Belfast Giants

Patrick Smyth from KOTG A View From The Bridge Podcast previews the season for the Giants

It may be a cliché to state that last year “promised so much, yet delivered very little”, but that’s how I felt it went.

Reading back over my Giants preview for TCW 12 months ago, I see a man so rich with enthusiasm and excitement for the season ahead. Optimism and expectation in a team so highly tipped to continue Belfast’s rich vein of success.

To briefly look back over what took place would be to watch that enthusiasm slowly wither and ebb away, month on month. Watch a team in whom so much faith was placed, remain in the hunt but by January have very few believe they were within a realistic chance of taking the trophy.

Yes it ended within a point of taking the league title and but for an iceSheffield disaster the story could have been oh so different. But it wasn’t the waning hunt for success that withered my enthusiasm, it was the product of hockey and the lack of determination apparent within those glass walls that led me to state in mid April, to paraphrase Steve Redgrave, that if I was ever to be seen near a hockey rink again, I was to be hit over the head and dragged away.

Yet here I am, craving the start of the season like it’s a drug. Booking my flights home for various games across the season and planning my road trips to the rinks up and down the country.

Part of the reason for this is the hope that the man I believe to be the reason for my loss of interest in the off season, Doug Christiansen, has actually learned form his mistakes. He was my x-factor in the development of last season’s team. A great recruiter, but could it be proven on the ice what many saw on the stats sheets.

Much like last season, DC’s recruitment ability has once again been proven to be compelling in its ability to place the Giants high up the favourites list for the title chase.

There seems to be a theme to this season’s recruitment that wasn’t apparent last season. One of grit and speed mixed with experience and skill. Last seasons Giants seemed heavily loaded in the speed and skill, but were lacking in grit. This season’s recruits appear more balanced and the signing of Adam Keefe sends out a distinct message to the league with regards toughness on the ice.

In an interview I conducted for the A View From The Bridge podcast (Shameless Plug!) Jon Pelle stated categorically that he “loved the signing” of Keefe as someone who will give small skilled forwards that extra peace of mind on the ice. Someone who has a history of getting the backs of the players who are there to play the game, while also contributing himself. “Adam Keefe is NOT a Sean McMorrow” was a statement from Doug Christiansen that brought relief to many in Belfast.

When it comes to firepower you can’t go wrong in signing the leagues leading point scorer in the aforementioned Jon Pelle. A right winger, who had a career season last year in Cardiff scoring 110 points, splitting assists and goals equally. You can’t help but gain some sort of excitement through this signing. But a lot depends on his line mates and the method in which he is utilised as a player of Pelle’s standard and ability can not produce unaided.

DC has brought in a wealth of new import talent to the Giants and one word that cropped up on a myriad occasions was “speed”. Benoit Doucet, Derek LeBlanc (a former CHL Championship winning centre alongside Pelle) and Brock McBride have all been stated as both creative and fast. Maybe a lean toward some fast break hockey in Belfast. Doucet seen as a player with skills infront of goal, while all have been looked toward as the players required to rectify the faulting powerplay so terminal to last seasons title chase.

Darryl Lloyd has been touted as the potential “most hated man in the EIHL”, his gritty style of play bringing him few friends outside of his home arenas. But again someone with grit that was lacking since the departure of, my personal favourite, Pat Bateman.

There has only been one returning import this season in Jeff Mason which was a welcome surprise. He is joined at the back by the experience of Jeremy Rebek, Nick Kuiper and Thomas Dignard. Three new import defensemen that mix up bulk, skill and experience as well as having some with ability to quarter back that powerplay and break out from the blueline. A balance on paper that we hope is replicated on the ice.

Colin Shields departed to Gallic pastures new, but is replaced by Christiansen’s self described ‘key signing’. Rob Dowd’s move from South Yorkshire to the banks of the Lagan signalled a distinct shift in British talent. Bringing in a talented import is one thing; such talent is easily replaced from a vast pool across the Atlantic. But in a league where British talent is key, to bring a player of Dowd’s level away from Sheffield is to weaken their team and strengthen our own.

He joins Craig Peacock and Mark Garside, who have remained in Northern Ireland for another season, and in doing so created probably one of the Giants strongest ever British forward line contingents. Statistically these three players should put up a lot of points and give a number of the imports a run for their money. While a local lad like Gareth Roberts will have a wealth of experience around him to learn from and develop his own game to, hopefully, great heights.

Graeme Walton becomes the longest serving Belfast Giant and is joined at the back by James Hutchinson, two players with a lot to offer. Walton played a number of key roles both forward and defence last season. While Hutchinson comes in from the EPL hoping to retain a regular Elite League position that evading him in cameo appearances with Basingstoke, Manchester, Hull and Nottingham.

Stephen Murphy is one name on the roster that brings further hope to the title chase. Proving himself again last season as one of the country and leagues top netminding talent. This season he is backed up by local lad Andrew Dickson, arriving from a decent spell at Invicta, he replaces Nathan Craze who has finally been given the EIHL starters shot in Edinburgh.

Finally, speaking of Edinburgh, one of their former players joins, if what surprisingly, as an 11th import. Ryan Crane has been added to the squad as ‘cover’ for injury. An outstanding move by the Giants which has caused hilarious consternation on The Cage and The Inferno among other forums.

The on-ice regulations may have dropped import numbers from 11 to 10, but the Giants have seen fit to retain their budget and sign 11 imports so as not to fall foul, like last season, from unexpected and debilitating injuries.

Crane offers the ability to replace both forward and back line players, while also providing competition to those already in the side, planting that seed of doubt in the security of their starting place if someone like crane is waiting in the wings.

The question on the ethos is will Crane be happy with prolonged periods on the sidelines? Or if he does replace a starter, will that cause friction in the locker room? All players will have to have bought into the ethos, not one that is uncommon across the pond, and DC will require the ability to rule with an iron fist when it comes to replacing players seen not to be pulling their weight. Interesting times ahead for the Giants.

All in all a roster DC and Todd Kelman can be proud of and one that has caused many to take notice of the Giants bid, on paper, to gain silverware this season. You know when, between all his nonsense and off the mark signing predictions, Dave Simms is constantly talking about the “pressure” on DC, that he, alongside many others, are fully aware of the strength in the roster now residing in Belfast.

Looking around the league, I’d love to say the main challengers are Nottingham, but feel that once again they will be hampered by narrow-minded coaching, despite the recruitment of Strachan, which I believe was the major factor in the silverware acquisition last season.

Sheffield have built a tight gritty side with a good netminder to backstop them, a lot rides on Finnerty’s ability as a rookie coach to whether the Steelers will be in the running for retention of the league title.

Cardiff have lost Pelle but retained a number of the players that helped them to one of their highest league finishes in years. But without the leagues top points scorer or the monster that was Weller last season, I can’t see them providing much of a challenge, not least with the politics flying around the back room (but then I said that last season about Sheffield and look what happened).

Coventry are hurting, the first season in recent memory where they were no where near the challenge for any silverware, Paul Thompson has went out to rectify this and with Hirsch returning, and retaining the likes of Fulgum and Fussey, they will do well to keep up the pace on the front runners.

It’s really good to see Fife in the league, somewhere I enjoyed going for a hockey game, fierce, intimidating and action packed. While they won’t challenge for the top honours given their restrictive recruitment policy, they will be welcomed across the league and I look forward to travelling to Kircaldy this season.

Braehead interest me, but the teams seems to have a fluid aspect to its recruitment and changes with player and news changing all the time. With Galbraith joining the party up there however I foresee them being the strongest team North of Hadrian’s wall, as well as the sales of Deep Fried Mars Bars going through the roof.

Finally a quick note about what’s missing from this season. Hockey is a business and not an easy one in this country. When the business doesn’t work out sometimes there are folk who sympathise and sometimes not. The Newcastle Vipers had their problems over the years and worked very very hard to make the business viable, moving from the Metro Radio Arena to Whitley Bay, running a reduced roster and doing everything within their power to finance an Elite League team in the North East, but it unfortunately didn’t work out.

And when this happened it left a lot of good, knowledgeable and passionate hockey fans on Tyneside, Wearside and Durham alike without a team to follow. I am disappointed for them as I have many friends up there and know how they love their hockey, have travelled the length of the country to watch their side (as well as to Cardiff and Manchester to NOT watch their side in the end).

A lot will be about arenas across the EIHL this season, still wearing their shirts, still following and supporting the game and I hope they are welcomed in the arenas as much as we all were to theirs.

My League Table Prediction:

1. Belfast
2. Coventry
3. Nottingham
4. Cardiff
5. Sheffield
6. Braehead
7. Hull
8. Dundee
9. Fife
10. Edinburgh