The new signings mean that the Giants only have two spots to fill on their roster before the new season, meaning that with just 5 players re-signed from last season (all, except Shane Johnson of which are Brits), only a potential high of 7 players could return from last season.

I have no idea who the last two players could be but I would hedge my bets that one of them will be a returning forward from last season, possibly George Awada.

Anyway, here is what the press-release had to say about the latest two signings for the team:

Coors Giants Sign Two More Forwards…

Wednesday, July 16th, 2008 - The Coors Belfast Giants are delighted to announce the signings of forwards Evan Cheverie and Paul Deniset. They are both very highly skilled forwards that are going to add to the excitement in the Odyssey this season. Cheverie is no stranger to the Elite League as he led the Coventry Blaze in scoring during the 2005/06 season. It will be Paul Deniset’s first time in the UK but he has already tasted European success last year finishing in the top ten in scoring in the highly rated German Bundesliga.

Coach Thornton on signing Evan Cheverie:

“Evan is a former East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) all-star and was on the Elite League first all-star team when he played for Coventry. He is a proven star over here and has put up numbers everywhere he has played. He was the top scorer for the Blaze in 2005/06 as well as his ECHL team so we have very high expectations for Evan. He also knows how to win having won the French Elite League title while playing with Stevie Lyle in Morzine. With a lot of new faces coming in this season, it is nice to have another guy in the room that knows the league and has performed well in the UK before. He will be a big part of our offence this season and there aren’t many gifted forwards out there that can also take shifts on defense, which is a huge bonus.”

Cheverie speaking from his home in Canada:

‘I am thrilled to be part of the Belfast Giants. I have talked to both Steve Thornton and Todd Kelman and I think all three of us are extremely excited about next season. After being away from the UK for two years I am certainly looking forward to being in an environment where people have a lot of passion for hockey. I remember playing against the Giants when I was part of the Blaze. It was very clear that the fans in Belfast were very supportive of their team and that the organization was committed to winning and that made my decision to come to Belfast an easy one. I can’t wait to put the skates on and start playing for the Giants. I didn’t like the way my season played out in Norway last year, I feel as though I have a lot to prove this year. As I said before I just can’t wait to put the skates on again, I wish the season started tomorrow. I am looking forward to winning some trophy’s this season and I believe we have the team to do it!’
Coach Thornton on Paul Deniset:

“Getting one of the top players from the German Bundesliga is a major coup for the Giants. Paul is very fast and very skilled and excels on the big European ice. He is a proven leader having worn a letter 3 out of 4 seasons while starring for the University of Manitoba. He battles extremely hard on the ice and has game breaking skill. He was one of the top players in Canada during his last few collegiate years and managed to land himself a job in Germany as a result. I think Paul is going to be one of those players that will make his linemates better.”

Paul Deniset speaking from his home in Manitoba:

“I am very excited to be coming to Belfast and playing for the Giants this year. I have talked to many people about Belfast as a city and I have heard nothing but positives. The same holds true for the Giants organization. I hear the fans are passionate and supportive and I look forward to having a great year with the team. See you soon!’

GM Todd Kelman speaking on both players:

“I was unfortunate enough to have to play against Evan a few years ago. At that time I felt he was one of the best players in the league. I was quite happy that he left Coventry the following season! He spent one third of the year playing defence and still managed to finish amongst the top scorers in the league. He can play a lot of minutes and a lot of different positions and do some damage in many different ways. He finishes his hits, he plays gritty, he is strong on face-offs and he can put the puck in the net.”

‘We feel Paul Deniset is a huge signing for the Giants. We got the chance to see Scotty Cameron last season and he had a great deal of skill. Paul played on the same team as Scotty in Germany and actually finished with more goals than Scotty had points, which means we should be expecting great things from him next season! He will be an important figure on the powerplay and will certainly provide some entertainment for the fans. We added a couple more great guys to the locker room which was the direction we really wanted to take the team in as well.”

Paul Deniset, along with recent signing Andrew Martin will be the inaugural Giants to attend University locally and earn their Master’s Degrees as part of a recent partnership with University of Ulster at Jordanstown.

Belfast now have only 2 spots left to fill on their roster and expect to make another announcement next week.

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.

Burgoyne, 29,  joins the Giants from Oklahoma City Blazers while Howells, 24, and one year into his professional hockey career, comes from the Helibronn Falcons in Germany. The Giants definitely appear to have picked two players with plenty to offer on their debut’s in the Elite League.

Howells starred for the Michigan State Spartans for four seasons where he won the CCHA League Championship in his third year and the National Championship during his final season at University. He was an Assistant Captain for the National Championship team and was selected to both the NCAA Regional and NCAA National “All-Tournament” Teams.

Joining Howells on the blueline next season will be Mike Burgoyne, a Central League All-Star who has set the league on fire over the last two seasons in Oklahoma City. At 6′2″ and nearly 15 stone, he is an imposing figure on the blueline but it’s his offensive skill that has garnered the most attention around the league.

I am definately excited about the offensive punch they will give the Giants from defence. Both appear to be solid in their own zone but able to jump into the rush when necessary. It all points towards yet another offensively minded Giants team, something the Giants have been known for producing over the last number of years.

Bringing in a lot of new faces to the Giants team this year definitely marks a changing of the guard and a new era in Giants hockey.

Coors Belfast Giants Complete Their Defensive Unit … [BelfastGiants.com]

The bad news now however is that he has signed for rivals Coventry Blaze and he will be hitting and fighting our new stars.

Get the lungs prepped for plenty of booing as we suddenly realise that Lewis is dirty, cheap and no longer much of a fighter compared to whoever does the gooning role for ourselves. That is how it tends to go when a hero signs for a rival and quickly becomes a villan.

Personally I will always admire Lewis for his style. In trying to be as unbiased as possible I never seen Lewis as a dirty player and he rarely went looking for an un-necessary fight. He would hit hard, stand up for his team-mates, would take the challenge of a fight and if you took a run at one of his stars like Cloutier did last year on Courtenay, he would make you regret it (note the big hit moments later on Tony Hand followed by the fight with Cloutier himself).

Lewis was only here for one year, he will soon be forgotten about as a new hero (Bobby Robbins?) comes in to fill his skates.

Without being able to attend many games I feel it would be unfair to try right game reports and in depth opinions on the team. I will indeed try to watch the games online while I can but that wont always be possible. I don’t want to give up the site because of the work I have put in and will try find the time to update the information pertaining to the history of the team which in essence is what the site is all about. Still, the blog has proved pretty popular and it would be nice to keep it running throughout the upcoming season.

If you feel like you have what it takes to write about the Belfast Giants then please get in touch here.

I will continue to contribute and blog from time to time on what I do see, what I hear, what I read and what I feel pretty much, but for game reports, opinions and the thoughts of someone who is actually in attendance at Odyssey (or away games for that matter) then your services are required. Don’t be shy.

I’ve also spent the last few days updating parts of the site and changing some minor features. You’ll notice small changes like a double space between the text now and such things. One of the bigger changes is the removal of the category list from the right-hand-side. I felt it was getting a little too big and so have tidied that up. It shouldn’t effect your viewing of the site at all and the list of categories can still be viewed by clicking here or on the footer of the page. There may be more changes to come but you will see and hear about them if and when they occur.

That’s all!

Ricky

So about them signings — yep, I haven’t forgot — In truch I have wrote about them already, over on the front page of KotG. You can read about them signings and my thoughts of it there. For now and to save myself the time before the second half of the football kicks off again I’ll just mention them by name here. Welcome to Belfast Andrew Martin and Bobby Robins.

By the way, the truth behind my lack of updates has been that with the off season firmly on the go I have been focusing on a sports blog I have been writing too the past few months. Indeed. How dare I abandon my original, oldest and most proud site/blog.

I’ll be back soon.