There were two more positions to be filled and on Tuesday the Giants did just that. They brought back stalwart George Awada for a fifth season and new boy Malcolm Macmillan. It means the Giants have done the unthinkable and completed their entire roster for the coming season before the end of July. It means for the first time ever Giants fans can head off to the sunshine on their holidays knowing exactly what kinda team they are coming home too. The final signings also confirm that just six players who finished the season with the Giants last term will be returning this year, and that includes now third string goalie Adam Cree. MORE »

A lot of Giants signings this off season have came in pairs and this week is no different with the Giants announcing another pair of forwards to go to their already new-look line-up. Evan Cheverie and Paul Deniset (left) join a team that is going to look significently different to the one that left the ice last March. Cheverie, a 28 year-old forward from Canada has previous Elite League experience with Coventry in 05-06 and joins the team from Morzine in France while Deniset, a 27-year old centre, also from Canada, will be new to the Elite League coming in from Schwennigen ERC in the German 2nd division. MORE »

It is early July, but already the Giants have their defensive unit in place and contracts out to enough guys to almost complete a roster if they are signed. It is changed times in Belfast and gone are the day of scrambling at the last minute to put together a team. New coach Steve Thornton continues to impress us fans in the off-season with top end signings, the latest of which are a paid of defencemen, Mike Burgoyne and Tyler Howells.

Opting to go with a 5 man defensive unit this season, Thornton brings in Burgoyne and Howells to go along with Johnson, Phillips and Walton on the blueline. Both players will bring a scoring touch to the Giants back end as well as careers littered with honors. MORE »

You know folks, the weather has been shit out of late and still it has taken me about three days to get onto this blog to update the latest Giants news - another player signing. No doubt you know all about it by now and if your only learning about it here then your a worse fan than I am. Seriously though, I put ‘another player signing’ in italics for a reason — it’s been the only bloody thing I’ve been writing about lately on this blog. Things have to change and I must commit myself better to entertaining the masses with more updates, stories and articles, right? Well, no probably not. If the weather actually picks up again you probably wont hear from me again for a few months. MORE »

How cheesy is the headline above! I couldn’t help it though and I’m sure every media outlet that runs the story in the next day will have something to that effect. If you are still wondering what it means then let me be the first to tell you that the Giants have signed Welshman Nathan Craze to be their backup goaltender next season. Nathan played on the Giants team a few seasons back and helped lead them to a league championship alongside Theo Fleury and current Giants for the upcoming season, Shane Johnson, Colin Shields, Mark Morrison and Graeme Walton. MORE »

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. MORE »

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.

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. MORE »

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. MORE »

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. MORE »

Remember Steve Thornton? If you only remember Elite League hockey then you wont remember this guy. That is unless you follow the Bison. No, Stevie Thornton was a player who played 3/4 of a season for the Giants in the 2002-2003 season. He helped us to 6th place in Lugano at the Continental Cup then returned with his team to push, and miss the league title by a single point. He the stepped up his game during an outstanding playoff run which eventually ended with our one and only playoff championship to date. MORE »

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. MORE »

It’s quite the heading but the rumours were true. The Giants indeed did snap up Stevie Lyle and Campbell upon their leaving of the Basingstoke Bison. The good news of depth to the squad was hampered with the news that top goal scorer, Scott Cameron has a broken foot and will be out for a number of weeks.

Theres a saying that when your luck is out, it’s really out and that is the case with the bottom of the league Giants. Three major injuries to import players in three weeks will mean the Giants will continue to play short benched even with these three signings. Campbell and Lyle will add some much needed depth to the team. MORE »

One of the original Giants is coming home. After two years away from Belfast after six seasons with the team Shane Johnson is back as a Giants player. I will write more about it in a day or two but right now I sit in the airport waiting to board a flight to Canada for four days.

In other quick news, the Bison have released goalie Stevie Lyle and forward Peter Campbell. Rumours suggest both are coming our way . . . Watch this space.

This afternoon the Giants confirmed they had signed forward Shawn Sutter to the team.  The Giants who have been struggling in front of goal have been desperate for some added help and hope it will come from Sutter.  Sutter who played for Sheffield last season and Nottingham the year before scored over thirty goals last season, something the Giants will look for a repeat of as Ed Courtenay’s team continue to suffer from their worst start to a season ever.

Ed has been threatening changes and finally we’re halfway to one happening.  Yesterday Todd Kelman announced that he would not be playing any further and with Roman Gavalier still out it allows Sutter to step straight in.  When Gavalier does get healthy I would expect one of the imports would be cut and that’ll come down to whome Ed thinks is under preforming.

From this Friday on players really are playing for their jobs.