Excel Hull Stingrays 10/11 Season Review: At The Back

All photos copyright Arthur Foster

Netminders

Christian Boucher (61GP 3.68GAA 89.5sv.% 3 assists 0PIM)

Grade: C+

Return: Yes

Brought to the club on the back of a double winning season in Holland with a reputation for winning games on his own, the likeable Canadian had a somewhat average, fairly unnoticeable first year in the UK this season. While the he may not have won many games singlehandedly, the netminder also rarely if ever cost his side points or a win and that was certainly a positive in his second year in Europe. Behind a defence that was, prior to the arrival of Drew Bannister, frail, Boucher remained relatively solid and that continued when the former NHLer arrived. An obvious low point for the Ontario native was the 12-0 thrashing in Cardiff in Bannister's first game, in which he played the full 60 minutes, facing 42 shots, however, he rebounded well allowing just one goal the following night at home to Nottingham. Often caught out by both one timers at the back post and breakaways, the latter not helped by consistently poor team line changes or a slow retreating blueline, Boucher to his credit was an ever-present in the lineup and played at a ridiculously consistent level all year long, rarely slipping from that level. That reliability is key for Elite League netminders and as such his chance of returning looks high, nevertheless, his apparent lack of match winning ability did have some questioning whether Cloutier would roll the dice the summer looking for a keeper capable of winning a game on his own. The 27 year old NCAA graduate is a favourite in Hull and could certainly feel hard done by were he not at least offered the chance to return.

Andrew Jaszczyk (3GP 4.04GAA 85.7sv.%)

Grade: C-

Return: Yes

Backup netminder is undoubtedly the hardest role to play in British hockey and 21 year old Jaszczyk found that out more than ever this season, when his ice time was halved for a third consecutive year for no apparent reason. Statistically there isn't much to judge in the Brits three bit part appearances this season that totaled just 47 minutes. Even under circumstances such as Edinburgh's mid-season demise - normally perfect backup territory - the Rotherham born stopper remained on the bench more often than not. Unsurprising, given the team was chasing 6th place right up to the penultimate weekend of the year but nevertheless frustrating for Jaszczyk, who must now make a decision on his future ambition within the sport. A seemingly popular member of the squad that plays a number of important duties off-ice for Cloutier, he would undoubtedly be a welcome returnee for the Stingrays, and with starting opportunities in the English Premier League limited that would appear to be the obvious choice, unless a return to regular ice-time in the third tier English National League is preferred by the 21 year old.

Defencemen

Craig Mitchell (25GP 1+4 25PIM)

Grade: C-

Return: No

The younger of the Mitchell brothers, defenceman Craig returned for his second year in Stingrays colours hoping more ice-time and another year under his belt would propel him into contention for the Great Britain national side. Unfortunately, the 20 year old was largely robbed of that opportunity after breaking his arm blocking a shot in the club's second game of the year, a 6-1 loss in Braehead. A solid, dependable defenceman that Cloutier had a lot of faith in, Mitchell returned to action in November after just over a month out but was then again sidelined to a shoulder ligament injury, returning against Coventry in February only to find the injury had not healed. The former Edinburgh defenceman then allegedly had a closed doors disagreement with the club over the extent of the injury and didn't return, handing in his notice to leave Hull before the club's final games of the year, signalling the end of his brief two-year stint with the club.

Trevor Read (61GP 7+22 55PIM)

Grade: D

Return: No

Former Basingstoke defenceman Read came to the Stingrays after a below average year in France and almost immediately caused concern with his lack of pace, defensive mistakes and poor shot from the point. In short, at that point there was very little the Canadian did right on a blueline that had a huge deficiency in speed and was often caught out of position. The release of Latvian Kriss Grundmanis and signature of former NHLer Drew Bannister changed that though as Cloutier paired Read with the veteran signed from the AHL. Awful pre-Bannister, Read was now a fairly solid, if unspectacular part of the Rays defensive corps. Sure, mistakes were still made and Bannister's arrival didn't magically bless the 27 year old with speed or a good shot but he did improve his all around play and positioning, even if some believe that may have been down to Bannister's presence. Nevertheless, it is a credit to Read's character that he persevered throughout and it was definitely appreciated by the club's fans that he had faith to remain with the club post-summer collapse.

Kurtis Dulle (61GP 12+31 132PIM)

Grade: B+

Return: Yes

A late replacement for captain-to-be Joshua Mizerek, who re-signed in Holland after the club's collapse, Dulle turned out to be one of the captures of the summer by Cloutier. The offensive defenceman that the club had been craving since the days of Kevin Young and Craig Minard, he was named as an unlikely but more than capable captain in Mizerek's place and ended up an ever present in the Stingrays lineup. With his natural strengths going forward, bringing the puck forward from the back, his continuous hard work often went unnoticed as did his defensive play. The only minor criticism that could be aimed at the 31 year old is that he took too many penalties as he somehow clocked up a mammoth 132 minutes with no fighting majors. Still, the majority of this may be attributed to trying to do too much and often getting caught forward, which is understandable given the Rays lack of offensively capable defenceman. There has been talk of him retiring after spending this summer playing in the Australian league with the Sydney Bears, however, with Cloutier likely to have offered a contract, another year with the Stingrays could prove tempting.

Aivars Gaisins (49GP 0+4 81PIM)

Grade: C-

Return: No

Gaisins returned to the club for a second season and filled a hole on the Stingrays blueline, much like Trevor Read, after a debut year in which he was restricted to just two games after injury. The Latvian was signed as the club's sixth defenceman as a result of living and working locally but was called on increasingly this year after Craig Mitchell injury woes. As an import that was likely cheaper than the equivalent Brit, Gaisins was very useful in the higher import limit EIHL, however, his place in the team next year may be more difficult to justify after the Elite League decided to drop that limit from 12 to 10. While a handy, gritty player to have as a sixth or seventh defenceman, Gaisins probably isn't good enough to secure a full role in next seasons ten import Stingrays with the occasional mistake to his game at Elite League level and very few points. Nevertheless, it is likely he will remain in the city in his full-time job so should the Rays lack of depth on D strike once again he should be available to slot in as and when, assuming he most likely continues training with the side.

Drew Bannister (34GP 5+15 50PIM)

Grade: A

Return: Yes

Former NHLer Bannister signed on as player-assistant coach as one of the club's biggest ever signings after a full season captaining Binghampton Senators in the AHL in 09/10 and he easily stepped in to the place left by towering Latvian youngster Kriss Grundmanis, a bizarre player switch but one that obviously proved to be mightily effective for the Stingrays. Ignoring his debut, that now infamous 12-0 thrashing at the hands of Cardiff live on Sky Sports, Bannister made an immediate impact on the Rays blueline turning a previously slow, sloppy defensive unit into one that was one relatively stable. Although there were still issues at the back, mostly related to the opposition getting in behind the defence all too regularly and too easily, Bannister's impact was obvious, particularly on Trevor Read's game, which improved no end when he joined the club. Individually, club Defenceman of the Year Bannister was cool and calm on the puck, tenacious and hard working off it and as experienced and clever as they come, as would be expected for a D man that has played in three of the world's top leagues. Whether the seasoned pro returns to Hull for one last season at the age of 37 remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, he will go down as one of the best ever defenceman to take to the ice as a Stingray.
 

MIA

Kriss Grundmanis (17GP 1+1 19PIM)

Grade: D-

Return: No

Signed as one of two towering European blueliners, Grundmanis never truly looked cut out for Elite League hockey and ultimately paid for lacking the physical, enforcing abilities of Jozef Sladok. The Latvian began the year being sucker punched by Cardiff's Justin Sawyer and his 17 game spell didn't get much better with his lack of physical play often frustrating for a 6'5 defenceman. Another likeable player but unfortunately one that came to the Rays too soon and was clearly too inexperienced for the British top flight. He ended his stay with the club by scoring his only goal in a 17 game spell with a fine individual effort against Coventry before joining English Premier League side Sheffield Steeldogs, where he played out the rest of the year, impressing in the process.

Also iced: James Hutchininson and Thomas Jeffrey (EPL Peterborough Phatoms), Thomas Ralph (ENL Kingston Jets)