Today is part two of the season preview of our opposition teams this season and today’s three to look at are Edinburgh, Hull and Manchester.  Edinburgh are going into their second EIHL season while Manchester come back in after two seasons out. Hull are the leagues new boys this year making it their first season in the big time.  Let’s have a look…

Edinburgh Capitals

Players In:
Dino Bauba, F (Edinburgh Capitals); Gregor Slak, F (Olimpija Ljubljana); Neil Hay, F (Edinburgh Capitals); Martin Cingel, F (Edinburgh Capitals); Toby Kallander, F (Free Agency); Matthew Craig, D (Yale University); Pavel Kowalczyk, D (Val Pusteria Wolves); Patrik Luza, D (Lillehammer IHK); Daniel McIntyre, D (Edinburgh Capitals); Peter Janik, D (HC Amiens); Stephen Murphy, G (Bjorkloven IF).

Players Out:
Tony Hand, Head Coach (Manchester Phoenix); Fredrik Oduya, F (Nybro IF); Matthew Rich, F (Newcastle Vipers); Mike Sandbeck, F (Manchester Phoenix); Joe Miller, F (Telford Tigers); Adam Walker, F (Swindon Wildcats); Mike Kiesman, F (Manchester Phoenix).

Previous 3 seasons:
03-04: n/a
04-05: n/a
05-06: 8th in Elite League with 9 wins and 31 defeats.

05-06 vs Giants (W-L-T): 9-0-1

What to expect:
With only a matter of days to go until the start of the season the Capitals are still without a coach and still a few players short of a full roster.  Right now their General Manager is filling the void until a coach is announced but this isn’t going to help them start the season.  Last year the Capitals struggled and many believe that will not change this year although as the year went on they did improve and after 9 straight defeats to the Giants picked up a tie in the last meeting between the two.  Still making the playoffs this year will be a big challenge for the Edinburgh team.

In 12 games against the Giants in their history the Capitals have won 0, lost 11, and tied 1.  They have scored 24 goals and let in 63.

KEY PLAYER:
Stephen Murphy: Returning to the UK after a season in Sweden, Murphy will be the leagues only British starting netminder.  This will be his first season in Britain’s top league and Edinburgh certainly believe he is ready to handle the big time.  As one of Britain’s top netminders he’s likely to see plenty of action in Edinburgh and depending on how he responds will have a huge baring on the outcome of the Caps season.

Hull Stingrays

Players In:
Rick Strachan, Head Coach (Hull Stingrays); Dru Burgess, Ast Coach (Hull Stingrays); Slava Koulikov, F (Hull Stingrays); Sergei Kharchenko, F (Sokol Kiev); Sergei Rublivsky, F (Berkut Kiev); Lee Mitchell, F (Hull Stingrays); Nikolai Ladygin, D (Crystall Saratov); Kevin Young, D (Nijmegen Emperors); Pavel Gomenyuk, D (Newcastle Vipers); Steve Lee, D (Hull Stingrays); Kevin Philips, D (Hull Stingrays); Dave Philips, D (Hull Stingrays).

Players Out:
Adam Radmall, D (Manchester Phoenix).

Previous 3 seasons:
03-04: n/a
04-05: n/a
05-06: n/a

05-06 vs Giants (W-L-T): 0-0-0

What to expect:
Hull are the new boys to the league and like the Racers and Capitals before them are expected to struggle.  But before writing them off too quickly it’s worth taking a look at their line-up.  Yes it is stacked full of European players, very similar to the London Racers team of 03-04 that struggled badly, but this year with a zero tolerance rule on holding and hooking etc. these speedy Europeans may just get to play their real game and show their skill which could hurt a lot of teams.  Nobody expects trophies this year in Hull but don’t be shocked if they put up a strong fight to make it into the playoffs.

In 2 games against the Giants in their history the Stingrays have won 0, lost 2, and tied 0.  They have scored 1 goal and let in 5.

KEY PLAYER:
Pavel Gomenyuk: Returning to Hull after a year at Newcastle Pavel proved last year that he was one of the top defensemen in the Elite League.  In a team surrounded by fellow Europeans who are generally thought of to be not so physical, Pavel certainly does not carry that tag.  His 134 penalty minutes last season proved to be the case there.  He’ll lead the defensive line for Hull this season and be one of the dressing room leaders.

Manchester Phoenix

Players In:
Tony Hand, Head Coach (Edinburgh Capitals); Robin Gomez, F (Hershey Bears); Mike Kiesman, F (Edinburgh Capitals); KC Timmons, F (Victoria Salmon Kings); James Hutchinson, F (HC Morzine Penguins); Mike Sandbeck, F (Edinburgh Capitals); Derek Campbell, F (Columbia Inferno); Joe Miller, F (Telford Tigers); Adam Walker, F (Swindon Wildcats); Scott Basiuk, D (Utah Grizzlies); Simon Mangos, D (Victoria Salmon Kings); Adam Radmall, D (Hull Stingrays); Jason Wolfe, G (Augusta Lynx); Matt Compton, G (Blackburn Hawks).

Players Out:
n/a

Previous 3 seasons:
03-04: 6th in Elite League with 22 wins and 26 defeats. Lost in playoff semi-finals.
04-05: n/a
05-06: n/a

05-06 vs Giants (W-L-T): 0-0-0

What to expect:
The Phoenix return to EIHL hockey after a two year absence due to no arena.  That’s changed now though with a new arena in place and an ex-Giant, Tony Hand, as coach big things are expected of the Manchester team.  Hand looks to have signed a strong bench with a good mix between skill and strength.  With money to spend we all seen what Tony can achieve here in Belfast and unlike last season in Edinburgh it looks like more cash was made available to the Scott this off-season in Manchester.  The Phoenix have always made it tough for the Giants and have a winning record against us and will be our group opposition in this years Challenge Cup.  Expect the Phoenix to be a tough opposition for any team in the league.

In 10 games against the Giants in their history the Phoenix have won 6, lost 4, and tied 0.  They have scored 35 goals and let in 31.

KEY PLAYER:
Tony Hand: Britain’s greatest ever player, Tony Hand will take to the ice yet again for another season while coaching his team at the same time.  Tony’s playmaking ability is second to none and as good as anybodies in the league and even in his late 30’s he still has a great burst of speed.  He dominated the scoring charts when at Belfast and was Edinburgh’s only major point scorer last season.  With a stronger supporting cast this season than last expect to see Tony once again leading his team in scoring as well as leading them from behind the bench.

Next up in the preview: Newcastle Vipers, Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers.

Category: Elite League » |

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