elite League champion, Adam Calder, Player-Coach of the expansion Braehead Clan. With nearby SNL team Braehead Paisley Pirates unlikely to provide players of required quality, Calder will be on the search to acquire players from the EPL, remaining available Elite League players and the Scottish National League.
So too, the coachless Dundee who have the fortune of having experienced players in their current ranks such as John Dolan, former Capitals Mark McGill and Euan Forsyth and a number of hot prospects honed by themselves and nearby clubs Solway Sharks and Fife Flyers of the Scottish National League. The Stars will still be on the look out to bring a headline British player to Tayside but may have enough for a very good supporting cast. One such player is defenceman Chris Conaboy, a current Dundee Star who may be able to provide a protective role for the Dundee Stars’ skilled players. Alternatively Dundee could look to acquire out of contract Edinburgh Capitals forward Andrew Sharp to do the same job.
Elsewhere the Elite League coaches could look to the English Premier League for further British talent with an increasing amount of talent in the Premier League. Top points scorers such as Gary Clarke, Stephen Wallace, Adam Walker and Joe Miller are still all available but Elite League sides are sure to face stiff competition from the likes of Guildford Flames, Slough Jets and Basingstoke Bison as they all look to stock up to take on an increasingly challenging EPL which also features the likes of all time British leading scorer Tony Hand now player-coach of Manchester Phoenix alongside David Longstaff who has defected from Newcastle Vipers to Guildford Flames.
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