Just when you thought the Giants had made their changes and could now settle down to play some hockey the team have yet another player change on the cards. Back-up goalie Hugh Smyth has resigned from the team and will be replaced by young Adam Cree. Smyth who has not played a minute of hockey for the Giants this season has been nothing more than a warm-up goalie and bench door opener as the Giants have seen a starting goalie come and go. Now on their second starter of the season the Giants have had to act quickly to replace Smyth with their second back-up of the season. Rules state that a team must have a back-up goalie dressed on the bench at all times. At this time of year back-up goalies are few and far between, especially in the Elite League where teams see them more as something the rules say they must have more than a position they wish to utilise.

Adam Cree may be familiar to some with a keen eye; he played a few minutes at the tail end of the Kelman testimonial game last season. At just 17-years of age the kid has no big league experience but being in and around the Giants locker room even if he will spend his entire time on the bench can only serve him well. Who knows, maybe if we’re up in a game by five or six goals he might even see a little game action. GM Todd Kelman has stated that the move is only a temporary one until the Giants find a more experienced back-up to Stevie Lyle.

Over the past few years the Giants have now gone through three back-up goalies who between them have played little more than a dozen games for the Giants. Chris McGimpsey, Kevin Kelly and Hugh Smyth all worked the bench door for the Giants before tendering resignations and moving on with their lives away from the professional hockey ranks. At 17, Cree will look to gain as much experience as possible in the time he is given, to then take that experience back to his development in the Junior Giants system with the hope of one day cracking the Giants team on a permanent basis somewhere down the line.

Not since the days of the Super League have the Giants been able to fill a back-up goalie slot with the intentions of giving the guy some serious ice time. Since the inception of the EIHL the starting goalie has taken the job with the warning that he will get little or no rest throughout the season. Only baring severe injury or an un-toppable lead in the third period of a game against someone like Edinburgh might the back-up see some ice-time. Even when down by five plus goals against some teams earlier this season the Giants still didn’t consider pulling Philippe DeRouville. Only when they had a legitimate starter lined up was DeRouville replaced in between the pipes - permanently.

Category: Player News, Player Signings » |

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