Minor or Major surgery for the Blaze?

Well the seasons over and done with. And now with the exception of any players already signed up with the Blaze to long-term contracts or extensions. All bets are off and it’s a free for all on the squads of the EIHL.

After 2 seasons I’ve learnt a few things about players, and player acquisition in the EIHL.

First there are 3 types of player in this league.

1.   The stepping stone: These are players who are simply looking to catch the eye of coaches on the continent in the big money Italian, German and Danish leagues. Usually they are ECHL/AHL players who simply couldn’t cut it in North America or grew tired of being part of a squad rotation and looked to Europe. However the Elite was all they could find. However being of a higher quality they quickly establish themselves as a force here and get snapped up by a European club the second their contract here expires-Example of this David Beauregard

2.   The yo-yo’s. These players mirror the above, however they quickly return after one season or 2 on the mainland, either out of fondness for their former home or because they simply can’t cut it elsewhere Example-Jason Silverthorne

3.   The keeper-These are your Adam Calder’s and Dan Carlson’s. They get picked up by a club, and well don’t leave till either they retire, or in the case of Calder get offered a chance to develop elsewhere, normally becoming idols to the fans they play for. Becoming legends.

So what am I getting at, well at the close of this season The Blaze locker room will be losing 2-3 players more than definitely.

The rumours are that Danny Stewart is to follow Adam Calder out the door to coach in Newcastle, while also Jason Robinson is rumoured to be preparing for retirement. That leaves Thommo with some gaps to plug on the team, that is assuming as well that Peter Hirsch, Luke Fulghum , Brian Lee and any other part of the championship winning side doesn’t get picked off by the clubs in Europe.

So for this blog, were in a world where Thommo has managed to reclaim all except the 3 I mentioned. That leaves 2 holes in the forward lines and 1 in the defence. So who would I pick if I were Thommo

Based off what I can recall of defenseman at the dome this year here’s who I would want to replace Robbo

Wes Jarvis-Had another stellar year offensively, and made the IHJUK awards list. One of the many reasons the Devils were a thorn in our side all season

Dominic D’Amour-Now this one may not sit well with some Blaze fans, not just because he and Robbo weren’t best friends, but because he’s ex Panther and he to some doesn’t do much. However I felt when I saw him play he was talented and on a team where his interest might be raised he could prove useful. Hits hard, can fight and stand up for the team and has a strong point shot.

Michael Jacobsen-He played on the defence that helped a British net minder become top of the stats chart. Highly skilled.

Domish-Now many will point to the fact that he played on a team that got pasted time and time again. However consider two factors. The Newcastle team was build for the wide ice of the Metro and wound up on the tight ice at Whitley Bay. Combine that with the rest of the team under performing and you have a decent quality player having his efforts overshadowed by poor score lines. Might I point out Greg Chambers, played most of his career on underachieving teams here, look at his stats as a Blaze player

Blake Forsyth

Blake Forsyth spent this year in Denmark, however spent the end of last season with the Blaze, Blake would be a player I’d try to get back if Robbo leaves, he’s not a hard hitter, however he’s good offensively and the D changed for the better when he arrived last season at the expense of Corey LeClaire

Stephen Lee

This signing would be a twofold stroke, one we sign an improving Brit d-man, who is young and gaining rave reviews in Nottingham. The Brit pack was weak on the Blaze side this year and definitely needs expansion next season

Neal Martin

A Blaze legend, enough said, would welcome this guy back in a heartbeat, would fill the void Calder leaves as he could reclaim his C. Never saw him play so I will go on what I hear as a reason for his return

Forwards

So two forwards are needed to fill the holes that could be left by Calder and, Stewart departing.

So who are my picks?

Jeff Szwez

From day 1 this guy was in the elite league he proved he was no fluke. However he has his off nights and nights were he spends half the game asleep then awakens to score game winners. However I think some Thommo coaching could drill this out of him.

Owen Fussey

What a find Fussey was by Doug Christiansen, my hat goes off to Doug for achieving what he achieves with the budget he has. In this case a player like Owen Fussey. Speedy, deadly accurate shot. Could see him becoming a good scoring partner with Fulghum and Carlson

Simone Lambert

We stole the Stoke line, why not reunite Fussey and Lambert, put Carlson or Cowley in between them could be a devastating line

Ben Simon

There was a lot of excitement when Simon was rumoured to be joining the Blaze, however it proved to be all talk. However I would based on stats and past league experience definitely make him a possible replacement for Adam or Danny

Jade Galbraith

Talented player, forget what shirt he wore, he’s talented at scoring and at what he does, could afford to learn to keep his mouth shut. Every time I saw him play against Blaze always looked a danger and knew how to put them by Hirsch .However if the chance came to sign Jade Galbraith I would

 Konstantine Kalmikov

Every time Hull came to the dome Kalmikov was a standout player on their team for me, he knows how to score and does it well. With better service and on a better team could prove deadlier than he did for Hull.

Now I mentioned the Brit pack earlier, Ben O’Connor’s decision to well, leave in August hamstrung Paul Thompsons Brit player plans, I think you’d find had he not done this, or notified Thommo earlier Greg Wood, would still have been in a Blaze jersey this year I feel. So what to do with the Blaze Brit pack.

Aaron Nell

This guy can play, for a young Brit he holds well in the elite and isn’t afraid to get in there and dig his team mates out of trouble. Aaron Nell is a definite must on Thommo’s shopping list. However Nell is a British forward, it was the defence whose lack of flexibility was exposed this season, so who does Thommo sign?

Maybe Dave Phillips American adventure will end and He’ll come home and sign for his GB coach, maybe bring back Leigh Jamieson, Josh Bruce seems ready for Elite duty, but again is a forward, so is Jack Watkins. Ryan Selwood with some seasoning could be a replacement D man. Having seen a fair bit of the ENL this year, these guys definitely have what it takes to succeed as members of Blaze team.  Do we look elsewhere around the league for more D men, Lee Mitchell in Hull is developing well. The other option is to expand our British forward core and use 4-5 import defence.  I doubt Thommo would see if Ben O’Connor would come back, and from some accounts I heard in the wake of his departure he is more of a disruptive influence than anything

Whatever Thommo chooses to do, he will do so with the best interests of the club at heart. However as always British players will be top of his agenda. And as the coach of team GB no coach in British ice hockey is better suited to scout for an extension to the Brit pack. 

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