There is only so much you can read into preseason results and performances – remember, we’re talking about a division prone to offseason rebuilds and complete backroom restructures. The Elite League has delivered bucketloads of reform this summer, with a handful of new head coaches and dozens of new players still in the early days of their residency.
With that said, a couple of noticeable trends have already started to break the ice and set the scene for another fascinating season of Elite League hockey.
In this article, British Ice Hockey’s Luke James comes in clutch with three way-too-early topics of conversation.
Elite League Preview: Are Adam Keefe’s Belfast Giants clear title favourites?
The Belfast Giants already have hours of competitive play under their belts, with their initial fixtures in the Champions Hockey League yielding one win and three losses. They’ve played four exhibition games, losing twice to the Cardiff Devils before tying a series with Glasgow Clan.
The Giants lost a few of their top performers from seasons past, notably goal-per-game scorer Scott Conway, and return to the ice with a new-look roster.
But they retained the services of head coach Adam Keefe – who some worried would scurry to a job on the continent (this was never on the cards) – and hotshot netminder Tyler Beskorowany – who has played lights-out hockey since un-retiring at the turn of the year.
2023-24 Elite League Preview: Adam Keefe, Belfast Giants (Image: Johanna Salo / Norran)
The Giants also added a couple of standout talents, yoinking forward Daniel Tedesco from the Guildford Flames and importing defender Charli Curti from the ECHL.
Curti was a dominant performer as the Giants downed HC Bolzano 4-0 in the Champions League and will continue to see plenty of ice once domestic play starts.
Undeniably, Belfast remain the team to beat – they just won the treble, kept the best coach in the league on their books, and added more speed to their line-up.
But, until proven otherwise, it is hard to characterise them as being miles ahead of the chasing pack.
The Sheffield Steelers will once again try to climb the summit, as will the Francophone Nottingham Panthers, but it is the Devils who look scariest at this way-too-early stage.
With Pete Russell at the helm, Cardiff will be a different proposition this term – boosted by better coaching, an improved playing environment, and growing squad cohesion. They have the ‘perfect’ mix of belligerence (yes, I’m referring to that Riley Brandt punch-up) and skill to cause issues across the board.
The Flames will struggle to capture lightning in a bottle for a second season in a row, but will once again be in the conversation with Paul Dixon behind the bench.
Elite League Preview: Sheffield Steelers… Good, Bad, Ugly
Just for a second, imagine how advanced our society would become if the Sheffield Steelers stopped shooting themselves in the feet. Collectively, we would have the time and intellectual bandwidth to solve any number of global crises.
Instead, we’re left talking about idiotic comments published on the franchise’s official social media accounts.
If you missed it, the Steelers posted a video to their Twitter, the app now known as X, whereby a prominent member of their communications team said: “The [Nottingham] Panthers have turned French, which is another reason to dislike them in my book… Sheffield Steelers versus the French National Team, the Panthers.”
Simply put, unacceptable – the league, and everyone who works within it, must aspire for higher standards.
But, in another aspect of the same department, Sheffield represents the highest standard.
The Steelers packed their arena for an August exhibition, shifting tickets as though they were the only show in town. (Obviously, they aren’t the only show in town and they deserve serious praise for building a fanbase so devout they’ll turnout in thousands for a ‘friendly’.)
Always a contradiction, the Steelers are somehow the best and worst of the Elite League.
Elite League Preview: Are you ready for an intense playoff race?
While there is always a team far away at the bottom of the table (it probably won’t be the Fife Flyers under Tom Coolen), you should expect a tight playoff chase this term.
There isn’t a lot to separate the bottom six teams on paper, with injuries, puck luck, and momentum as important as ever in the Elite League.
It’s going to be a fun season – get down to a game near you soon.
