I’m sorry for being extremely boring lately and only reporting the signings we are making - about 2 days after everyone has already heard about it from The Snow Plough anyway - but the beautiful early summer weather has been keeping me outdoors more often than in and when I am in it is all about the N.H.L. playoffs.

So yeah, you wont be suprised to hear that I am blogging to write about the latest signing the Giants have made. This one excites me though and I think it is one of the best Brit signings we have made in quite a while. Welcome back Paul Sample.

For those of you that started going to the Giants games in the last four years wont know this guy. Well you might know him from his times in Sheffield and Cardiff but not with the Giants. But the fact is, he has been here before and is finally returning. Paul Sample played with the Giants during their first Elite League season in 03-04. That year the ISL became the EIHL and teams were forced to bring on board born and trained British players. Paul Sample was one of the first British players to sign with the Giants and went on to have a terrific first season.

Sample played that year on a line with Paxton Schulte and Brad Kenny and put up some excellent numbers for his first year in the Elite League. He scored 39 points (17 goals and 22 assists) in 58 games and went on to pick up the coaches player of the year award. That year was a tough year for the Giants under rookie coach Rob Stewart as the team only managed 4th place in the league, but at the time Sample was one of the best Brits and although major changes needed to be made that year, I hoped he would stay with the Giants for years to come but with in a year of arriving he was away. I always hoped we would see him back each summer during the signing season but to no avail . . . Until now.

I always maintained he was one of the best Brits we ever had. He was replaced by Marc Levers who was eventually replaced by Paul Moran and now we have came full circle. Hopefully he is back for longer than a twelve month stay however!

And so the Giants continue to get their British signings in early. It was something Sheffield did last year and look what happened there. I think it is becoming a key to success and it’s great to see new coach Stevie Thornton jumping on board in signing some of the best British players in the Elite League. Once that task in complete I would imagine phase two would be surrounding them with some fine import talent to help bring some long overdue success back to Belfast.

It seems those reports are true - Mark Morrison has indeed signed on for another year with the Giants. I expected him to be back, he has been getting better and better and is the perfect roll player on the 3rd line. Welcome back Mo.

It appears that veteran Giants blue liner Roman Gavalier is leaving town for pastures new. Roman has signed for MHK VTRJ Kezmarok in what I assume must be his homeland Slovakia. Gavalier will go down as one of the all-time best Giants defensemen and a true fan favorite. The Slovak joined the Giants in the 2004-2005 season before leaving to play the following year in Poland. He returned yet again in the 2006-2007 season where he played right through until this past season. Continue Reading »

Stevie Thornton continues to build the core of his squad for next season with three more early signings. Normally at this time of year we are sitting wondering who will be our new coach never mind talking about five signings already on the board.

The Giants today announced the signings of Graeme Walton, Stevie Lyle and Shane Johnson. They add to the duo already signed of Colin Shields and Dave Phillips. Continue Reading »

As I reported last night from information found on snowploughed.blogspot.com, Colin Shields has indeed signed on with the Giants on a two-year contract. Shields who played with the Giants in 05-06 returns after a two-year absence. It is the first multi-year contract the Giants have signed a player too since Kevin Riehl back in the first two years of the teams existence. Continue Reading »

I was in the process of doing a little research on past Giants players for an article for the blog when upon searching for artciles on Colin Shields among others, I came across a breaking story that ‘claims’ Colin Shields is on the verge of signing for the Giants again. Continue Reading »

Some rumours flying around on the KotG forum are suggesting that Curtis Huppe has decided to call it a career. Like Rob Stewart and Jason Bowen before him he looks set to retire in Belfast as he is married to a local girl. Some Giants fans had hoped he would leave Coventry this summer to come back to Belfast to play some hockey for the Giants but that now doesn’t look likely. Who knows though after a summer off without hockey he may well be inticed back - if Stevie Thornton wants him that is. Theres no doubt Huppe still has a lot left to give to the game.

Stevie Thornton has wasted no time in building his team for next season, which seems like a million miles away. This week he signed on twenty year old British defenseman Dave Phillips to a years contract. Phillips who has played for the last five years in Hull will step up to the Giants blue-line and add some size. Stevie Thornton has praised the kids play having played against him all season while in Basingstoke and he must like the kid if he’s made him his first signing. Continue Reading »