General Manager Todd Kelman announced today that the LBM Belfast Giants have signed 27 year old Canadian forward Jeffrey Szwez. Szwez comes to Belfast after spending last season in Philadelphia with the Phantoms in the American Hockey League where he scored 12 goals in 69 games. The 6’3” winger has spent most of the last five years of his professional career in the American Hockey League, the top affiliate league of the NHL.

— belfastgiants.com, 18 October 2009

Szwez from what you read, what you hear and the stats you see will be the ideal guy to replace George Awada. He is big, strong, can hit hard, has a nose for goal and can drop the gloves. All the sort of qualities Awada brought to the Giants team before he went down for the rest of the season with injury. You could even go as far as to call Szwez a poor man’s Paxton Schulte and if that proves to be the case then we’re in for a treat of a player.

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With George Awada now confirmed to be gone for the year and with coach Steve Thornton rumored to be playing hurt temporarily in his place, the Giants have gone out and filled the big void left by George by adding power forward Bobby Robins. The name won’t be unfamiliar to Giants fans considering just last season he scored 29 goals and 64 points in 59 games.

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With the usual ‘financial problems’ talks doing the rounds at this time of year the Giants have got conspiracy theorists everywhere jumping at obvious conclusions by signing Davy Phillips’ brother Kevin as his replacement after he left the team to play in the AHL. There is talk that somewhere in some conspiracy safe house somewhere in the outskirts of Belfast people are pointing fingers at Steve Thornton saying he signed Kevin Phillips simply to save the Giants from having to buy a new jersey and crests it with someone else’s name. Kevin Phillips can just wear the one bought for his brother.

Other fans are raising concerns about the Giants’ defensive depth this coming season but I have neither the time nor the energy to get into such a speculative debate just yet. We’re still in mid-July have still a month and a half before the team take to the ice in anger.

The signings are coming thick and fast now by Steve Thornton with Canadian Pat Bateman being the latest to join up. He signs on as a player and also a student with the University of Ulster through the Giants Scholarship Programme. The 26-year old spent last season in the ECHL with Gwinnett Gladiators and is a product of the NCAA system with Michigan University.

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I say this each year when the Giants sign on Graeme Walton or one of the local players, but I cannot believe he is heading onto his 7th season. Back in 03-04 when he made his nerve filled debut for the Giants I barely expected him to see out that season never mind be here at the end of the decade. Wally has played 346 games for the Giants in his career now and that is good for 3rd in the all-time list. Amazing.

Also being announced was another new signing and another new British one at that. Goaltender Stephen Murphy. He replaces Stevie Lyle who last week chose to sign in Cardiff despite having a year left on his Giants contract . . . whether he was released or walked remains to be seen but the Giants were quick off the mark to replace him with a fellow Brit.

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