EPL Roundup – Teams taking shape at last.

SWINDON, UK – I like to ease into a new week with a warming snippet of news to sort of grease the rails for what might come later, but in the absence of such luxury we learnt last week that Bees British D-man Shane Moore, noted for his hard playing which gave him top ten place in the EPL British penalty receivers chart last season and, more impressively as new coach Gareth Cox observed, for playing several games last season with a broken jaw, re-signed for more in Bracknell.  
Or should that be less, by which I mean a minor article in the press early in the week mentioned the news the Romford Raiders were joining the ENL. While it is obvious things are not right there, and the Raiders did have a troublesome season last time out, a bit of official news would be welcome relief for the fans, even if it is bad.
But back to the Bees, and further news shortly followed with the signing of young defenceman Sam Waller from the Jets, causing Coach Cox to comment that he was surprised the Jets let the young Brit go, especially on top of the departure of Ciaran Long, who became the first new face to grace the Bison portals. As it was, the Jets had already caused an eyebrow to lift for coach Cox when Ryan Watt returned to the Wildcats, but what the heck, as he said, he was happy to sign Waller, and why not?
A flurry of activity at the Scimitars saw top scorer British forward Matt Haywood depart the club in favour of the newly formed Elite League Braehead Clan in Scotland. This was followed by the first import for the Sheffield side with the signature of Canadian Peter Vaisenan who comes from a 56-goal, 110 points’ season with ENL Invicta where he was also voted Player-of-the-Year. Oh yes, a hundred-plus points makes him a forward then.
The first signing for the Tigers was made known when coach Tom Watkins announced Slovakian Marak Hornak was returning to the roster after a year with ENL Telford Titans as he is based in the town he doesn’t have a lot of travelling to worry about. That was followed by the news Jack Watkins, just seventeen and younger brother of the boss, had signed on a two-way deal that will allow the forward to play for ENL Coventry.
Coach Watkins, in the spirit of the community attitude prevailing at the Telford rink this year with their welcomed return, announced a trials weekend. At the end of May he wants to see any pro- or semi-pro hockey players whom he will be put through their paces with a view to him seeing what talent is available out there, and perhaps grabbing a signature or two. Coach Watkins said “We want to build a team that is greater than the sum of its parts…we will be able to reveal a few pieces of that jigsaw next week.”

Meanwhile in Peterborough, coach Curtis Cruickshank’s first name on the roster was the re-signing of top British EPL netminder Stephen Wall, who took a brace of club awards at the end of the season and is back for a third spell. Cruickshank also managed to capture the signature of former Phantoms’ D-man James Hutchinson, who had been playing for his own previous team, Hull in the Elite League, and who left Peterborough the year before after a 58-point season.  
And now for some rumours, which are always a good sign of things happening behind the scenes. Last week, it will be remembered, the Flames signed up netminder Miroslav Hala from Slovakia who has demonstrated consistently he knows his way around the goal crease, so no questions there. But some have pointed out having a netminder import can be a bit of a juggling act, even a risky venture which places a lot of pressure on the position if things elsewhere are not going quite to plan. A couple of years ago the Wildcats experimented with Ladislav Kurdna, who while extremely able and popular and on more than one occasion proved to be a formidable back row, the gamble only lasted a year. So, it furrowed a brow when the Flames were rumoured to be about re-sign Mark Lee, a top-three EPL netminder last year with a save rate over ninety-per-cent. We watch this space, as they say.
More understandable, perhaps, were the names of Nathan Rempel and Lukas Smital being banded about as re-signees, and also Ben Campbell, a young British defenceman playing with Elite League Newcastle until the recent exodus of players, as a new signee to the Guildford side. What did materialise though, was Matt Towe. A British forward who has the interesting achievement of having played in both junior and senior GB teams in one year, and most recently playing with Cardiff in the EIHL. Well, he did sign for the Flames and that isn’t a rumour!
At the end of April the Phoenix managed, after beating off stiff competition, to acquire the signature of impressive British forward Robert Farmer and then just two weeks later coach Tony Hand generously agreed to allow the player to attend a hockey trials camp with the Dubuque Fighting Saints in Iowa, USA. Needless to say, breaking into the North America market would be a tremendous career move for Farmer, should it come to anything, and to the detriment of the Phoenix, but Hand well knows the difference between two beans and a pudding. Ben Morgan, though, a former Sheffield Scimitars junior and more recently a D-man with Elite League Sheffield Steelers did become a Manchester player.
Another top EPL netminder, Brit Tom Annetts, with a save rate over the magic ninety per-cent re-signed for the Bison while Jamie Line left the Basingstoke side for Milton Keynes Thunder in the ENL on a 2-way deal that will allow him to play for the Lightning as well if available.
Slough Jets re-signed young British forward Dan Davies for a second spell with the club having joined last season from ENL Hornets, which just leaves the Wildcats. All that appears to have come from that quarter this week was the news Welshman Steve Fisher, a Cardiff Devils’ top scorer in their ENL team with over two points a game was being courted by the Swindon club, amongst others.
 
As the weeks slip by and more players sign on to rosters, some teams are beginning to take shape to the point where opinions can be formed. And to think there will be more names next week.
Can’t wait!
 
For more EPL facts, figures and news try my website – www.iceman-epl.com Contact the author Bill.Collins@Prohockeynews.com