NEWCASTLE, UK – Newcastle Vipers have now completed their defensive roster ahead of the 2010/11 campaign with the signing of Canadian blue liner John Schwarz. Schwarz spent last season with the Las Vegas Wranglers in the ECHL and also has a wealth of experienced from his time in junior hockey to call upon.
Schwarz began his career in 2002 when he iced for the Brooks Bandits in the AJHL picking up 12 points in a 57 game season. The defenceman remained with the Bandits for the following term when he improved his point production slightly as he posted 15 points from 54 appearances. However it does have to be noted that even at this early stage in his career Schwarz could take care of himself and his team mates as a total of 460 penalty minutes over the course of his first 2 seasons demonstrates.
John remained in the AJHL the following campaign though the hard hitting d man did switch teams to the Fort McMurray Oil Barons. This season was to be his best in terms of point production as he was able to pick up a total of 29 points lighting the lamp on 5 occasions.
Schwarz spent the next 4 years patrolling the blue line of Michigan Tech. During his time in the NCAA Schwarz only found the back of the net once and tallied 13 points though he was still heavily involved in his sides games as he logged over 200 penalty minutes during his time with Michigan.
It would appear that Schwarz is a gritty d man who makes sure every forward he comes up against has to work extremely hard to get the better of him. However it is a slight concern just how few points the Vipers latest signing has logged so far during his career. If Schwarz could get back to the sort of points he produced during his last term in the AJHL while protecting still his team mates he could be an astute signing by Newcastle coach Danny Stewart however if the big defenceman is solely relying on his toughness then his stint in the British game may not be a hugely successful or lengthy one.
It is thought that Vipers could well announce some offensive signings in the next week or so as Danny Stewart continues to build his core of players for the forthcoming campaign. Newcastle’s recruitment over the summer months appears to be going positively as Vipers look to be building a strong competitive roster bearing in mind the financial restraints the club has to work with. Contact the author – chris.mackenzie@prohockeynews.com
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