BELFAST, UK – Any follower of articles on Prohockeynews will be well aware that they will often contain interesting interviews and opinion from professional hockey players. This season, Prohockeynews is going one better and bringing you regular articles from one of the UK’s top players, Belfast Giants forward Jon Pelle.
Jon, who has a degree from Harvard University in the US and is days away from finishing his MBA at Cardiff Business School, has a keen interest in sports writing and has agreed to write regularly about the season from his perspective.
Last season was a career year for Pelle, who finished as the league top scorer, with a total of 106 points for the Cardiff Devils. He also won accolades from the EIHL, as ‘Best Forward’ and ‘Newcomer of the Year’, and was also part of the Devils team that won the Guinness Book of Records Award for the hockey team with the most consecutive wins. However, despite those accolades, the Devils were disappointed not to walk away with the championship, although they finished on the same number of points as League Champions Sheffield Steelers. As Pelle reflects on his first year in the UK:
“Last year was one I will remember for a long time. Knowing very little about my teammates, the city of Cardiff, and the league itself I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit nervous. Personally, I don’t think the year could have gone any better. As a team, however, it was really disappointing. I still have trouble accepting that we didn’t come home with a championship. I really feel bad for the fans- they wanted it so bad. All in all though, it was a good introduction to the UK- good enough that I wanted to come back anyway!”
The majority of fans expected Pelle to be among the first to seek a higher level of competition (and corresponding higher salary) in other leagues in Europe, so it was a surprise when he decided to stay in the UK, playing for Belfast Giants. The Giants, who are now in their twelfth season, also narrowly missed out on the league title last season, coming in third place, behind the leaders by just one point. They also hosted a highly successful exhibition game against last years Stanley Cup winners the Boston Bruins. In making a decision about where to sign, Pelle explains that his motives were beyond the financial. 
“Lot’s of my offers with the higher salaries did not interest me. At this stage of my career, I didn’t want to go some place where I would be the only North American on the team, to a small, non-English speaking city. I still play this game because it is fun and I knew that if I stayed in the UK I would have a good time. I’m willing to play for less money if it means enjoying myself more. I think Belfast is the perfect fit for what I am looking for. They do everything they can to make us feel comfortable. It’s the reason why they have top end players come in here year after year. The city is supposed to be lots of fun and their reputation for winning trophies speaks for itself.”
“I’ve always enjoyed writing, and obviously I love hockey. I think writing for PHN will give me a chance to combine the two and I’m really looking forward to it. I’m hoping to give readers a bit of a different perspective this season. I’d like to do some player profiles, some notes from training camp, and some general behind the scenes stuff. I plan on doing a little piece on each of the new imports during my first article, but I will say that we’ve come together quite nicely in the first week. I give Todd (Kelman – GM) and Doug (Christiansen – Coach) a lot of credit for getting us in early and putting together a schedule that has undoubtedly brought us closer. I will go into more detail about that in my first article as well.”
Taking the unusual step of writing about all things hockey while playing at the highest level in the UK, is probably to be expected of Jon Pelle. While some players take a back seat on the ice while completing their sponsored studies, Jon was the player who managed to be top league scorer while simultaneously completing a full-time MBA course. Prior to that Jon had worked hard enough to gain a place at Harvard University and graduate with a good degree while still improving his hockey week on week. Pelle is not someone who can only face one challenge at a time.
Prohockeynews would like to thank Jon for his involvement and very much look forward to reading his articles.
Contact the writer: Victoria.silverwood@prohockeynews.com
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