EPL Roundup – Raiders still to get on board.

SWINDON, UK – Quite a bit of activity this past week after a quiet first day. The Bees kicked things off with the announcement that Tom Avery was returning for his second spell with the club, and what will be his first full season having played only six games the season before because he was icing with the ENL Bracknell Hornets. Swiftly following with pen to paper was Greg Randall, the British D-man, also for a second season and also as assistant coach. Randall observed “We need a core of players to stay together because they know how to play as a team.” Coach Gareth Cox also declared he had been talking to a number of players and still wanted two new imports, one at both ends of the ice, and was set to reveal exactly who those players would be, although nothing was forthcoming by the end of the week. So Lithuanian d man Andrius Kaminskas’s future still looks a tad iffy. Randall’s comment about ‘core’ players was obviously not alien to Milton Keynes Lightning’s thinking where, apparently, most of the team are queuing to re-sign, although there were no additional names added this week. A name added to the Swindon Wildcats roster was that of Cardiff Devils Elite League player Jason Stone. The British defenseman who has iced for twenty-two years with the Welsh club and played almost 1200 games, which must be a record in someone’s book. But the big rumour, and the question all Swindon fans wanted answered, was what was going to happen to top scorer Aaron Nell. Last season Nell split his time between the Wildcats and Elite League Coventry Blaze which in practical terms meant he iced every game for the Wildcats and about a dozen times for Coventry. Although a Swindon lad, and very loyal to the club, Nell is almost certain to have to move to further his career ambitions, and not without precedent having spent some time in Alaska. Well they do have a drop of ice there, so what better place? A decision is awaited with bated breath. Instead, what unabated the breath was the report that young former GB U20 international forward Sam Bullas was leaving the club for the Braehead Clan, new boys to the Elite League near Glasgow for the uninitiated. The Wildcats also announced the re-signing of Ryan Watt, who previously played for the Swindon side for a couple of months two years ago with brother Nicky before both went to ice for the Bees last season. Part way through that campaign Ryan left the Bees under never-to-be mentioned circumstances and was immediately snapped up by Coach Russell at the Jets who was actually the coach who let him go from Swindon before getting the push himself.

However, Russell is now digging in and building a solid foundation at the Jets with more player moves this week. First announcement was the news Slava Koulikov, the Russian forward who joined part way through last season from Elite League Hull, was re-signed. Further news was the release of Slovakian forward Peter Jasik, despite a scoring average of over 1.3 points per game last season, which presumably isn’t good enough form for an import for Coach Russell who went on to sign his third import Darius Pliskauskas. Pliskauskas, a Lithuanian forward previously with the Romford Raiders, had an average about half a point greater than Jasik, although far be it from me to suggest he was a replacement. But what was a bit of a disappointment was the release, reputedly for family reasons, of Slovakian forward Peter Poljacek who consistently featured in the top echelon of the league’s points scorers, and finished the season in the top ten of all three categories. A hard act to follow. The coach’s frustrations must be many at this time of year, and Scimitars boss Jon Rowbotham is no exception. He lamented the fact he was talking to over twenty players at the moment, and had still to receive answers from any of them. Well most of them because one who did answer the call was Arran Strawson, the British defenseman who re-signed after playing his first full year last season for the Sheffield side.Also up and running now are the Peterborough Phantoms whose first signing was Canadian netminder Curtis Cruickshank from Hull who was appointed head coach to replace caretaker Tim Peacock who took over from Doug Irwin part way through last season. Peterborough director Jon Kynaston was quick to deny rumours the former Phantoms’ D-man James Hutchinson was also about to join the club from Hull on the strength of his friendship with Cruickshank. We’ll see. At the Phoenix this week the news was not so much who else was being added to an already impressive line-up that is developing so much as who isn’t. First off was British forward Robert Lachowicz who signed for Nottingham in the Elite League, followed by another forward Adam Walker to the Braehead Clan. Walker, who ended the season as the seventh highest EPL points scorer, forth highest goal scorer and ninth highest assists scorer, was almost destined to move with that pedigree and age on his side. But all was not lost by any means because another young British forward, Tom Duggan, a product of the Guildford Flames junior programme who had been playing for the Bees before returning to Guildford, was added to the Phoenix books. And talking of Guildford, along with the transfer of Duggan, the Flames released Brit Dean Skinns from his ‘job-share’ netminding position with the acknowledgement they were re-thinking the policy of not having a designated opening netminder after Skinns was forced to shoulder the bulk of games due to injury. His replacement was announced as top Slovak Miroslav Hala, who has consistently achieved a plus ninety-per-cent save rate and holds the record for the second longest run of goalless minutes in pro-hockey. An imported player in goal can produce a juggling headache with the EPL rules, of course, but what a record to have to worry about! Also to go from the Flames was Canadian forward Adrian Saul and Slovakian forward Lubomir Hurtaj. Coach Steve Moria, the Bison boss said “I think defence is the key to our success” when stating he wanted most of his Basingstoke team to re-sign said he expected to see some new faces. One not-so-new face was Kurt Reynolds, who returns for a third season with the Bison having missed out on eleven games last year through injury. Another not-so-new face is Chris Wiggins who, if rumours are to be believed, and why not, will shortly be re-signing. Or maybe not. So that just left new boys on the block Telford Tigers who, apart from appointing a new player-coach last week added no new names this, and not-so-new Raiders, who have yet to get on the board, so lots to look forward to. For more EPL facts, figures and news try my website – http://www.iceman-epl.com/ Contact the author Bill.Collins@Prohockeynews.com