Mark Duell: Putting the pieces together of a puzzle

Being the head coach, or in some cases a player-coach, isn’t as easy as some might think it is.

Working alongside a club owner or General Manager, you have to have an astute brain of some kind so you can recruit and build a team capable of challenging for honours.

If you thought somehow that G’s job was just about coaching the team on and off ice then think again; believe you me that he has more to do than just that task.


This summer has been typical in the sense of people bleating on and on about how we are taking too long in their eyes whilst teams such as the Blaze and our nearest and dearest are at an apparent more advanced stage in their team recruitment.

For Panthers, they have had to do a lot of early recruitment because of the Champions Hockey League (CHL) campaign that begins at the end of August. If they took their time, they possibly would be under prepared for what such should be a terrific adventure for Corey Neilson and his new bunch of black and gold ice warriors. And I do sincerely wish them all the best; they are flying the flag for the Elite League.

Blaze now firmly under the stewardship of Furby, have re-shaped their squad tremendously. New faces a plenty, including a certain number 18, and with a statement to make after being without trophies for quite a while. Whether or not it brings success to them is open firmly to conjecture but it does look a decent enough which should be lot more promising than before. Blaze fans have had more than enough disappointments recently to last them a lifetime.

Cardiff are building a side that has been modeled in typical Todd Kelman style, finding players that nobody seems to have heard much apart from Kelman himself. Kelman is a shrewd recruiter of players and his working partnership with newly appointed player-coach Andrew Lord should be an interesting development. The acquisition of GB internationalist netminder Ben Bowns gives them a chance to win every night. I would not be shocked to see them upset a few teams this season, the only question mark I have is how Lord will handle the dual pressures of being a player and a coach. But TK will give him every chance to shine…

The Scottish clubs and Hull have gone about their own recruitment in their own way, with Jarolin’s return to the Capitals and the recruitment of a 1700 penalty minutes in over 400 AHL games by the Clan as a player-assistant coach standing out for me. One thing we can probably assume from Zack Fitzgerald is that he doesn’t back down. He’s a warrior and should be a fearsome presence; particularly if he is alongside Chris Frank. The Stingrays have lost a lot and they are the team I do worry over. As for the Giants, they look as solid as ever so should be the benchmark for all to aspire to…more’s the pity!

With the above in mind, what about us? As I said at the very start here, there have been mumblings from some of the fan base about the slow and steady recruitment policy we have done. However G is not one of those coaches who wants to get the team signed up in the first two or three weeks of the close season; he’s a patient guy and will pick up the best guy he can which fits in with his team strategy and of course; the team budget. With two defencemen and three forwards to go; we can expect things to slot into place soon. What G wants is three forward lines that can all contribute and I am sure he will get it, and equally good balance in the back protecting Frankie Doyle.

As Faith No More said in their single Falling To Pieces: “And the pieces of my puzzle keep crumbling away but I know, there’s a picture beneath.” – G will probably attest to that now. In fact that lyric quite simply sums up the whole team building process for all the 10 EIHL teams. Oh the irony of it all, really.

See you later before the big puck drop no doubts.

Mark