BELFAST, UK. – The Coors Belfast Giants finished their recruiting for the 2008-09 season, picking up newcomer Malcolm MacMillan and long time Giant, George Awada. MacMillan is a new face to Europe after spending his first five professional seasons in the ECHL, UHL and has been called up numerous times to the AHL. MacMillan turned pro in 2003-04 with the Peoria Riverman, joining them from the Guelph Storm from the OHL. MacMillan played 34 games with the Riverman, posting five assists before moving to Cincinnati Cyclones and then Florence Pride. MacMillan ended his inaugural pro season with 14 points and a staggering 176 penalty minutes.
The following season saw a move to the UHL with the Port Huron Beacons, racking up 10 goals and 26 assists- his highest points total to date. The 2005-08 season was spent with the Reading Royals in the ECHL, and also saw 18 AHL call ups to the Hershey Bears and Albany River Rats. Over the three season, MacMillan put 89 points on the board, as well as 623 penalty minutes. MacMillan has been brought in as a enforcer but comes with the distinction of the best face-off taker in the league.
“Malcolm is a very good hockey player, the fact that he also protects his teammates is a big bonus for us and will be expected to play big minutes in a very important role for us,” General manager Todd Kelman said. “He managed to land himself an AHL contract straight out of the ECHL so that is a good indication of his quality, he is one of those players that will make it a very long night for most of the guys on other teams and he has the ability and the toughness to back it up.”
Awada, now entering his fifth season in a Giants jersey has played a crucial role in the Giants line up through out his time with the Giants. Awada joined the Giants in 2004-05 under then Coach, Tony Hand. Awada also finished second in points for the Giants with 35 goals and 28 assists. The following season Awada was awarded the Captain’s C. In every Giants season, Awada has finished in the top five of scoring within the Giants team and is currently sitting on 234 points with the Giants, only 11 points behind all time points leader Jason Ruff, Awada will pass this number if taking his average season stats into consideration.
“George is proven scorer that knows our league very well, he is a leader for us and is a very important piece to our puzzle,” Kelman said. “Most players in the league that finish with 54 points would be ecstatic where George felt like he had more to give, I love the fact that he wants more and I think that he is going to get that chance again with the team we have put together.”
The Giants fixtures have also been released, with the regular season starting for the Giants on September 6 at the Odyssey Arena against the Cardiff Devils. The Giants also have two pre-season games in Dundalk against an All-Star team made up of the Dundalk Bulls and Latvian Hawks.
On Sunday August 3rd, the Tesco Junior Giants took on a Team of nine Belfast Giants, Past, Present and Future, in aid of Natasha Falls ( http://www.natashafalls.com ), and a total of £1,642.73 was raised in aid of she and her family. Contact the author at Aaron.stewart@prohockeynews.com
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