JOHNSTOWN, PA – It’s fair to say that Matthew Myers feels a little hard done by after last season.
Back in December, Myers was upbeat. After leaving Britain for a shot in the US, the former Cardiff junior had been traded from Bakersfield Condors to the Johnstown Chiefs at his own request, and was finally receiving a proper opportunity to perform at ECHL level.
He said: “ I asked for a trade because I wasn’t being given the opportunity to play as much as I would’ve liked. The club were very helpful and sorted out a transfer quickly for me, then Johnstown called me to finalise details and organise transportation etc. It was a very efficient process.
“I was very happy to get the trade, especially once we settled in Johnstown, adjusting to a new team, town and of course the weather!”
The weather was a bigger adaption than many people might realise. Matthew started out in Bakersfield, California. In December when the trade was finalised, the temperature in Bakersfield was 13 degrees Celsius, about the same temperature in London at the moment. When he got to Johnstown it was -1.
That wasn’t the only adaptation Myers had to make though. Living conditions were also a little different in Johnstown compared to what he was used to.
“It was basic to say the least but varies greatly from team to team. In Bakersfield, Nyree and I had a nice apartment, but in Johnstown we were sharing a house with other players because we didn’t have our own car out there, so we couldn’t live in the place we were supposed to have.”
Despite these changes, Matthew made a solid start in Johnstown. He put up two goals and three assists in 22 games on a poor Chiefs team, which finished dead last in the ECHL with just 18 wins and 47 points in 72 games. Myers was pleased to finally be playing regularly and contributing after his frustrating spell in Bakersfield, and his two goals for the Chiefs turned out to be game-winners.
He said: “ The move was good for the first six weeks or so because I played a lot and got a lot of minutes at even strength and on the PK.”
Then disaster struck.
Myers first suffered a concussion, and immediately upon his return he tore his MCL, ruling him out of the final eight weeks of the season.
Naturally this was disappointing for Myers. Every hockey player wants to be on the ice, not getting splinters from the bench, and he’s no exception. He took the setback well though, saying: “It went bad for me, but I played well in the games I played for Johnstown, and I think had I not been injured I would have continued to do well.”
Despite the injuries, Myers is certainly happier having at least been given a shot with the Chiefs after his disappointing experience with his first ECHL team Bakersfield.
The 6 ft 1 centre left the Nottingham Panthers a year ago after registering a career year in the British Elite League (13 goals, 32 assists) to try and make it across the pond. Of his path to the ECHL, Myers said: “ It was difficult being an unknown Brit so I contacted all the ECHL teams via email and Victoria and Bakersfield responded. I’ve played in the UK all my life, and I wanted to test myself abroad to see how far I could get. Obviously it was a big change, but I wasn’t nervous, having moved away from home at 18 for Uni. I did ask for lots of advice from friends, coaches and team mates though, some of whom have played abroad as well.”
Matt in Nottingham (Photo Nottingham Panthers)
Matthew found his opportunities limited at Bakersfield, not least because of the quality of the Condors’ roster. The Condors are the ECHL affiliate of the NHL Anaheim Ducks, and the Ducks were unable to secure an AHL affiliate for the 09/10 season. This posed a huge problem for the NHL club, and it was considered by many that this would impede the progress of some of their top prospects. In the end, Anaheim loaned some of their players to various teams in the AHL, where they didn’t receive as much ice time as they might have at their own club’s affiliate. The remaining players were sent to the Condors, giving them a very strong squad. Among them were a couple that look to be future fixtures in the NHL, like strong defenceman Mark Mitera.
Myers commented: “Whilst in Bakersfield I played with Kyle Calder who has played 10 years in the NHL, and Dan Sexton who got called up while I was there and did a pretty good job with Anaheim. I played with him, and he’s a very good player. He’s very fast and has the ability to finish in front of the net, but I was a little surprised at how well he’s done. I thought that his size might have hindered him at the higher level, but so far he has played really well and his size doesn’t seem to be holding him back, and I hope it continues for him. His stats are doing all the talking! There are a number of players that were really good at Bako and will go on to play at higher levels.”
There were aspects of the ECHL that Myers had to get used to once he was there, both in how he played the game and in his routine away from game-nights. He said: “The rink is much smaller than the Olympic pads at home so the game is faster, and more physical and intense. The schedule is much busier with around 72 games rather than 56 in the UK and we rarely get days off. Training is similar with the exception of pre-game skates which we don’t do in the UK, and they generally last around 30 minutes.”
“I noticed that rinks vary greatly from team to team. The rink in Bakersfield was one of the best in the league, whereas Johnstown is a small, very old rink. Again as far as fans go, some teams get really good support. In Toledo there were 8,000 fans there, but in Trenton there were only 1,000 at best.”
Myers in Johnstown (Photo Johnstown Chiefs)
“ I was pleased to get out to the states and now I’ve made some good contacts for the future. I’m glad I made the decision to leave the UK, I just would’ve loved to have had an injury free season and played a lot more games. I’d definitely recommend the experience to any players considering doing the same. Hopefully with how well Dave Phillips has done, and if I can do a bit better next year, the teams in the US will be more willing to take on British players.”
As Myers says, Dave Phillips’ 09/10 season has been the UK’s biggest hockey success story for a long time, as the 22 year-old defenceman has had a great season in the AHL. The 6 ft 3 blueliner played 52 regular season games for AHL outfit Rockford IceHogs, the minor league affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks, and has featured in all three of their playoff games so far. Phillips wasn’t hailed as a stand-out player in the British Elite League last year with the Belfast Giants, but has improved dramatically throughout the season. He even picked up the IceHogs’ ‘Most Improved Player’ award. If British players continue to try their hand at hockey across the pond so successfully, it can only mean good things for British hockey.
Due to his playoff commitments with Rockford, Phillips couldn’t be part of the Great Britain team that travelled to Slovenia to compete in the World Championships, but with Johnstown’s season having ended, a fit-again Myers did travel with the team. The trip didn’t start ideally for the GB team, as they had to travel to Slovenia by coach. The journey took them a whopping 26 hours, after the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud caused all flights to be cancelled. The team got to Slovenia just hours before their first game against Croatia, but still triumphed 4-1, before beating Korea 2-1 in their second contest. They fell to an overtime defeat to hosts and favourites Slovenia, and then lost narrowly to Hungary. In the bronze medal against Poland the GB team conceded a late goal as they lost 2-1, a disappointing end to a tournament that started so promisingly. Myers had a strong tournament though, playing well in all five games.
Myers with his GB bronze medal and other Panthers (Photo ddimaging.co.uk)
Matthew Myers isn’t sure what next season holds for him yet. The Chiefs are moving on this summer after 22 years in Johnstown. They are leaving the Cambria County War Memorial Arena, where most of the hockey scenes from classic hockey film Slap Shot were filmed, to move to Greenville, South Carolina.
The move further shrouds Matthew’s future, but the 25 year-old knows where he wants to be. He said: “ I’d like to go back to the States. It’ll be difficult to get a job out there, but my new contacts might help. The Chiefs are moving to South Carolina, so maybe I’ll end up there.”
Contact the author Dave.Lambert@Prohockeynews.com
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