GB Squad Analysis and Much, Much More...

The Great Britain squad has been announced for the Mont Blanc Invitational, a warm-up tournament for the World Championships..GB's participation in this event is in itself a sign that someone is finally taking international hockey seriously in the UK, as up until now the team has been seen as something of an old-boys club for long-serving imports who've qualified for their British passports to go on a jolly at the end of the normal season, and compete at the second or third tier of world hockey. But now the team are playing together and leaving league action during the season in order to prepare for the World Championships in April, in the hope of a showing good enough to lay the seeds for the rise of Britain as a nation. And it's about time...traditionally us Brits will rally behind a winning team or winning sport (look at the tennis courts around Wimbledon week or the fuss over curling at every Winter Olympics)...a strong national team is vital for the whole game in this country. This is something of a transition period for the national team, with every player selected needing to establish themselves as internationals-and the long road to the Winter Olympics starts here...

So who will be wearing the Union Jack in France in February, and for those of you who don't really follow the sport beyond your club, just how good is Team GB? Let's look at the squad, position by position, as they compete to establish themselves...

NETMINDERS
Stevie Lyle (Belfast)
Stephen Murphy (Stjernen, Norway)
Joe Watkins (Guildford)

Stevie Lyle is clearly the starter in this group-and has been for some time after cementing his place as the best British nettie with consistent high level play wherever he's been. Fans who've been around a while may remember Murphy bursting onto the scene as a teenager with Fife and Dundee six or so years ago and performing truly heroically, but his career has stagnated somewhat in recent years, best shown by a nightmare season in Edinburgh last time out, while Joe Watkins has almost faded from view for many after choosing to take the Flames' shilling in the EPL rather than fight for an EIHL starting spot. He can still do a job, but has a task on his hands in order to convince the hockey community that his skills haven't suffered away from the top level...Mark Lee (ex-Newcastle) will consider himself unlucky not to have been selected, but his decision to play in North America this season may not have helped his visibility. His game, however, can only benefit...and he's surely breathing right down the necks of these three already.

DEFENCE
Luke Boothroyd (Hull)
Paul Dixon (Guildford)
Leigh Jamieson (Belfast)
Jez Lundin (Newcastle)
Paul Moran (Belfast)
James Morgan (Peterborough)
Ben Morgan (Sheffield Scimitars)
Ben O’Connor (Edinburgh)
James Pease (Coventry)
Mark Thomas (Sheffield Steelers)
Graeme Walton (Belfast)
Jonathan Weaver (Coventry)

One of the major positives of this group is that it's still growing...Paul Dixon and Jon Weaver stand out hugely as the oldest experienced "true Brit" internationals in a position traditionally dominated by dual-nationals like Rick Strachan and Brent Pope. The very fact that this group contains none, and (apart from Dixon at 34 and Weaver at 31), no-one over the age of 26, is a huge plus for the future of British hockey. With youngsters such as Ben O'Connor, Jez Lundin and Ben Morgan already impressing at their respective teams (Lundin and O'Connor at EIHL level already and Morgan ready to make the jump), and others such as James Pease and Mark Thomas established internationals already, this group can only improve with international competition...

FORWARDS
Greg Chambers (Basingstoke)
David Clarke (HC Alleghe, Italy)
Gary Clarke (Milton Keynes)
Russell Cowley (Coventry)
Mark Garside (Edinburgh)
Jason Hewitt (Sheffield Steelers)
Marc Levers (Nottingham)
David Longstaff (Newcastle)
Greg Owen (Basingstoke)
Jonathan Phillips (Sheffield)
Nathan Rempel (Peterborough)
Mark Richardson (Nottingham)
Colin Shields (Newcastle)
Ashley Tait (Sheffield Steelers)
Warren Tait (Sheffield Steelers)
Matt Towe (Cardiff)
Adam Walker (Manchester)
Tom Watkins (Coventry)

This group has a slightly older average age than the defence...and the dual-nationals rear their heads in the shape of Greg Chambers (who has been on fire for Basingstoke this season) and possibly the EPL's deadliest forward in Nathan Rempel, both of whom qualify for British passports. However, the younger players are well represented, with players such as Matt Towe (a surprise hit for Cardiff this season) and Mark Garside (one of the latest products of the Edinburgh production line which has produced, among many others, British legend Tony Hand) given the chance to stake their claim. Notable in this squad is the fact that, as well as the established names such as Tait (A) Longstaff, Clarke et al, there are a fair few players who have perhaps flown under the radar of many a casual fan but are now given their chance to shine. Basingstoke's Greg Owen and MK's Gary Clarke (both far under-rated playmaking forwards, mainly due to having spent the majority of their careers outside the top tier of British hockey) are the most notable examples, although Adam Walker and Warren Tait are also far better than they're given credit for by many.

ABSENTEES
These are a category all their own...with Danny Meyers and Matt Myers of Nottingham notable by their absence (both would certainly be in the squad if they were available) along with the young guns of Hull, the Phillips brothers and Lee Mitchell. All are certainly good enough to stand in this company....

THE SQUAD VERDICT
Boasting a young and hungry roster sprinkled with a few experienced heads, perhaps the best thing that can be said about this squad is that it doesn't really suffer for the relative lack of dual-nationals or the vast majority of the old guard (Tony Hand included). Perhaps the biggest criticisms lie with the lack of "true" offensive defensemen (Jon Weaver being the exception) and a need for more "instinctive" goalscorers. With Adam Calder and Curtis Huppe both becoming eligible next year, though, and Ben O'Connor receiving his international blooding early, this could change...

The foundations are there for something quite special to happen in GB hockey over the next few years-this April will show just how special it could be...

Meae Culpae: Once again, a few corrections to my earlier posts...It turns out that it's not only Basingstoke who communicate well with fans...Becky informs me that Manchester have been doing the enewsletter thing since last season, and were likely thus the first. I should also mention the Phoenix News on the official website...it's sometimes a bit amusing to watch given that it's not quite BBC standard yet...but it's improving nicely. Certainly many other clubs in the EIHL could do the same (as far as I'm aware only Manchester and Nottingham provide video news through their sites, along with Basingstoke's letter. Certainly they all put my club in Coventry to shame...

Sharp's Revenge: Blaze have signed Andrew Sharp on a two-wayer from Romford to add muscle to their third line...Personally I'm not quite sure about this...especially as there's a perfectly good ENL team that could do the same job of providing physical third-liners on a two-way, but we shall see...

Goalies Rated and Slated: Becky also points out that there are no goalies included in my "best of the Elite League" column here, and asks whether this means I don't rate any of them, or simply have something against picking goalies...:). Neither is true...I simply thought that there were players I enjoyed watching far more on each of the ten teams...and apart from anything else considered it slightly unfair to lump them in with outskaters. I do have something of a soft spot for Ryan McDonald-when he's on his game there are none better in the league, and it's easy to forget he's just 22. Trouble for the Vipers is, at the moment that happens only rarely. Like Becky, I wouldn't complain if Tom Askey came to the Blaze next season (if there was no better option). I refuse to pick Trevor Koenig in anything-not because I don't think he has ability but simply because he's not, as some seem to say, the greatest goalie ever to pull on an Elite League shirt-and I have never been much of a bandwagon jumper. He's good, often very good, but on his top night, no better than any other goalie on their top night. Scott Fankhouser? Nothing special despite his NHL pedigree. Phil Osaer? Unbeatable some nights, unthinkable as an EIHL goalie on others...Ladi Kudrna? Score a few quickly and his head goes down. Stevie Lyle? As a Brit...superb. As an EIHL goalie...he'll do a job, but not inspire awe. JF Perras? Give him a team that'll truly let him shine and we'll talk. Curtis Cruickshank? Hm. Jody Lehman? A great goalie, but if you want to beat him, just remember two words...high glove...
Maybe I am just not that big a goalie fan...the only ones I can remember genuinely inspiring feelings of awe in me (in Britain) were Joel Laing (Sheffield) and Steve Briere (Fife-and even that is not because of his overall ability but because he's still the author of the most astonishing save I've ever seen). Mark McArthur was also pretty special for Guildford. The best goalie I've ever seen live is still Thomas Greiss (Cologne Sharks)....although in Britain, there has been no-one, and I mean no-one, who has wound me up and delighted me more while wearing a netminder's kit -and thus can be considered my favourite ever goalie, than the immortal Pasi Raitanen.

Hope that answers your question...it certainly leads nicely onto my final point for tonight...:)

"Oh, God...it's Pasi!": These were the words that came out of my mouth at more than a few Peterborough Pirates, Newcastle Vipers, and even a few Sheffield Steelers meetings with the Blaze, as I saw the familiar yet always disturbing sight of Pasi Raitanen bending himself nearly in half during the pre-match warm-ups. This was because he was the most frustrating opponent the Blaze have ever faced while I've been watching. There was and is nowt understated about the "Finnish Octopus", as he was nicknamed...he broke Blaze hearts singlehandedly by performing truly magnificently in a Findus Cup final victory for the Vipers in their first season in the league, and constantly pulled victory from the jaws of defeat while playing for the Pirates against the Blaze. Then there was his "up, down, cross-arms, down, up" routine at every faceoff in his own zone...

Anyway..now Pasi has earned himself a testimonial...to be held at Ice Sheffield on Tuesday, Feb 12th. If there's any way I can get there from Coventry, I will do...the man is truly a legend, and possibly my favourite goalie ever to play on British ice while I've been watching, despite not playing a single minute in a Blaze shirt. It sounds like I'm not the only one who thinks of him that way...

That's your lot for this Tuesday, then...keep keeping your eye on the puck...