Belfast Giants

Patrick Smyth from UK Hockey Live previews the season for the Giants

It’s certainly been quite the off season. Full of optimism, pessimism, drama and delight. And as the September looms large on the horizon, ten teams gear themselves up for a season of Elite League hockey.
Belfast, I feel, is in for an exciting time this season. Not least with the visit of the Boston Bruins, something I’ll come to later in this piece. The Elite League Playoff Champions have gone through a series of changes in the time since Colin Shields was presented the final trophy of the season. Steve Thornton has returned to real life, and his position has been taken by Doug Christiansen. Christiansen, gaining plaudits for his achievements in Edinburgh, now has been given a chance to form a team on a vastly superior budget and it has been an opportunity he has grasped with both hands.
As a Belfast fan I cannot be too disappointed with one of the strongest opening rosters I’ve seen at the Odyssey in quite a few years. The team seems well balanced, strong and experienced at the back, with a series of forwards who know the exact location of the goal.
Richard Seeley, Jon Gleed and Jeff Mason come in with both physical presence and experience to protect a goal filled by Stephen Murphy. Mike Hoffman (insert your “Hoff” jokes here) brings a great deal of toughness to an already solid Giants D, a player with ability and physicality.
Murphy will be hoping to improve on a stellar season where he turned a few heads and left some folk, not least myself, eating humble pie for his efforts. Murphy last season faced the fewest amount of shots in the Elite League, this was in no small part to the likes of Tim Cook, returning for another season along with Graeme Walton, who this season becomes the longest serving active Belfast Giants player following the retirement of Shane Johnson.
Giants forward lines are not lacking in fire power. Colin Hemmingway returns to the Elite League and will be well aware of the points scoring reputation he left behind in Murrayfield.
Speaking of former Capitals, both Dan Welch and Mark Garside have followed Christiansen on HSS ferry from Stranraer to Belfast. Garside has developed into a strong scoring British forward. He was highly sought after as last season finished and, alongside the returnees of Craig Peacock and last seasons Elite League Player of the Season Colin Shields, forms a strong British backbone to the Giants offensive attack.
Rounding off the new faces Mike Bayrack, Brett Hemmingway (brother of Colin) and Josh Prudden all come to the League fresh and will be looking to stamp their ability in the team early. Bayrack seems to come in the mould left by Pat Bateman, my personal Giants MVP of last season, and with the loss of both Johnson and Bateman, I’m hoping for a good agitator to get behind the play.
Last and certainly not least is the return of Brandon Benedict. A player who showed his ability to its hilt having returned from injury at the back end of last season. A slow start built into a freight train finish. More of the same will be expected come September 4th in the NIC.
Now in saying all this doesn’t mean to suggest I don’t have doubts. There are always X-Factors (Isn’t it annoying how that term now just throws up other connotations, thanks Simon Cowell).
A few of the new recruits, for example Prudden, have had an ‘interesting’ history of injury. And given how a number of other EIHL teams have ‘beefed up’, protection of the forwards may be the name of many a game.
Can Murphy repeat the ability of last season? As I’ve already stated his defence last season were water tight, yet anything he did face was usually dealt with aplomb.

Finally, Christansen. He showed his ability taking a small side to new heights. But, much like Roy Hodgeson at Liverpool, he’s been moved into a roll with a more demanding fan base and nothing less than success will do. Does he have the ability to handle a team filled with leaders? We’ll see in 6 months time.
On the evidence of the Charity Shield game in Coventry, his selections have been savvy. After only three days together and two days of training camp, Christansen was able to whip a 14 man, short benched, team together to defeat the reigning League Champions, Coventry Blaze, 4-2. The outstanding player of that game was without doubt Richard Seeley. Great movement, poke checks, hits and forward play. He’ll certainly be one to watch.

Looking around the league. Paddy Power have the Coventry Blaze down as favourites. That’s hard to argue with. Thompson, to use another soccer analogy, is like Alex Ferguson. Every so often loses a Jewel in his crown that leads folk into believing the dominance of his team has past. Only to fashion a new team and a new dominance.
Adam Calder is gone, that’s a lot of fire power to replace. But Luke Fulgum has shown in his seasons with Manchester and Coventry that he is just as ready to replace him. Brad Zanon was a very interesting player to watch in the Charity Shield game, most impressive. The new netminder Jaeger is a very small character. However he was at fault for 2, if not 3, Belfast Giants goals and gave up a lot of rebounds. It was only the first game, and a mild bit of jet-lag could be to blame. The jury is out.
Sheffield have had quite the soap opera in the last couple months. The loss of Matsos in it all may not, in the grand scheme of things, be a bad result as his tactics seems to be getting stale. He’s been replaced by rookie player/coach Ben Simon. A player whose ability, in my humble opinion, surpasses the EIHL, but will he have the focus on his game or his team, and will either suffer as part of the job?
Despite their troubles I feel the Steelers season won’t be undone front of house. They have a strong line up. Legue, Talbot, Simon all have the ability to find the net. While Munn, Bolibruck and the acquisition of Domish from Newcastle form a solid base to start from. Domish and Sarich will be an interesting combination to watch, both work of the quick transition, Domish can be like a rocket up the ice, so Simon will need to pair them up with someone who will mind the fort. (That’s assuming Simon doesn’t continue the absurd notion of Sarich as a power forward) But doubt remains with the Steelers back room staff. If David Simms walks out on the Steelers, and doesn’t come back when offered? There’s a problem.
In Nottingham, Neilson has seemed this season to, at last, created an actual team. Seasons have gone by where Nottingham have thrown a bundle of cash in the air only for it to be caught by round pegs looking to fit in square holes. But for once there seems to be a form to his recruitment. I’m interested to see if David Beauregard can perform as well in Nottingham without the assistance of Tony Hand that he had in Altrincham. While Zion and Lepine seem to be good solid D-men to help Meyers and Neilson at the back. Matt Myers returns from his jaunt to the US and time will tell if he’s the better for it.
All in all Nottingham look balanced. But I have little faith in Neilsons’ ability as a coach and foresee the usual season for the bridesmaids in black. Strong start, tapered finish and a lot of added frustration on Lower Parliament Street.
The core has remained unchanged in Cardiff, Voth returns with Finnerty and while Adams aims once again to challenge his defensive partners seems flawed to me. Mark and Kenton Smith were never players I admired for their ability, while Adams himself is getting on a bit. All in all it leads to a requirement for the netminder to be outstanding, and, with all due respect, Stevie Lyle is the mere definition of “Hot and Cold”. Mid table for the Glamorgan men.
It is good to have two new Scottish teams, but I do unfortunately see all three teams propping up the Elite table. Dundee seem to have the “entertainment factor” signing the likes of Sean McMorrow, late of this parish, and Steve Makway, I don’t see Dan Cemans teams picking up much more than a glut of penalty minutes.
Likewise in Newcastle, Danny Stewarts “Dark Side” Vipers look to use the bulk to score points at Whitley Bay. Teams have struggled there, not least Belfast, but time will tell if that’s more a case of the challenge coming from the opponents or the ice.
Last, but not least, after an initial scare the Hull Stingrays will ice this season. Clouthier is patching together his team once again. Huppe has gone to Manchester to try his hand at EPL hockey, and Hull will put together a side to begin late in the season. But, like the Scots, I can’t see much coming from Humberside this season as they begin to build again.
I’m hoping for an exciting season overall. Last season was tight right to the end at the top and more of the same would be a delight. This season I’m planning on making every rink at least once. Should be an interesting 6 months.
Most of all I’m looking forward to the first weekend in October as a Giants Select face the Boston Bruins. A fantastic coup for the Giants and a weekend when the best of the EIHL will come to Belfast, don the sacred shirt and come to realise what a delight it is to play your home games on Odyssey ice.

So, After all of that, here is my final table predictions…

1. Belfast Giants
2. Coventry Blaze
3. Nottingham Panthers
4. Cardiff Devils
5. Sheffield Steelers
6. Newcastle Vipers
7. Hull Stingrays
8. Edinburgh Capitals
9. Braehead Clan
10. Dundee Stars