Thursday 31 August 2017

Auger brace helps Storm see off Steelers



Less than 24 hours after the delay ridden game at Sheffield Arena, Sheffield Steelers and Manchester Storm faced off again – this time in the Silver Blades Arena at Altrincham – for the second in two pre-season games: a kind of exhibition War of the Roses encounters if you want to call it that. Unlike the game in South Yorkshire, Manchester had no problems with the “increased security measures” seemingly being applied at all rinks around the country. In fact, FSB were told it was so smooth that you never noticed much difference.
Back to the game, Steelers were still without John Armstrong and Matt Marquardt which gave even more ice time to the promising talents that are Cole Shudra, Kieran Brown and Liam Kirk. Brad Day was given the starters role in between the pipes, which gave Ervins Mustukovs the night off and the Huddersfield born goalie was to play the entire game which was a smart move from Messrs. Thompson and Andersson. Manchester were still missing Shane Bakker, and defenceman Linden Springer also didn’t ice. Was this a consequence of the “slew-foot” incident involving the Canadian the night before, and Storm Head Coach Ryan Finnerty took him out of the line-up because of it? Over to Manchester for any explanations on that one.
Steelers also took the opportunity to jumble up their forward lines which was also an interesting move; but when in pre-season you can do that. A terrific opportunity for the above mentioned youngsters to continue and impress.
It was an intriguing first period with both teams having great chances and both netminders keeping the opposing team out, Day as mentioned for the Steelers and Clementè for the Storm. Zack Fitzgerald fired against the bar halfway through the period after Mike Hammond had hit the post earlier in the game; and it looked like the teams would go into the first period break goalless until Storm cranked the heat up a bit more and scored twice in the final 49 seconds of the first twenty. At 19:11, former Fife Flyer Chris Auger took advantage on a breakaway to snap the tie. 14 seconds later, it was two when a shot from the point by defenceman Dallas Ehrhardt (what a great hockey name that sounds every time you say it) found its way through and between Brad’s five hole to light the lamp again.
Steelers knew they needed a quick response at the start of the second, and they got it 1:18 in. A bullet from Ben O’Connor into the top shelf. The goal certainly gave the team a left as they continued to press Clementè’s goal and force the Storm onto the back foot, hitting the post through Mark Matheson although Storm were still hunting for a third themselves. With 33:34 played, the teams were level thanks to another O’Connor blast that simply thundered past Clementè again into the top corner. Storm weathered it and regained the lead at 35:42, good work down low by former NHLer Dane Byers set up Auger and he blasted home his second of the evening past Day.
The insurance goal came halfway through the final period when Mike Hammond unleashed a howitzer of his own at 50:16; leaving Day with no chance. Steelers continued to press with Colton Fretter hitting the bar and forcing Clementè into a series of saves which kept his team’s advantage intact. Even when Day was pulled with two minutes to go, Steelers couldn’t light the lamp again and it was the home side who skated away with a 4-2 win on home ice. Whilst the result wasn’t right, the team competed well despite the reshuffling, and once more plaudits were heading in the direction of the youngsters who again did proud when they were on the ice.
Some statistics from the game:
Goals: Steelers 2 Manchester 4
Powerplay: Steelers 0 from 3 (0% conversion), Manchester 0 from 1 (0% conversion)
Penalty Minutes: Steelers 6, Manchester 8
Man of the Match: Ben O’Connor (Steelers), Chris Auger (Manchester)
Now for some of your post-game thoughts:
Bryan Ibbotson: “From what I gather things need working on, but isn’t that what pre-season is all about? Any friendly in any sport nobody gives their all. If we went into the season without any friendlies or preparation then people could be annoyed, we got 2 more friendlies then it starts for real. We’ll be reight come the weekend of 9th/10th, OK maybe a player or two short due to injury but that happens and we’ll get over it.”
Tony: “Players seemed to lose interest, Brad was very average and would have wanted at least one back...Valdix still our star player. Defence went wandering, bits to put right. Seemed to mix up lines without Armstrong and Marquardt so other than the normal Dowd-Valdix-Nelson line; the others didn’t seem to click much.”

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Sunday 27 August 2017

Steelers See Off Storm in Arena opener


Last night the Steelers played their first game of the season in the House Of Steel, and with it the raising of the Play Off Champions 2017 banner. Whilst the main talking points were the poor state of the ice and the chaos of the new “security measures” which took an absolute age to resolve and meant that face off was delayed by 30 minutes; Steelers and their visitors Manchester Storm entertained an 8,000 crowd taking advantage of the special £5 ticket promotion gleefully whilst lapping up some excellent pre-entertainment from talented local singer Kyle Tomlinson.
Both teams were not at full strength. Steelers were missing both John Armstrong and Matt Marquardt which meant a complete reshuffle of the third and fourth lines; but giving increased ice time to promising talents Cole Shudra, Liam Kirk and 16-year-old Kieran Brown. Storm were missing an import of their own, centre Shane Bakker. After the ceremony, and replaying of “that” goal again from Levi Nelson which gave me a nosebleed of celebration on the day itself, it was time to play some hockey and Steelers began with the combination of Moose predictably in the net; Mark Matheson and Joonas Ronnberg on the blue line and Tim Wallace, Jonas Westerling and Mathieu Roy leading the offensive punch.
It was a cagey beginning, but it was the Storm who drew first blood at 7:50. With Nelson in the box for slashing, Matt Bissonnette was left alone at the back door (how many times did this happen last season against everyone else) and he made no mistake. The response was not far away as Steelers equalised with a powerplay goal of their own, Storm captain Jay Rosehill was sitting for holding, and after a scramble in front of Clementè – Roy stuffed home the loose puck with assists going to Colton Fretter and Wallace.
Midway through the period came the first talking point of the contest, Storm defenceman Linden Springer was given a 5 plus game penalty by referee Stefan Hogarth and called for “tripping” which later transpired on slo-mo as a slew foot and obviously the right call. Finner on the Storm bench was apoplectic with rage. This put Steelers on an extended powerplay but 43 seconds later we were playing 4 on 4 hockey as Robert Dowd sat for interference. That penalty was killed off and less than a minute after it was, Steelers were back on a 5 on 3 on powerplay as Dallas Erdhardt picked up a slashing penalty of his own. The pressure told with 96 seconds left in the period as another scramble led to the second Steelers goal of the evening, Andreas Valdix tucking away the puck and his line mates Dowd and Nelson getting the helpers on it. No further scoring ensued and an entertaining first period ended 2-1 in favour of the Steelers.
Storm were obviously not there just to make the numbers up, and were showing the traits of a typical Finnerty team – hard working with a bit of flair chucked in. It was therefore no surprise that they levelled matters at 27:38; Matt Beca slamming the puck beyond Moose. After the home team had successfully killed off a Fretter hooking penalty, they then hit the Storm with two strikes within 44 seconds of each other to lead 4-2. At 31:51 Valdix scored his second of the night with a great team goal engineered by Nelson and Ben O’Connor even though the announcement had Dowd for the second assist. Whilst everyone in orange was celebrating that, a fourth goal arrived at 32:35 and it was down to some superb play by Kirk who showed maturity beyond those tender years to put in Fretter on Clementè and the experienced Canadian scored his fifth in five pre-season games with a calm finish – new boy Brady Ramsay credited with the secondary assist on that one.  It obviously got too much for Storm’s Dane Byers who picked up an unnecessary double minor as the period drew to a close, not content with a slash on the irrepressible as ever Nelson then cross checked the Steelers #76 in front of Hogarth. The rest of the period went without further incident and Steelers went into the final period 4-2 to the good.
The third period finally got underway after ice problems in front of the Storm bench, a consequence of the fact the surface had been down for only a week and hadn’t had sufficient time to bed down before being played on never mind Steelers train on. Both teams also then took the chance to give their back up goalies some ice time, Brad Day (complete with new haircut this season) replaced Moose and Ashley Smith (son of Hull Pirates owner and former owner of the Steeldogs, Shane) took over netminding duties for the Storm from Clementè. Almost halfway through the final twenty, Steelers extended the lead to 5-2 with another powerplay strike. This time, Paul Swindlehurst was in the box for holding and Wallace found space in the left circle to snipe a shot at Smith’s blocker side; assists going to Fretter and Roy. 
However, things got a bit interesting 29 seconds later at 50:22 when Storm scored a third goal of their own, former Fife Flyer Chris Auger eventually lighting the lamp after some persistent pressure around Day’s goal. It got even more nail-biting at 52:24 when Storm reduced it to a one goal game. Wallace was sitting a hooking minor, and a well worked powerplay work eventually prised open the Steelers and Auger had his second goal in two minutes exactly. Storm continued to push and it took some resilient defending from the Steelers and saves from the ever-dependable Day to keep them out even when Smith was sacrificed for an extra skater inside the final 90 seconds. Final score: Steelers 5 Storm 4.
Some statistics from the game:
Goals: Steelers 5 Manchester 4
Shots On Goal: Steelers 37 Manchester 31
Powerplay: Steelers 3 from 6 (50% conversion), Manchester 2 from 3 (67% conversion)
Penalty Minutes: Steelers 8, Manchester 39
Man of the Match: Andreas Valdix (Steelers), Chris Auger (Manchester)
Time now for a selection of your thoughts:
Dorian Franklin: “Steelers never out of first gear. Can play a lot better but seemed to be brought down to Storm’s level compared to other friendlies.”
Glen Coldwell: “Manchester has a good team, serious potential. Steelers played better in Ice Sheffield never got out of second gear (I hope). All about getting to know each other, Brad needs more game time but I feel he won’t get it – can’t judge him on one period. Early days but that’s what these games are about.”
Deano: “Massive positive in young Browny and Kirky but equally massive negative in the arena. Showsec took it to a new level tonight.”
Nicki Blueitt: “We only need 1 line, we only need 1 line...”
Andy Roberts: “How good did the young pups look? Kirky’s vision for the goal. Dowd, Nelson, Valdix line. Westerling turning on the skills.”

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Saturday 26 August 2017

Visitors win both, but plenty of positives to take forward


A look back at the pre-season games at Ice Sheffield against top DEL side Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers.

On the third weekend of August, Steelers played their third and fourth pre-season games of the new campaign ahead. Having shared the spoils with Sodertajile the weekend previous, Paul Thompson’s men took on a much sterner task in hand because in opposition were former Steelers defenceman and captain Rob Wilson’s Nuremberg Ice Tigers or for commercial reasons; the Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers. Nuremberg finished third in the DEL last season, and presented a tough set of games in the confines again of the en-suite bathroom known as Ice Sheffield.
However, whilst the end results show that the German visitors won both games, 4-2 and 4-3: the pleasing aspect was how well Steelers acquitted themselves in both games. In fact, with a bit more luck in front of goal then they could have taken one of those games and ensured a potentially split series.
Game one saw the visitors go into a 4-0 lead thanks to goals from Dupuis (no, not Pascal the Pittsburgh Penguin and Stanley Cup winner), Fox (twice) and Pohl and all this had happened before the 32-minute mark had even been reached. Steelers were on the receiving end of a numerous amount of penalties being called by referee Stefan Hogarth with Zack Fitzgerald and Davey Phillips being the two most penalised; perhaps Davey hadn’t had his Scooby snacks? Yet whenever Steelers did have a sight on goal, and they did have a fair few looks too, they found Andreas Jenike in the visiting net gobbling up everything – some of us later found he was the back-up last season. Some back up, eh?
Yet a brilliant strike from Colton Fretter, high and into the top shelf blocker side broke the shutout at 35:20 and it gave Steelers more confidence. That confidence increased with a little over 11 minutes to go when Fretter notched another and another brilliant strike top shelf – three goals in three pre-season matches for the Canadian winger. But despite giving it everything, there no further goals and the Ice Tigers took game one by 4-2. The game also saw new power forward Matt Marquardt exit before the end with a nasty looking shoulder injury: the unforgiving boards of Ice Sheffield not helping matters and the fact Marquardt left the ice immediately spoke volumes, he knew it was a bad one.
Many left Ice Sheffield Saturday far from disappointed, but reckoned we were in for a more tougher assignment 24 hour hence and probably a bit of drubbing from the well drilled and organised German outfit. Nuremberg took an early lead in game two thanks to Pfleger and that’s the way it stayed until the end of the first. Yet almost after the restart, Steelers were level with a power play goal: new Swede Jonas Westerling being first to react after a bit of pressure on the Ice Tigers net. But it didn’t last long as three minutes the experienced Steven Reinprecht put the visitors back in front and it was extended to 3-1 by Oliver Mebus at 32:06. 3-1 Ice tigers at end of two, and most would have expected the visitors to run away with it from there.
The third started and we had a couple of quick goals in the first five minutes of the period: both goals coming within 41 seconds of each other. Fretter continued his hot streak of goals to make it a one goal game at 44:03 before Dupius and Fox combined again (in fact they were so instrumental for Rob Wilson all weekend) to restore the two-goal margin at 44:44. Steelers pushed towards Niklas Treutle’s goal to get back on terms, and reduced the arrears again with 97 seconds left in the game when with the extra skater on the ice for Moose: Rob Dowd and Tim Wallace combined, and “The King of Sheffield” banged the puck home past Treutle for 4-3. But Steelers couldn’t find a fourth and the Germans held on. Whilst the results didn’t go the Steelers way, they certainly battled away against the third best side in the DEL and gave a great account of themselves even if a certain misguided fool who has nothing to do with the Club thought otherwise.
Here are some of your thoughts from the weekend.
On Saturday:
Pete Watson: “Westerling looked cleverer and nifty, Ronnberg composed and strong…Great experience, thought that the team did good overall against a top team in opposition.”
Harry Verity: “Very good performance however Fitzy kinda ruined it for me. Again, Fretter was absolutely key. All in all, I sense a promising season.”
Richard J Allen: “Kirk = God tier hockey player”
On Sunday:
Robert Newbolt: “Stand out moment was the dipsy doodle and near goal from Kieran Brown.”
Zoe Birrell: “Great starts from both Liam (Kirk) and Kieran (Brown). Strong team developing.”
Lara Page: “Youngsters all look good. Ramsay and Ronnberg look strong signings."
So that was the weekend against Nuremberg, and already a few of you are impressed with the class of 2017 especially the young talent and new boys such as Joonas Ronnberg. We’ll be doing this throughout the season so keep those post game comments coming. We’ll be back with more next time after the two games against the Storm. Until then, enjoy your hockey.



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Saturday 19 August 2017

Looking back at the opening weekend



So hockey season is officially off and running, and how much have we missed it?
Steelers opened their preparations with a couple of exhibition games against All-Svenskan side Sodertajile SK. Both games were played at Ice Sheffield due to a combination of the Arena ice not being down and also the fact that Sheffield Comic-Con was on in the main building. With all imports safely in the country, and a full week of training behind, Steelers lined up with the following line up combinations at the start:
NM: Mustukovs (backed up by Day)
Defence: Matheson – Ronnberg, Aarssen – Fitzgerald, Phillips – O’Connor
Forwards: Roy – Westerling – Wallace, Nelson – Valdix – Dowd, Marquardt – Armstrong – Fretter, Phillips – Ramsay – Kirk.
Also dressed: Shudra, Brown.
Therefore, plenty of options to choose from for Messrs. Thompson and Andersson as they embark on their second season in charge of the good ship Sheffield Steelers. Plenty of familiar faces on show and also a first glimpse for those present in the en-suite bathroom known as Ice Sheffield at the new boys recruited for the new season ahead. The fact that we call IS what we do seemed apparently pretty damn apt as well because of ice problems on Sunday night, the amount of surface water that hadn’t melted could have quite have resembled a bathroom.
However back to the games, and over the weekend the honours were shared just as I thought it would be. Steelers winning game one by 4-2, and then Soderjatile winning game two 3-1. By all accounts, two very competitive games which can only augur well for both teams’ new seasons ahead. In game one, Steelers took a first period lead when the well oiled machine that is the second line combined like they had on numerous times last campaign, Robert Dowd lighting the lamp after great set up play from his fellow Bash Brother Levi Nelson and the ever talented Andreas Valdix. However that opening period ended level when the Swedish side equalised with 2:20 left in the period.
Sodertajile would score the only goal of the second period, Thomas Valkvä Olsen scoring his and his team’s second with 5:04 played. Despite being behind, Steelers weren’t out of the contest and in the third rallied to secure a well earned and deserved win. Valdix and Dowd setting the play-off final game winning goal hero twice to level and then to put the boys ahead. The Swedes were then behind the eight ball so to speak and in the final minute with the netminder pulled, Steelers put the icing on the cake when Ben O’Connor put the biscuit into the empty net and Valdix had his fourth assist of the night.
Sunday saw a different look Sodertajile team take to the ice, or was it swimming pool for reasons quoted above? Apparently they brought a roster of 36 players with them; enough to ice two different teams and a clear example to why the Swedish model is being attempted over here. By the 40 minute mark, Sodertajile had raced into a 3-0 lead and it took a superb snipe by Colton Fretter; beating the goalie high on the blocker side; to avoid the shutout. Yet the general consensus was that both games were very good workouts for the new look team and grounds for a lot of optimism ahead. Here’s what a few of you said:
Adrian Lee: “Good to win one, not too bothered that we lost last night (Sunday) because the performance was promising for the season ahead. I would also say that the D far more solid with Matheson and Ronnberg definitely good additions.”
Craig Day: "A very useful 2 games overall with plenty of positive signs. Initial impressions I like the look of most of the new signings, especially Ronnberg. Thought Ramsay (on Saturday) and Wallace were a bit quiet; that said both Kirk and Brown were not afraid to get involved."
Sarah Stephenson: "For me the D looks improved and a lot bigger in terms of size. By the end of the second game; it was noticeable that the team only had 5 days together in terms of passing and positioning but it will gel as time passes. Personally I'm liking the look of Wallace but the real stand out moment was Marquardt's penalty killing - holding onto the puck against the boards with three opposing players around him."


Thanks for reading guys. If you want to get involved please contact us on Twitter or find us on Facebook and like us and leave a comment:-
@FrozenSteelBlog
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@Disgu15ed
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Wednesday 16 August 2017

EIHL Rosters 2017-18: Ins and Outs (as of 16 August 2017) - Fife to Sheffield


Welcome to the second part of the roster updates. This part features the remaining six EIHL teams, beginning with Fife and concluding with Sheffield. Like the first part it features all transfer activity, up to and including today: 16 August 2017.

Time to read on then....

Fife Flyers:

Head Coach: Todd Dutiaume

In: Chad Smith, Chase Schaber, Chris Wands, James Issacs, Josh Scoon, Russ Moyer, Shayne Stockton: Re-Signed

Andy Iles (Elmira Jackals)
Charlie Mosey (Elmira Jackals)
Danick Gauthier (Tulsa Oilers)
Evan Bloodoff (Reading Royals)
Ian Young (Elmira Jackals)
Jordan Marr (Edinburgh)
Liam Heelis (unattached)
Peter LeBlanc (Manchester Monarchs)
Reece Cochrane (Kirkcaldy Kestrels)
Sean Beattie (Edinburgh)

Out: 


Brendan Brooks (Braehead)
Craig Douglas (Kirkcaldy Kestrels)
Philippe Paquet (Rouen)
Ric Jackman+ (Bradford Rattlers)
Ryan Dingle (Coventry)

Sebastian Thinel (Rivere-du-Loup 3L)
Shane Owen (BIK Karlskoga)

Guildford Flames:

Head Coach: Paul Dixon

In: Andrew McKinney, Ben Campbell, Jez Lundin, Kevin Phillips, Michal Satek, Michael Will: Re-Signed

Adam Jones (Telford)
Ben Davies (Coventry)
Brennan Yadlowski (University of Alberta)
Brian Stewart (Coventry)
Calle Ackered (Ostersunds IK)
Charles Wells (Mulhouse)
David Lillestrom-Karlsson (Ostersunds IK)
Ian Watters (Reading Royals)
Jesse Craige (GAP Rapaces)
John Dunbar (Norfolk Admirals)
Kruise Reddick (HC Vita Hasten)
Liam Stewart (Coventry)
Mikael Lidhammar (Dundee)
Mike Ratchuk (Sheffield)
Rhett Rachiniski (University of Alberta)
Tomas Nechala (Amiens)

Out:

Mike Ratchuk

Dean Skinns (Basingstoke)
Jared Lane (Bracknell)
Jens Eriksson (Villard-De-Lans)
Marek Maslonka (HK SKP Poprad)
Matic Krajl (HK Olimpija Ljubljana)
Michal Satek (Ertis Pavlodar)
Danny Meyers (Retired)

Manchester Storm:

Head Coach: Ryan Finnerty (Braehead)

In: Dallas Ehrhardt, Matt Bissonnette, Mike Clemente, Paul Swindlehurst: Re-Signed

Ashley Smith *** (Hull)
Chris Auger (Brampton Beast)
Ciaran Long (Basingstoke)
Dane Byers (Kolner Haie)
Declan Balmer (Basingstoke)
Declan Ryan *** (Altrincham Aces)
Gerard Hanson (Northern Michigan University)
Jay Rosehill (Braehead)
Linden Springer (Lakehead University)
Luke Moffatt (Chamonix-Morzine)
Matt Beca (Braehead)
Matt Stanisz (GKS Katowice)
Mike Hammond (Braehead)
Nate Fleming (unattached)
Ryan Trenz (Alaska Aces)
Shane Bakker (Atlanta Gladiators)

Out:

Adam Harding (Dundee)
Cody Cartier (GAP Rapaces)
Connor Varley (Epinal)
Mario Valery-Trabucco (Amiens)
Mark Heatley (Heilbronner Falken)
Omar Pacha + (Dundee)
Paul Phillips (Milton Keynes)
Taylor Dickin (Dundee)
Eric Neilson (Retired)
Jack Prince (Retired)

Milton Keynes Lightning:

Head Coach: Peter Russell

In: Adam Long, Edward Knaggs, Glenn Billing, James Griffin, Jordan Hedley, Lewis Hook, Luc Johnson, Przemyslaw Odrobny: Re-Signed

Alex Forbes (Ogden Mustangs)
Ben Foster (Princeton University)
Carl Hudson (Chamonix-Morzine)
Christian Isackson (GAP Rapaces)
Denny Kearney (Cardiff),
Francis Verreault-Paul (Vipiteno)
Guillaume Doucet (Cardiff)
Kevin Gibson (Quad City Mallards)
Kevin King (GAP Rapaces)
Kyle Essery (GAP Rapaces
Jonathan Boxill (Belfast)
Ludwig Karlsson (IK Pantern)
Matt Nickerson (Belfast)
Paul Phillips (Manchester)
Quin Pompi (Princeton University)

Out:

Antti Holli, Craig Scott, James Neil

Adam Carr (Streatham)
Adam Long *** (Peterborough)
Bobby Chamberlain (Invicta)
Edward Knaggs *** (Peterborough)
Glenn Billing *** (Peterborough)
Franitsek Bakrlik (Bracknell)
Jordan Cownie (Dundee)
Leigh Jamieson (Peterborough)
Lewis Christie (Milton Keynes Thunder)
Luc Johnson *** (Swindon)
Michael Farn (Streatham)
Mikojal Lopuski (GKS Katowice)
Milan Baranyk (Orlik Opole)
Tom Carlon (Milton Keynes Thunder)
Blaz Emersic (Retired)

Nottingham Panthers:

Head Coach: Corey Neilson

In: Dan Spang, David Clarke, Erik Lindhagen, Jeff Brown, Ollie Betteridge, Robert Farmer, Robert Lachowicz, Stephen Lee: Re-Signed

Alexander Mokshantsev (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl)
Brett Perlini (Fort Wayne Komets)
Eduard Zakharchenko (HK Kremenchuk)
Evan Mosey (Rockford Ice Hogs)
Jordan Kelsall (Okanagan Hockey Academy U18)
Joseph Hazeldine (Nottingham Leopards)
Josh Shalla (Indy Fuel)
Josh Tetlow (Bracknell)
Mark Derlago (Nikko Icebucks)
Mathieu Brisebois (Amiens)
Mathieu Gagnon (Brampton Beast)
Michael Garnett (Bern)
Raphael Bussieres (Olimpija Ljubijana)
Sam Gospel (Telford)
Tim Billingsley (Brampton Beast)
Yann Sauve (EHC Munchen)
Zack Phillips (Tingsryds AIF)

Out:

Brian McGrattanChris LawrenceMiika Wiikman

Alex Nikiforuk (Epinal)
Deivids Sarkanis (HK Kurbads)
Jordan Kelsall *** (Swindon)
Joseph Hazeldine *** (Swindon)
Matt Carter (Epinal)
Brad Moran (Retired)
Dan Green (Retired)
Geoff Waugh (Retired)

Sheffield Steelers:

Head Coach: Paul Thompson

In: Andreas Valdix, Ben O'Connor, Brad Day, Cole Shudra, Colton Fretter  David Phillips, Ervins Mustukovs, John Armstrong, Jonathan Phillips, Levi Nelson, Liam Kirk, Mathieu Roy, Robert Dowd, Zack Fitzgerald: Re-Signed

Angus Laing (Sheffield Steelhawks)
Brady Ramsay (Indy Fuel)
Kieran Brown (Iowa Wild AAA U16)
Jonas Westerling  (SodertajleSK)
Joonas Ronnberg (Storhamar)
Matt Marquardt (Coventry)
Scott Aarssen (Braehead)
Tim Wallace (Alaska Aces)

Out:

Angus Laing *** (Sutton Sting)
Geoff Walker (Fehervar AV19)
Jace Coyle (Sonderjyske)
Luke Ferrara (Coventry)
Mike Ratchuk (Gulidford)
Anders Franzon (Retired)
Guillaume Desbiens (Retired)
Yared Hagos (Retired)


* - Signed as Player-Assistant Coach
** - Was in charge of youth programme
*** - Two way contract
+ - Retired as player but became Head Coach of team shown
++ - Left position as Head Coach, became assistant coach of team shown
Player in normal typeface - Brit Over 23 years of ago
Player in italic typeface - Brit Under 23 years of age
Player in bold typeface - Import




Thanks for reading guys. If you want to get involved please contact us on Twitter or find us on Facebook and like us and leave a comment:-
@FrozenSteelBlog
@FrozenSteelMNL
@hockeybhoy
@Disgu15ed
Available on iTunes to listen and download, also on SoundCloud

EIHL Rosters 2017-18: Ins and Outs (as of 16 August 2017) - Belfast to Edinburgh


We're still a few weeks away from the start of the new season; and some teams are well underway with their pre-season arrangements. Here's the first part of the roster updates, covering as usual Belfast to Edinburgh.

Enjoy and read...


Belfast Giants:

Head Coach: Adam Keefe (promoted from player)


In: Andrew Dickson, Blair Riley, Brandon Benedict*, Colin Shields, Jackson Whistle, Jim Vandermeer, Mark Garside, Matt Towe, Ryan Martinelli, Steve Saviano, Stephen Murphy: Re-Signed


Brendan Connolly (Rungsted Seier Capital)
Cole Jarrett (Tokohu Free Blades)
Darcy Murphy (Tulsa Oilers)
Dustin Johner (Villacher SV)
Jonathan Ferland (Vienna Capitals)
Kevin Raine (Florida Everblades)
Sebastian Sylvestre (Elmira Jackals)
Spiro Goulakos (Hartford Wolf Pack)

Out:

Michael Forney


Derrick Walser +++ (Peterborough Petes)
James Desmarais (Jonquiere Marquis)
Jerome Leduc (Dornbirner EC)
Jonathan Boxill (Milton Keynes)
Matt Nickerson (Milton Keynes)
Michael Quesnele (Angers)
Chris Higgins (Retired)
David Rutherford (Retired)

Braehead Clan:

Head Coach: John Tripp (Eispiraten Crimmitschau)

In: Bari McKenzie, Craig Peacock, Jordan Buesa, Matt Haywood, Zach Sullivan: Re-Signed

Adam Brace (Reading Royals)
Brendan Brooks (Fife*)
Cameron Burt (Starbulls Rosenheim)
Craig Cescon (Dundee)
Jacob Doty (Kansas City Mavericks)
Josh Grieveson (Dundee)
Landon Oslanski (Toledo Walleye)
Mike Embach (Fort Wayne Komets)
Ryan Nie (Eispiraten Crimmitschau)
Tyler Scofield (Starbulls Rosenheim)

Out:

Kyle Wharton

Cody Carlson (Atlanta Gladiators)
Corey Cowick (Epinal)
Daniel Ahsberg (Helsingborgs HC)
Jay Rosehill (Manchester)
Lee Baldwin (Epinal)
Matt Beca (Manchester)
Michal Zajwokski (Ornskoldsvik HF)
Mike Hammond (Manchester)
Ryan Finnerty  (Head Coach - Manchester)
Scott Aarssen (Sheffield)
Scott Pitt (MsHK Zillna)
Stefan Della Rovere (EC Kassel Huskies)
Alex Leavitt (Retired)
Matt Keith (Retired)

Cardiff Devils:


Player-Coach: Andrew Lord


In: Andrew Hotham, Ben Bowns, Gleason Fournier, Jake Morrissette, Joey Haddad, Joey Martin, Josh Batch, Layne Ulmer, Luke Piggott, Mark Louis, Mark Richardson, Matthew Myers, Patrick Asselin, Sean Bentivoglio, Thomas Murdy: Re-Signed


Bryce Reddick (Aalborg Pirates)
Callum Buglass (Cardiff Fire)
Craig Moore (Dundee)
Drew Paris (Dornbirner EC)
Justin Faryna (Dundee)
Matt Pope (Tokohu Free Blades)
Paul Crowder (unattached)
Toms Rutkis (Swindon)

Out:


Callum Buglass *** (Cardiff Fire)
Chris Jones (Swindon)
David Brine (Medvescak Zagreb)
Denny Kearney (Milton Keynes)
Guillaume Doucet (Milton Keynes)
Toms Rutkis *** (Swindon)
Chris Culligan (Retired)

Coventry Blaze:


Head Coach: Danny Stewart


In: Brett Robinson, David Clements, Jordan Pietrus, Jordan Stokes, Kevin Noble, Olive  Stone, Renny Marr, Ross Venus: Re-Signed


Adam Courchiane (Dusseldorfer EG)
Ben Lake (Alaska Aces)
Brython Preece (Utah Outilers)
Danick Paquette (Tulsa Oilers)
Dax Lauwers (Alaska Aces)
Gaelan Patterson (Chamonix-Morzine)
Garrett Ladd (Tulsa Oilers)
Gustav Ahnelov (Karlskrona HK)
Kevin Nastiuk (Dresdner Eislowen)
Luke Ferrara (Sheffield)
Marc-Olivier Vallerand (HC Bolzano)
Ryan Dingle (Fife)

Out:


Garrett Klotz, Josh Godfrey, Marc Cantin


Barry Almeida (Worcester Railers)

Ben Davies (Guildford)
Brian Stewart (Guildford)
Jim Jorgensen (Podhale Nowy Targ)
Jordan Stokes *** (Telford)
Liam Stewart (Guildford)
Oliver Stone *** (Swindon)
Matt Marquardt (Sheffield)
Renny Marr *** (Swindon)
Robin Bergman (Rungsted Seier Capital)
Shawn Boutin (Dresdner Eislowen)
TJ Syner (Worcester Railers)
Russ Cowley (Retired)

Dundee Stars:


Head Coach: Omar Pacha (Manchester)


In: Ben Edmonds, Cameron McGiffin, Craig Holland, Joey De Concilys, Kris Inglis: Re-Signed


Adam Harding (Manchester)

Anthony Mastrodicasa (Rapid City Rush)
Emerson Hrynyk (Mount Royal University)
Gabriel Levesque (Anglet Hormandi)
Jimmy Jensen (Dijon)
Johan Andersson (Dijon)
Jordan Cownie (Milton Keynes)
Malcolm Gould (Strasbourg)
Patrick Lee (UMass - Amherst)
Riley Stadel (Edmonton Oil Kings)
Taylor Dickin (Manchester)
Travis Fullerton (Edinburgh)
Tyler Brickier (Gangwon High 1)

Out:


Brett Switzer (Nice)

Craig Cescon (Braehead)
Craig Moore (Cardiff)
Felix-Antoine Poulin (MsHK Zillna)
Kevin Brujisten (Mulhouse)
Joe Fallon (Worcester Railers)
Josh Grieveson (Braehead)
Justin Faryna (Cardiff)
Mikael Lidhammar (Guildford)
Scott Brannon (Caen)
Marc Lefebvre (Cincinnati Cyclones++)
Vinny Scarsella (Retired)

Edinburgh Capitals:


Head Coach: Dmitri Khristich (HK Kremenchuk**)


In: Harry Ferguson, Kevin Forshall, Jay King, Michael D'Orazio, Pavel Vorobyev, Rihards Grigors, Tyler Plews: Re-Signed


Aaron Robertson (Fife Falcons)

Alexander Ismalov (Yermak Angarsk)
Calum Robertson (Fife Falcons)
Denis Trakhanov (KS Torun)
Duncan Spiers (Solway Sharks)
Dylan Anderson (Queens University)
Igor Valeyev (Chelmet Chelyabinsk)
Jordan McLaughlin (Edinburgh Capitals SNL)
Konstantin Teslyukevich (Arlan Kokshetau)
Mike Cazzola (Binghamton Senators)
Pavel Shegalo (Metallurg Zhlobin)
Sergei Banashkov (Saryarka Karaganda)
Taylor Stefishen (Dijon)


Out: 

Jacob Johnston (Odense Bulldogs)

Jaroslav Hertl (Mont-Blanc)
Jordan Marr (Fife)
Liam Cassidy (Kirkcaldy Kestrels)
Matt Tipoff (Wichtia Thunder)
Michal Dobron (Brest)
Sean Beattie (Fife)
Travis Fullerton (Dundee)
Taylor MacDougall


* - Signed as Player-Assistant Coach

** - Was in charge of youth programme
*** - Two way contract
+ - Retired as player but became Head Coach of team shown
++ - Left position as Head Coach, became assistant coach of team shown
+++ - Retired as player, became assistant coach of team shown
Player in normal typeface - Brit Over 23 years of ago
Player in italic typeface - Brit Under 23 years of age
Player in bold typeface - Import


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