EPL Weekly Roundup 47

SWINDON, UK –   Another quiet-ish week as far as player moves go, but more pre-season fixtures were released.
The Jets are to face local rivals the Wildcats which should be interesting seeing as their former coach Pete Russell and young D-man Paul Swindlehurst, have leapt over the fence into the Swindon camp. While Swindlehurst should firm up the Swindon defence, it is likely Steve Whitfield will join him from the Wildcats’ ENL side along with Loris Taylor up front.
One player who will not be on the Wildcats’ bench this season is high-scoring Lithuanian Egidigus Bauba who has gone to the dogs, the ENL Pitbulls to be precise which on the face of it seems an odd move for a player of his calibre who you might expect to move to the Elite League or back to Europe. Whatever the reason the Bristol side will surely benefit while Coach Aldridge, despite his loss, became yet another coach to comment on the improving standard in the EPL. ‘We all know the league is getting stronger and stronger, and it is going to be a tough season,’ he said.
The Jets will also face the Bees in a pre-season double, and the Wildcats the Tigers while the Steeldogs are set to compete for the War of the Roses against the Phoenix across the Pennines. Sheffield’s coach Andre Payette is already pumping his side up and rattling his sabre and promising ‘physical action’ while hoping to capture the trophy for the first time.
The only teams not having announced pre-season games as yet are the Lightning and Phantoms and their ‘Ashes’ series which looks like it will again mean a late start to the season for these two sides.
While everyone is chomping at the bit and awaiting the release of the fixtures it was found the first draft was full of holes so it was back to the drawing board. But the start looks a bit unusual with a Friday evening season first face-off for the Bees and Wildcats which interestingly gives the Swindon side seven games in eleven days. In fact, they will play four games in a week, and that’s before the season starts, then another three games over the first weekend. Makes you tired just thinking about it. But if the first weekend is to be believed then the ones to watch will be the Bison and Phoenix which start with a double-header.
In another tough period, but important as a demonstration of local cooperation, the Steeldogs will play the Steelers making them the only team to play two Elite League sides pre-season, with Hull the week before.
Meanwhile in Manchester the Phoenix signed former GBU18 and GBU20 forward James Neil for a third season, but as a D-man. Coach Hand said, ‘He’s good on “D”. He’s an intelligent player and skates well and can skate the puck out of defence if he has to.’  Neil himself seems more than happy with the swap. More of a problem for the Phoenix is what to do about a back-up netminder. Apparently they have a ‘reasonably good’ net man on offer but have also promised to offer ice time to junior players. With the recent statements regarding their intention to develop the junior side of things, it is clearly an opportunity to start down that road but also a problem, so as owner Neil Morris said, ‘a dilemma.’
No such problems for the Bison who announced their final import to be Slovakian forward Marek Bubec who although an experienced European player has never iced in Britain.
British forward and former Bees’ captain Terry Miles signed for the Jets where he started his career ten years before, and while not strictly an EPL matter any more, former Phantoms’ D-man James Hutchinson, having signed and quit the EIHL Braehead Clan under a cloud, signed for the Belfast Giants.
And finally, a thought-provoking situation which has evolved over the closed season but not quite as predicted. Some months ago, in March 2011, it might be remembered, the Elite League dropped its import quota with the claim it was a ‘fantastic decision’ and would be a good thing for British hockey and allow more opportunities for home-grown players. So, with the rosters in both leagues almost complete, just how many new British players have benefited from this change in policy? Well, as far as the Premier League is concerned the answer is one. Although five players have moved from the EPL to the Elite League only one has never played at that level before, and while there are, of course, other sources from which a new British player could be obtained, if you look at the EIHL rosters themselves a similar situation pertains. So at this late stage it is hard to see how the drop in import quotas has benefited British players in general and the EPL in particular.  For more EPL facts and figures, headlines mailing list and news and the graphic-enhanced version of this Roundup, why not try www.iceman-epl.com
Contact the author Bill.Collins@Prohockeynews.com