PW's Fourth Annual Season Preview!

"I gotta feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a good, good night"
Black Eyed Peas: "I Gotta Feeling"

Here we go then. Last night, the 2009/10 hockey season officially began, as Coventry took on Sheffield up north in the first game of the pre-season, drawing 4-all. From now until April, the pain of hockey withdrawal will be but a memory, as it slowly feeds back into the weekend routine all over the country.

It's been a long, hot, summer, but, at last, autumn is no longer a few flips of the calendar away.

And so, naturally, it's time for a late-summer tradition on the Breakaway...PW's team-by-team EIHL Season Preview. Now into its fourth year, you know the drill by now...every team gets a song, and we break them down.

Buckle up, and let's hop on for season six in EIHL City...

Belfast Giants
"It's all you wanted to know, that I'm as fragile as you"
Racing Kites: "Hands Against the Sky"

The Giants are an enigma this time out. Their offensive power looks, quite frankly, terrifying on paper, and their defence looks like a solid-but-effective unit which will give more than enough protection to Stephen Murphy, a goalie who won game after game by himself for Manchester last season.

So, they're going to be the champions. End of preview...

Except it isn't. Normally, when writing this I have a fairly clear idea of what I think about each team-and a fairly clear idea of what type of song lyric I'm looking for. But when I look at the Giants team, so many questions and voices fill my head, a doctor would probably have legitimate grounds for suspecting schizophrenia...

"Can Stephen Murphy lead the Giants to a title, and disprove the "Brit Goalie Postulate" that you need an import to win the EIHL? How will the Giants cope with his absence?"

"Is Tom Walsh all he's cracked up to be, since one review called him "the worst player ever to play in the (Finnish) SM-Liiga?"

"Sean McMorrow-useful third-line winger or hired thug on skates?"

"Pat Bateman and Brandon Benedict...are they tough enough?"

"That defence...is it seriously weakened without Dave Phillips?"

"Will the money hold?"

We can speculate all we like (and doubtless Giants fans have answers prepared for each and every one of these questions already). However, I don't. And anywhere there are more questions then answers lies suspicion that something, somewhere, just isn't quite right. Or, alternatively...if you think it's too good to be true, it probably is.

It's going to be an interesting season in Belfast...

Key Player: Tom Walsh: Heralded as arguably the top defensive signing in the league this season by his PR, Walsh looks like the kind of defensive leader the Giants will need to keep Stephen Murphy protected. Along with Michael Jacobsen, he's the player Steve Thornton hopes will be the defensive rock to build his team on. If he isn't, and the doubters are right, then Murphy could face more rubber than he (and the Giants) have bargained for.

Player to Watch: Pierre-Luc Faubert: The speedy French-Canadian has already had the label "best forward in the league" pinned on him by some Giants fans. However, given that he has similar stats to Dan Carlson in Coventry, one thinks that the Blaze centre (and quite a few others) will have something to say about that. Faubert will have to prove himself. And quickly.

Unsung Hero: Graeme Walton: A strange pick, you might think. But Walton has quickly developed into one of the premier British defencemen not just in the EIHL, but anywhere...his steadying influence on the blue means that Jacobsen and Walsh will not be expected to carry the defence single-handed. Walton does the simple things defensively, and little more (he'll never burn up the points charts). However, he does them as well as any other defenceman, import or Brit, in the league. And that's what makes him so valuable.

Prediction: 3rd

Cardiff Devils
"I’ll start this broken heart
I’ll fix it up so it will work again
Better than before"
Motion City Soundtrack: "Broken Heart"

Poor Devils. Again and again they look promising early season, and again and again their season is ruined by injuries. However, last time out saw genuine progress off-ice, with the acquisition of the Devils by Comms Direct owner Matt Burge and his subsequent efforts off the ice turning the Devils into arguably the most professional organisation in British hockey. This off-season has begun to bear the fruits, as the Devils have signed an exciting-looking roster based on a mix of continuity on defence (Scott Romfo and Mark Richardson join Wes Jarvis, Jason Stone and Mike Hartwick to form a unit with both size and skill-Richardson in particular appears to be fast progressing towards challenging Jon Weaver as the best British offensive defenceman, while Romfo is a proven winner at his former clubs), finding the right blend of speed and power on the forward lines and bringing back some proven quality in Max Birbraer and the mercurial playmaking skills of Mark Smith. Pairing them with the speedy Matt Miller on the top line, who impressed last season in his brief spell with Basingstoke, has created arguably one of the most dangerous lines in the league.
Although there are questions about the Devils' scoring below the top line, and also whether Stevie Lyle in net is good enough for a title challenge, players of the calibre of Jay Latulippe and Brad Voth can't be discounted in the points column either, while Ben Davies is an exciting youngster and Tylor Michel providing the import grit on line three-and with the passionate Welsh crowd roaring them on and the club going from strength to strength off-ice, the future looks brighter than it has for a while in South Wales.

Key Player: Brad Voth: You could have picked any one of five or six for this slot, but in the end you have to go with the Devils captain, who is as close to a genuine franchise player as this league has. Where he leads, the Devils follow-usually full-tilt into battle...he is the heart-and-soul of his team...and, often forgotten, can play a bit too...

Player to Watch: Mark Smith: Arguably the best pure playmaking centre of the EIHL era (although Dan Tessier and Dan Carlson may have something to say about that) the slightly-built Canadian, when he's on his game, is an absolute dream to watch-skilful, fast and utterly, utterly clinical in front of goal.

Unsung Hero: Tylor Michel: New to the UK, Michel is described as the perfect pest-a grinding winger who will be expected to get into the opposition's heads almost as fast as he chases down opposition d-men. If he plays this role effectively, particularly on home ice, then he and Brad Voth will make the space and time for Smith, Birbraer and Miller to do their work...

Prediction: 5th

Coventry Blaze

"This time, baby, I'll be bullet-proof..."

La Roux: "Bulletproof"

Here we go then...the Breakaway's (unbiased) view of the 2009/10 Coventry Blaze. This, for obvious reasons, was a tricky one to write...

After a season considered disappointing by many in the West Midlands last season, this Blaze roster, at first glance, is one that will definitely excite the demanding (although I'm not sure "demanding" is a strong enough word for a fan-base that can consider finishing second in the Elite League a "disappointment") Skydome crowd. After the problems experienced last season in replacing the likes of Martin, Koenig and Cloutier, Paul Thompson has stuck with proven Elite League players in the main as he looks to correct the frailties in last season's roster, even though the roster has a significant number of new-to-Coventry names on it. Luke Fulghum and Greg Chambers join from the departing Basingstoke and Manchester squads, with Chambers' ex-team-mate Greg Owen's return from France boosting the GB contingent. An interesting storyline in the early-season will be that of Derek Campbell-as one of the players the Skydome crowd used to, shall we say, "welcome the most heartily" when he appeared for Newcastle and Manchester, he may have a job to win over certain sections of the Blaze crowd-but if he does, it'll be in spectacular fashion. At the back, the emphasis has markedly shifted toward the physical, with the big and immensely popular (except with opposition forwards and fans) Jason Robinson returning to the UK and looking like the defensive leader already, alongside new American d-man Brian Lee (no shrinking violet himself at 6'2 and 210lbs), and returnees Jon Weaver and Matty Soderstrom.

The signing that caused the most buzz, however, was that in net, as Danish international Peter Hirsch joins from Aalborg, probably about eight months later than he should have in the opinion of many Blaze fans. Financial issues meant JF Perras was temporarily reprieved from being replaced by the Dane in January, but Thompson has now got his man, and with a pedigree of the highest order Hirsch (who gave an extremely enjoyable interview to the Breakaway back in May outlining his aims for the season) should be the potential title-winning goalie all teams need...

Key Man: Peter Hirsch: Like Cardiff, a few players could have filled this slot, but after the struggles of JF Perras last season and the excitement caused by his signing this time round, few would argue that many see the Danish goalie as the key to the team this year. Goalies win you games, and games win you championships, after all.

Player to Watch: Luke Fulghum: Unforgivably, in last season's preview I picked Kyle Bruce ahead of the right winger from Colorado. Rave reviews from every Manchester fan I've spoken to, a shedload of points and being the crucial cog in the Beauregard/Hand/Fulghum line which gave the Phoenix arguably the most complete top line in the league proved how wrong I was. Fulghum is little short of a big, fast-skating, skilful beast-from-dman's-nightmare of a right-winger, who can do it all, and, last year in Manchester, frequently did.

Unsung Hero: Danny Stewart: I know this section is somewhat forward-heavy, but the little winger with the huge heart from Fort McMurray, Alberta will never, ever stop skating, harrying or puck-chasing until you pry the shaft of his Warrior Mac Daddy stick from his cold, dead hands. He will play on both forward and defence where necessary, and in his time at the Blaze, he's been involved in the vast majority of "big" goals and scored quite a few himself-the overtime winner against Manchester last season in the epic 7-6 game was just the latest in a long line.

Prediction: It may be biased, it may rebound horribly, but 1st.

Edinburgh Capitals
"We'll start a fire
And burn some bridges
And make it out of here tonight"
Funeral For a Friend: "Escape Artists Never Die"

What's going on in Edinburgh? The Capitals (although, at the point I write this, they’re still lacking a starting goalie and a few signings) have made huge strides this off-season, seemingly deciding that if they can’t beat the Elite League big-boys in the politics, they may as well join them. Signings such as Simon Lambert, Chris Allen on defence and latest acquisition Owen Fussey have well and truly put them on the map. Unfortunately, due to their roster being incomplete I can’t consider them in the same way I have all the other teams…so let’s look at what they do have.

In defence, with the likes of Ben O’Connor and the aforementioned Allen, as well as Scotland’s own “face only a mother could love” winner in Kyle Horne, the Caps look tighter, more organised and just plain better than they have in a long while-Michael Beynon will never win any scoring awards but he and Horne will allow O’Connor and Allen to flex their offensive muscle.

Up front is where things get interesting, though, with Fussey and Lambert competing for the title of “this year’s Cap who makes a massive impact on the scoring charts”, won previously by Colin Hemingway and Mark Hurtubise, while Martin Cingel, Darius Pliskauskas and Mark Garside provide useful scoring depth, and not forgetting the giant Doug Christiansen, who can pop more than a few in himself if the need arises…

And then there’s the carnival sideshow that is Andrew Sharp, which, if nothing else, guarantees Caps games will be entertaining…

With more signings to come, it’s difficult to work out just where the Caps will finish, but assuming they’re at a similar standard…I think they’ll occupy their usual mid-to-lower-playoff birth, but improvement all the time could see that made a mockery of. For the purposes of this though, and only because they lack a starting goalie, they occupy bottom. That could change very quickly.

Prediction: 8th

Hull Stingrays

"I don't blame you for walking away

I'd do the same if I saw me
I swear it's not contagious
In four short steps we can erase this"

Alkaline Trio: "This Could Be Love"

Step one: fire Rick Strachan. Two seasons two late, but better late than never, always.

Step two: bring in a proven winner and Coventry Blaze legend as player-coach, who just happens to be one of the best two-way centres ever seen in this country, including the ISL era.

Step three: let him recruit one of the most lethal snipers of the EIHL era, retain the best of last year and build a roster that has people well and truly raising their eyebrows.

Step four: simmer, allow the sheer force of Sylvain Cloutier's will to win to mould the disparate ingredients into an exciting-looking Stingrays side, built on hard work, grit and one very, very good top line, and serve.

The Stingrays could surprise a few people this season, including their own fans, with just how far such a recipe could take them:

Key Man: Tommy Sandahl: The young Scandinavian, in his first starting job, simply has to be a good ‘un, and hit the ground running right out of the blocks. The Stingrays now have scoring power and a decent defence, but they don’t have the offensive punch to outscore the top teams, and so that’s where Sandahl comes in. Keep ‘em out, and the Stingrays, if they follow the lead of their player-coach Cloutier, will always, always have a chance.

Player to Watch: Konstantin Kalmikov: The Russian now has the perfect complement to his passing skills on the top line in sniper extraordinaire Curtis Huppe, and a centre who will win the puck time and again in Cloutier. He’ll have to create the chances for these two, though-if Huppe has no ammo, he can’t fire off those deadly quick shots of his. All that and contribute goals too? If that top line are to be successful, a lot rests on Kalmikov’s shoulders…

Unsung Hero: Jeff Glowa: A Stingrays institution now, Glowa will work hard all night, and then, if necessary, through the following day to give his team a chance to win. If no-one else does, though, he’s been known to score more than a couple himself as well…

Prediction: 7th

Newcastle Vipers

"Staring at my own reflection

when suddenly, it changes

Violently, it changes ..."

Disturbed: "Down With The Sickness"

It’s been an off-season of huge change in the North-East. With Rob Wilson stating his intention to move away from the Slapshot hockey we’ve come to know and…well, know from the Vipers, this year’s roster sports a very different look to the previous ones, built on speed and grit rather than just brute force. The defence, in particular, will need to be good with Michel Robinson behind them-a goalie who splits opinion between “good” and “absolutely bloody awful” solidly in half. With players like Mike Berry, Tyler Kindle and Ryan Mahrle coming in, and very few players remaining from last season’s team, the next bit is hard to predict-but I shall try:

Key Man: Matus Petricko: As a proven scorer in the EIHL, the Slovak will be expected to contribute hugely to the Vipers goal column, potentially alongside Slovenian Matej Kralj-if the two Eastern Europeans can form an understanding then it will take pressure off the likes of Mike Berry and Jason Tejchma, as well as perennial talisman David Longstaff.

Player to Watch: Jerramie Domish: 5’9 and 200lbs, this pocket-battleship will be expected to lead the Vipers defence, hitting, blocking shots and contributing at both ends. An AHL pedigree suggests he can do that-with Ryan Mahrle, Mark Gouett and Tyler Kindle also joining him, the Vipers’ import D, and their ability to stop shots going in on Michel Robinson in net, could be the key to their season.

Unsung Hero: Ben Campbell: The young Geordie is progressing in leaps and bounds-and boundless is a fine way to describe his energy on the ice. Scared of nothing and possessed of no little skill, he’s an often-un-noticed but valuable asset to his team.

Prediction: 6th

Nottingham Panthers

"I know I’m not

The best decision

(the best decision)

But take a chance now..."

Handshakes and High-Fives: "Maybe Next Time"

The Panthers are impossible to write a preview for, every single year. One wonders how a team that looks pretty damn good every season can be so, well, average. Their problem last time out, and a common one under Corey Neilson, was that once again they appeared to be a loosely-connected group of talented individuals who just happened to be wearing the same shirt, rather than..well, an actual team. The latest incarnation of the GMB Panthers, however, appears, once again, to be similar, although they do have the massive benefit of Bruce Richardson, who like him or despise him is a pint-sized version of Sylvain Cloutier in his drive and will to win. The big news of the off-season was the signing of Cameron Mann from the DEL, but in all the excitement over this, the return of Richardson and Kevin Bergin, and some pretty solid D signings, the dodgy bits of trivia that keep popping up whenever you look at the roster get forgotten. For example:

Kevin St.Pierre lost his job in Tulsa last season to...erm...Davis Parley. Yes, that's ex-Panthers, cut-by-them-for-being-rubbish-mid-season Davis Parley.

Danny Meyers is expected to be one of their offensive forces on D. Yes, Danny Meyers, who even some Panthers fans think is way over-rated.

If Kevin St.Pierre gets injured, their back-up is Mark Hartley, who was considered a bit dodgy at ENL level. Pray he doesn't, Panthers fans.

Of course, there are many positives about this Panthers roster, not least the return of Sean McAslan from Denmark, giving the East Midlanders a genuine one-two punch, especially if Marty Gascon is a (very) poor-man's Dan Tessier, as he appears to be, Dominc D'Amour is as good as reported on defence, and Jade Galbraith actually puts the effort in this time round as he's promised (he wasn't too shabby a sniper even not trying). But the questions are still there...

Key Man: Bruce Richardson: The Panthers centre won a lot of friends in Nottingham last season for his ability to seemingly carry the team on his back and drag them up to the level of play expected of them through sheer force of will last time out. This time round, he's got players around him who are used to expectation, and have dealt with crowds far more demanding than those in Nottingham. Can the little centre lead the Panthers to a title?

Player to Watch: Jade Galbraith: WHAT? No Cameron Mann or Sean McAslan?! You must be out of your mind, I hear you cry.

Then you remember that, just occasionally, despite being roundly derided for being fat, lazy and slow, Galbraith looked like a very, very good sniper indeed. In fact, despite being relentlessly mocked for having more meat on him than a barbequed elephant, he scored 74 points, and has since openly admitted that he...well, could have tried a little harder than he did. Which, if true, is a frightening prospect, especially as he'll be alongside the aforementioned Mann and McAslan, who are pretty damn good themselves.

Just how good can this guy get? We shall see.

Unsung Hero: Nick Toneys: Last season Toneys was all but unnoticeable, unless you were an opposition forward. Then, his calm defensive play and superb sense of positioning were very noticeable indeed, mainly because it stopped you scoring yet again.

With players like Dominic D'Amour and Corey Neilson around him again, expect Toneys to keep on keeping on in his usual quiet, effective fashion this season.

Prediction: 2nd

Sheffield Steelers
"And I know that we've still got time

But I do not think we're invincible"

Enter Shikari: "Juggernauts"

The big signing news from Sheffield this summer is...well, that there's been no big signing news. The Steelers roster only contains a few new faces, as Ben Morgan steps up from the Scimitars to replace Steve Munn, Rod Sarich moves to forward, and Jeff Hutchins comes in from Newcastle. Even their big import signing was a familiar face, as Kevin Bolibruck returns on defence. Their biggest signing, in fact, was in net, as Kevin Reiter makes the trip up from Basingstoke based on his rave reviews last season...however, it remains to be seen how he'll cope in following in the footsteps of one of, if not the best goalie of the EIHL era in Jody Lehman...Rob Dowd will be hoping for another banner season to cement his place as the heir-apparent to Tony Hand, especially now Ashley Tait has disappeared off to foreign (Italian) shores. But it's very much a case of evolution not revolution again in Yorkshire-time will tell if it's as effective as last season...especially with the improvement across the league

Key Man: Kevin Bolibruck: With Steve Munn gone, the defensive unit needs a leader, and Bolibruck is it. He was possibly the best defenceman in the EIHL's first season last time he was here, and with a career that's gone from strength to strength in Europe since then, "Boli" will have the hopes of Dave Matsos pinned on him to help mould the defensive unit into the same stingy and remorselessly effective template as that which served him so well last season

Player To Watch: Rod Sarich: Already viewed as one of the best offensive d-men of the EIHL era, Sarich now moves forward full-time to provide the Steelers with a genuine power-forward-sized winger. The question is-is he a genuine forward?

If this experiment works, Sarich could quickly become a very effective forward indeed. If it doesn't, then the Steelers will need to move him back to his accustomed position quickly, before the hole he's left on defence impacts their title challenge significantly.

Unsung Hero: Doug Sheppard: Often forgotten in the blare of publicity focused on super-snipers Joey Talbot and Jeff Legue, Sheppard is a very effective, hard working winger who provides the Steelers with a genuine threat in all situations-he'll very rarely be out-worked and makes valuable contributions in the points column despite rarely receiving the fanfare of his more illustrious colleagues.

Prediction: 5th

So, the final table reads thus...

Blaze

Panthers

Giants

Devils

Steelers

Stingrays

Vipers

Capitals

Cup Winners: Any of the top five.

Playoff Winners: Pick one from eight...it's simply too early to tell.

I admit that the bias may seem blinding in putting the Blaze at the top, but I genuinely believe they have ever so slightly more than the Panthers thanks to Peter Hirsch. Giants will push hard for the top two places but losing Stephen Murphy for the early part of the season could hurt them, while Kevin Reiter may be Steelers' Achilles heel behind the offensive power and defensive solidity of the Devils. The bottom three, quite frankly, are a lottery...I put Stingrays over Vipers purely based on the Vipers having Michel "rebound-king" Robinson in net, while the Caps are bottom for no other reason than them currently lacking a starting goalie.

I do predict, however, that this league will be very close indeed, with first and eighth separated by no more than twenty points.

The 09/10 EIHL season...it's going to be the best yet. Let's drop the puck...