NEWCASTLE, UK – I recently received my nomination form to select this seasons All Star team for the British Elite League. On receiving the form I began to think which players have really stood out for me this season two names came straight to my mind Hull Stingrays free scoring forward Jereme Tendler and Sheffield Steelers Latvian international goaltender Ervins Mustokov. For me these 2 players have stood out at opposite ends of the ice over the course of the current campaign.
Few British hockey fans had even heard of Tendler when Stingrays began their season a few weeks behind schedule (due to Hull’s financial problems) however after a superb debut season in the Elite League there would be few supporters who wouldn’t want the sharpshooter on their roster for the 2011/12 campaign. Tendler is currently Stingrays top goal and point scorer and is the 2nd highest goal scorer in the whole Elite League which is an extremely impressive statistic given that Hull have been a mid table team all season long.
The other stand out performer for me this term is Steelers goaltender Mustokov. No one knew what to expect of Ervins at the start of the current campaign however the Latvian netminder has gone on to quickly establish himself as one of the top goaltenders in the British game. Mustokov has the best save percentage of any regular starting goalie at Elite League level and he has also recorded a record number of shut outs already this season for Steelers with a good few weeks of the regular season still to play.
Mustokovs and Tendler are the two players I considered for the overall Player of the Year accolade. After much deliberation it was Tendler that I selected to be the top player in this seasons Elite League as I felt that he had made an immense contribution to the Stingrays season and that his scoring record of almost a goal per game is a superb return for any player never mind a forward in one of the Leagues lower budget teams.
With Tendler and Mustokovs inked in my All Star team, I now had to consider which other Elite League players had done enough over the last 6 months to earn their place in my line up. I started to think of the blue liners who had impressed me the most over the campaign. Coventry Blaze’s Jontahan Weaver is normally selected on defence in most All Star teams however given that Weaver has been carrying an injury for a large part of the current campaign I decided I couldn’t select the Blaze stalwart on what he had achieved this term.
The d man who I feel has made the biggest impact this season has to be the Cardiff Devil’s Craig Weller. Weller linked up with the Welsh side after he was unable to secure a lucrative contract in North America. However once he arrived in Cardiff Weller gave his all to the Devils cause so much so that many hockey fans feel that Weller could be the best player to play in the UK in the recent history of the sport. The big defenceman has impressed from his first game in the red of the Devils. Weller’s points production has been colossal given that he has played at the back as at the time of writing the former Phoenix Coyote had picked up over 40 points in just over 30 games.
Alongside Weller on the blue line I have chosen Corey Neilson of the Nottingham Panthers. Neilson’s season as coach of the Panthers has to go down as an extremely disappointing campaign as for the free spending Pnathers to be 4th in the League standings it is clear that Neilson has not got the best out of a truly talented group of players however Neilson’s individual form for the Panthers has been superb once again this term.
Neilson has already picked up more than a half century of points this season and he is his sides 2nd best playmaker and the 4th best provider in the entire league which illustrates just how effective Corey is at setting up plays. Neilson is also a great asset to have on any powerplay unit as his tactical prowess leads to numerous opportunities for the forwards who play in front of him.
With Weller and Neilson selected in defence two more forwards were needed to play alongside the Hull marksmen Tendler. Cardiff’s Jon Pelle just has to be chosen in this season’s All Star team as the Harvard University graduate has had an outstanding season for Gerad Adam’s side. Pelle is currently the Leagues leading goal and point scorer, 10 points ahead of his nearest rival (team mate Scott Matzka) on overall points and 9 goals ahead of Tendler in the outright goalscorer stats. Pelle also leads the League in powerplay goals and has kept out of the penalty box for the majority of the campaign which has seen the 24 year old forward establish himself as one of the top players in this seasons Elite League.
The final forward spot on my All Star line was a tough decision. Initially I was going to go with Panthers Rob Bellamy as the Nottingham man has impressed me every time I have seen him take to the ice however in the end I selected Steelers Jeff Legue as I feel the Sheffield forward has had a great campaign on many different levels. Like Pelle League is a constant threat when his side have a man advantage as his 13 powerplay goals demonstrate. I also feel that Legue is the heartbeat of the Steelers roster and their go to guy when Ben Simon’s men find themselves in a sticky situation.
All Star Selection 1st Line
Mustokovs – Sheffield Steelers
Weller – Cardiff Devils Neilson – Notingham Panthers
Tendler – Hull Stingrays Pelle – Cardiff Devils Legue – Sheffield Steelers
Contact the author – chris.mackenzie@prohockeynews.com
