SWINDON, UK – The Bees started the week off with the news that Tom Annetts and Carl Ambler would both return to keep an eye on the Bracknell net. Last season these two gentlemen had a similar save rate, both over 90%, and gave the Bees two top ten placed goalies.
Annetts commented he would be in favour of the final import slot being filled by another D-man giving the side two on the blue line, and while an unusual arrangement he pointed out Bees’ secondary scoring was a bit thin on the ground last season, so you can see his point. The one already signed is Marcel Petran from the Bison, who managed almost a point a game last time out and a top three season’s end position for defensive players’ points scoring, so the Bees are already looking stronger at the back.
The Wildcats signed Czech forward Michal Kapicka, who while having played mainly in his homeland, has had spells in Slovakia, Hungary, Germany and most recently France where for Mulhouse near the German/Swiss border he scored 36 points from 26 games. This appointment raises the interesting question of whether or not Kapicka has been brought in to replace Czech forward Michal Pinc, who recently went in the other direction, or fellow Czech Jaroslav Cesky who appears to have been left out in the cold. On the bright side Cesky made it known he would like to play in Swindon again, and has yet to have been signed elsewhere, so the finger of replacement points more towards Pinc.
British forward Rick Plant re-signed for the Flames for what will become a fourteenth season over three spells. Plant started his career in 1994 with the Tigers but since first taking to the ice in Guildford in 1997 went on to become the first Flames’ player to pass the 700-games milestone, and looks likely to break the 800 tape this season.
With fourteen seasons under his belt for the Flames it also appears to be a current EPL record for the number of seasons a player has appeared for any one club, and is matched only by his boss Paul Dixon who will this season also clock up fourteen seasons for Guildford, but consecutively. Now, with Dixon aged 38 and Plant at 34 it could be interesting to see who eventually comes out with the longevity title.
While on the subject of records, a few weeks ago I mentioned the Wildcats’ forward Lee Richardson had completed four consecutive seasons for the club without missing a game and posed the question of whether or not that was a special achievement. Well, having rooted through the records of all the current signings, it would appear to be the case. In fact, it looks like Richardson is not just the only signed player to reach 4 seasons without a break but no other player is even close. There are eleven others who have managed 2 consecutive seasons for the same club including Steeldogs’ Greg Wood who has accumulated three, but that included two while he was with the Phoenix. So Richardson’s 216 consecutive games for the same side is, in fact, a rare achievement.
And continuing with records for a moment, the Lightning signed 15-year-old netminder Jordan Hedley from the NIHL Storm for ‘injury cover’ for Alex Mettam and Steve Wall. Hedley will be sixteen on 7th August, so within the age requirement before he is likely to take to EPL ice in anger, but last week it may be remembered the Phantoms signed Lewis Hook, also just fifteen, and at the time I pondered whether or not he was the youngest signing for the EPL this season. Well, he was, but now he isn’t because Hedley pips him at the post by a couple of weeks becoming the twenty-seventh teenager so far signed although only the second under sixteen.
Meanwhile, the Lightning lost British forward Jamie Line who, they said, ‘has chosen not to continue his career in Milton Keynes’ but so far does not appear to have surfaced anywhere else. Also on the move was British forward Steve Wallace who left the Phoenix for the NIHL Billingham Stars.
But the big news of the week was, of course, what we had all been waiting for as clubs published their fixtures for the coming season along with more pre-season games. The first weekend, starting on Saturday 25th September, sees the Wildcats get the ball rolling against the Phoenix with plenty of other interest later although it will be a week before the Lightning and Phantoms join the throng and almost a month for the first 5-game weekend to arrive.
Can’t wait.
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Contact Bill.Collins@prohockeynews.com
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