NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas — Since the end of the 2007-08 season, Central Hockey League teams have witnessed a flood of players who have chosen to sign with European teams.
No less than thirty-two players have signed with European teams since the end of the 2007-08 season. The Mississippi RiverKings have seen the most players leave at seven. Some of the league’s top players have made the move including Alex Leavitt and Tyler Redenbach of the President’s Cup Champion Arizona Sundogs.
Texas Brahmas Head Coach Dan Wildfong commented on the loss of three of his top players to Europe.
“It definitely hurts, you know,” Wildfong said. “A lot of teams are losing 
guys…we’re working to replace those guys. It’s not going to be easy but at the end of the day, everyone can be replaced.”
Recruiting and re-signing players during the off-season is a common challenge for teams. This year, European teams have found themselves with a financial advantage due to the strength of the Euro versus the U.S. Dollar.
“You sit back as a coach and you try and do your job…the next year you lose a bunch of players overseas who are making money you can’t compete with,” Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs Head Coach Scott Muscutt said.
The Mudbugs had announced Joe Ori as their first signing for the 2008-09 season. Several days later Ori signed with a team in Italy. Muscutt told The Shreveport Times that he believes at least four of his players from last season could defect to Europe.
The pay scale in Europe varies greatly from one country to another but the average player with CHL experience can make more money in Europe than in the United States. Most teams will provide travel expenses, accommodations either with or without another player, equipment and sometimes a car to use.
Mudbugs captain Chris Brassard played for seven different European teams in four seasons prior to joining the Mudbugs in 2002.
“(Overseas) wasn’t a good experience for me,” Brassard told the Shreveport Times’ Roy Lang. “The grass wasn’t greener. For some of these guys it’s not just about the money. Some people are just trying to explore. Some guys want to travel. It’s what you get with the younger generation.”
The following is a list of CHL players who have signed with European teams to date:
Amarillo Gorillas Trevor Read to Basingstoke Bison (England) 06/19/08
Arizona Sundogs Alex Leavitt to Kassel Huskies (Germany) 06/03/08 Tyler Redenbach to Odense Bulldogs (Denmark) 06/24/08
Austin Ice Bats Brendan Cook to Nottingham Panthers (England) 05/06/08 Stuart Kerr to Hull Stingrays (England) 06/20/08
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs Ryan Fairbarn to Star Bulls Rosenheim 06/27/08 Joseph Ori to HC Fassa (Italy) 06/30/08
Corpus Christi Ice Rays Niko Tuomi to KooKoo Kouvola (Finland) 05/06/08
Mississippi RiverKings Jon Hedburg to Rostocker EC (Germany) 04/15/08 Steve Makway to KooKoo Kouvola (Finland) 05/06/08 Sebastien Centomo to IC Epinal (France) 05/07/08 Brian Mullally to HYS The Hague (Netherlands) 06/03/08 Ryan Campbell to SSI Vipiteno Broncos (Italy) 06/06/08 Ryan Held to SSI Vipiteno Broncos (Italy) 06/06/08 Rick Kozak to Hull Stingrays (England) 06/27/08
New Mexico Scorpions Konrad Reeder to Frederikshavn White Hawks (Denmark) 05/14/08 Vladimir Hartinger to SSI Vipiteno Broncos (Italy) 06/11/08 Ross McCain to EV Landsberg 2000 (Germany) 06/21/08
Odessa Jackalopes Olivier Proulx to ASG Tours (France) 06/02/08
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees Josh Garbutt to Manchester Phoenix (England) 06/27/08 Jeremy Van Hoof to HC Fassa (Italy) 06/30/08
Texas Brahmas Jordan Cameron to EC Hannover Indians (Germany) 06/02/08 Grant Jacobsen to Manchester Phoenix (England) 06/06/08 Anders Strome to Odense Bulldogs (Denmark) 06/26/08
Wichita Thunder Todd Paul to Chamonix HC (France) 05/10/08 Bruce Richardson to Nottingham Panthers (England) 06/02/08 Mathieu Wathier to ASG Tours (France) 06/16/08 Jonathan Bernier to Hull Stingrays (England) 06/18/08
Youngstown SteelHounds (not in league as of 7/1/08) Chris Richards to Nottingham Panthers (England) 06/02/08 Joel Irving to Newcastle Vipers (England) 06/04/08 Steve Birnstill to Frederikshavn White Hawks (Denmark) 06/16/08 Eric Przepiorka to Olafstroms IK (Sweden) 06/18/08
Contact the author at robert.keith@prohockeynews.com
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