And we're off, let the pre-season signings commence; Mitchell is Back!

I earlier suggested that the tone of the Stingrays pre-season was being set by their two best Brits leaving the side.

Thankfully for the Stingrays and coach Rick Strachan that number will remain at one (Dave Phillips to Belfast) after Fife born forward Lee Mitchell agreed terms with the Stingrays for the upcoming 08-09 season.

With 10 goals and 10 assists in 46 games for the Stingrays this past season, at the age of just 21, Mitchell was a must return if the team had playoff aspirations for next season.

I can't stress enough how big a blow losing your two best Brits would have been, there are other Brits out there but which British player of a similar standard to Phillips and Mitchell is going to come to the lowest spending and worst team in the league (10th in the EIHL in 07/08). It would have been a tough ask.

As it is Strachan, so far, only has to replace Phillips from the British corps, although in some ways he already has a ready made 17 year old replacement waiting in the wings in Stevie Lee. The question is will he be able to step up straight away? I think probably not straight away, although I believe he has the potential to be a better player than Phillips, it will almost certainly mean adjusting the plan for signings this pre-season with Phillips being worth an import slot himself.

Mitchell suffered a season ending knee injury in February which cut short his season. A season where he better last season's points total in the EIHL by 7 points, despite playing 10 less games.

Strachan said this of his re-signing:

"We are delighted to have Lee back. He is very professional on and off the ice and we hope he will continue to progress and have a big year for us. We believe his injury cost him a probable place in the GB squad for the World Championships but he will be fully fit for the start of next season and we expect Lee to go from strength to strength"

Pre-season is now underway. 1 down 17 to go.

Hull Stingrays 2007-2008 Season Review: At The Back

This blog is avaliable in full at Pro Hockey News but I thought I would post a brief version on here too just so theres more content.

Netminders

Ladislav Kudrna(60G 90.1% SP)- Lacked the consistency of his predecessor, Miroslav Bielik, but did steal one or two games for the Stingrays. Failed to regain the red hot form of 2004-2005.
Grade: C-

Tom Chamberlain (8G 83.3% SP)- Did his job by backing up number one netminder Kurdna well, however did not take his game to the next level where he could be considered anything more than a backup, which is probably what he will return as.
Grade: D+

G=Games Played in, SP=Save Percentage

Defencemen

Dave Phillips(62G 5+13=18 85PIM)- Had his best season as a pro yet, consistant and solid at the back. A regular in the Stingrays blueline recording top minutes who received Best Defenceman at the post season awards and a callup to the GB squad. Could return with top line potential for the Stingrays or move to a top 4 club. (NOTE: Dave Phillips has since signed for Belfast Giants)
Grade: B
Stevie Lee (56G 0+3=3 22PIM)- A Young prospect who will saw increasing minutes through the Stingrays defensive injury crisis as a Dman. Was moved to forward later in the season but should return to the D next season, if he returns, with yet more minutes on the ice. (ABOVE)
Grade: C-

Nikolai Ladygin (61G 3+15=18 36 PIM)- The Ukrainian man mountain proved solid and reliable with 30 minutes of ice time during the Stingrays injury crisis. During the second string of injuries he was reliable as ever as he moved up front as forward. Will be disapointed with his points total after a 30 point 1st season but should return.
Grade: C

Bryce Thoma (61G 4+23=27 63 PIM)- Never let the side down at the back and provided a decent points return for the somewhat defensive D man that he is. Should return but was contemplating retirement.
Grade: C+
Troy Neumeier (24G 4+5=9 20PIM)- Went through 2 teams before he found his feet in a struggling Stingrays side. 38 years old but never looked out of position and provided calm and leadership in an severely inexperienced backline. Another who should return unless retirement gets the best out of him. (ABOVE)
Grade: A

Jani Virtanen (27G 2+3=5 18PIM)- Injured in his first game with the Stingrays and never fully recovered from that injury which kept him out for 2 months. Showed some flashes of what he could do but those flashes were few and far between.
Grade: D+

Luke Boothroyd (60G 3+5=8 84PIM)- An indifferent season for the defenceman, inconsistency at the back, along with some huge mistakes, cost him his place on D and he was swiftly moved up front. Somehow managed a call up into the Great Britain squad for the World Championships Division 1 in Austria.
Grade: D

G=Games followed by Goals+Assists=Points, PIM=Penalties in Minutes

"Would the last one out please switch off the lights..."

With the departure of David Phillips, from the Excel Hull Stingrays to fellow EIHL club the Belfast Giants, began what could be a mass exodus from the East Yorkshire club and what could mean huge changes for the start of the 2008/09 EIHL season.

The signing of Phillips for the Giants is a capture which marks the beggining of an era at both the Giants and Stingrays. Belfast and their new coach, former Basingstoke Bison assistant coach Steve Thornton, have begun their pre-season by signing a Great Britain defenceman marked as one of the best in the country behind Coventry's Jonathon Weaver, whilst Hull have been cursing their luck as their key British defenceman and one of the players of the season has left a gaping hole in next seasons defence.

Thornton was naturally delighted with signing one of Britains best defensive players saying to the Belfast Giants website:

"I saw a lot of Phillips this season and I would rate him as the second best British Defenceman in the league behind Jonathan Weaver. He has size and strength and a ton of skill. Every guy I asked about him said he was a superb player and a great guy to have in the locker room. You don't see many 20 year olds in this league wearing an 'A' (assistant captain) on their jersey."

And he is spot on with every single one of those points. Put simply, losing one of your best players is a worrying beggining to the pre season for any side, let alone a team that finished rock bottom of the league."

Its not quite time for alarm bells in Stingrays HQ but with rumour of more Brits to follow him out of the door, namely Lee Mitchell (more of that later), and with doubts being cast over the imports performances this season it could be a very different Stingrays side icing next season.

It is widely thought that many of this seasons imports will not return through either poor performance or looking for deals elsewhere. Rob Rankin, the clubs top point scorer with 24 goals and 33 assists, is thought to be long gone, perhaps to Europe, whilst Jake Riddle, one of the biggest impact Stingrays after Christmas, is rumoured to be moving North to the Newcastle Vipers. Finally the stand out imports on the Stingrays D, Bryce Thoma and Troy Neumeier, are both contemplating retirement at the age of 25 and 38 respectively.

With respect to the other Stingrays imports, this season those 4 players were head and shoulders above the others in terms of performance and it would be suprising if more than 2 or 3 of those other players returned.

Import turnover is an interesting issue in the EIHL. Compairing the opening nights of 06/07 and 07/08 the Stingrays kept on just 9 players from an 18 man squad, with just Jeff Glowa, Nikolai Ladygin and Cole Byers making the summer cuts with Byers being cut mid season due to a recurring knee injury which required surgery.

Expect to see the same this summer as imports choose to leave and are not re-signed.

The latest rumour involving the Stingrays (other than the annual Stingrays to the EPL rumour; and thats all it is) is that they are set to be rocked by another valuable Brit leaving. Lee Mitchell is the Brit in question and Newcastle Vipers or Edinburgh Capitals are the teams looking to sign the up and coming forward who registered 10 goals and 10 assists in 46 games.

If Mitchell does up sticks and leave then it will be a devastating blow to the team with good Brits very difficult to come by. Again if he does choose to leave then the re-signings of particularly Slava Koulikov (4 goals and 13 assists since Christmas) and James Knight (9 goals and 9 assists this season) will be as huge as will the signing of a good Brit to replace him.

Last seasons success story Lee Esders who was signed from Newcastle Vipers B after being in the Hull junior development system may also be quitting the Stingrays.

Finally I would like to pay my respects to Ian Defty, the former Hull, Newcastle and Guildford defenceman, who died last week at the age of just 29. It would be good to see the Stingrays pay tribute to him by playing a two legged challenge game against Newcastle for the Ian Defty Memorial Trophy or by retiring his #22 jersey for a season and having a #22 emblem on their shirts for a season.