Braehead Clan
Watch out because the Clan are out to upset. Coach Bruce Richardson has signed former Nottingham Panther and goalscorer Brendan Cook from CHL Rapid City and has added Dominic Noel, a 6'0 centre who last season scored 28 points in 32 games between Norway and the Swedish Division One. It's not just upfront that they are looking good either, in defence Richardson has added solid defensive defenceman Cody Bostock from Odense in Denmark and pointscoring defenceman Jon Landry, who comes in after a season split between the CHL, where he hit 31 points in 38 games, and DEL. Netminders are now the order of the day in western Scotland.
Belfast Giants
The Giants are the side everyone is talking about this off-season even with five imports yet to sign. Returning to Northern Ireland is Canadian Brandon Benedict, who contributed 16 goals and 41 assists in the regular season and a further goal and four assists as the Giants won the playoffs. Doug Christiansen has added gritty pointscoring winger Josh Prutton, who hit 36 points in 68 ECHL games in Las Vegas last year, and defenceman Jeff Mason, who is another player that split last season between Europe, in this case the Bundesliga, and the ECHL. The Giants look good as it stands but with five more imports to sign it doesn't bear thinking about how much better they could get.
Cardiff Devils
The Welsh outfit completed their roster this month with four signings, two British returnees and two new import defenceman. Lumbering blueliner Justin Sawyer has signed from the ECHL to provide Brad Voth with some backup in the fighting stakes while standout former Manchester Phoenix Kenton Smith has returned to the UK after a year away in Italy with Valpellice, where he scored two goals and added 15 assists. The confirmation of Brits Alex Symonds and Ben Davies rounded of the Devils roster. The squad Gerard Adams has assembled looks quietly very good, a top four finish, given the Steelers situatuion, is almost a given, what else the South Wales side can do remains to be seen.
Coventry Blaze
A busy July for GB and Coventry boss Paul Thompson with the signing of five players, including four re-signings. The pick of the bunch is the return of of talismanic centreman Dan Carlson for a sixth year in the Midlands after hitting 20 goals and 50 assists last season. Elsewhere, goalscoring tough guy Brad Cruikshank, ever reliable defenceman Mattias Soderstrom and back up netminder Tom Murdy all return to the fold. The one new Blaze signing of the month is man mountain, and former Hull Stingrays target, Jeff Smith, who signs having registered four goals and 14 assists in a championship winning season in Holland with Nijemegen. Just one import remaining for the EIHL Champion Coventry Blaze with that rumoured to be a big one.
Dundee Stars
The Stars finally came to life with regards to signings with the addition of four imports, two of whom have previous experience in the EIHL. Peter Cartwright and Brent Hughes, formerly a Viper, look to have the speed and skill to put the Stars on the scoresheet and their lack of size should, in theory, be negotiated by the signing of entertaining enforcer Sean McMorrow, who will protect the low budget Stars side, and former ECHL power forward Mark Nebus, who also isn't afraid to drop them. On the blueline, coach Dan Ceman has recruited Jason Tessier, a defenceman who scored 32 points in the CHL last year. The Stars remain five imports and a couple of Brits away from a complete squad, August will be an important month for the inaugural EIHL Dundee Stars.
Edinburgh Capitals
The Capitals finally have a head coach. Brad Gratton, an experienced coach and former Cardiff Devil, was appointed as head coach of the Scottish side and immediately went about putting together a roster capable of competing in the upcoming year. Four imports have since joined the club, all with differing backgrounds. Defencemen Evan Schafer and Daniel Madsen have signed from the ECHL and Danish top flight respectively, while forwards Nick Fanton and Adam Taylor have joined from the NCAA and ECHL. Like the Stars, an important month of recruitment lies ahead for the Caps.
Hull Stingrays
Sylvain Cloutier thought he had completed his second squad as Stingrays player coach with six signings, culminating in the addition of former Basingstoke blueliner Trevor Read this month. He has re-signed Brit James Archer and last seasons top scorer Konstantin Kalmikov, while adding starting keeper Christian Boucher from Dutch champions Nijmegen, rookie Andrew Coburn from the NCAA, and Read and tough guy Matt Suderman from France. However, physical defenceman Stephen Burns, who was halfway through a two-year contract, quit the club, leaving Cloutier unexpectedly searching for the final piece of his jigsaw.
Newcastle Vipers
A quiet month for the Vipers and head coach Danny Stewart who continued his theme of having a young but talented squad for next year with the addition of two imports. Polish international Jaroslaw Rzeszutko signs after a career year last season in the Polish top flight and joining him is goalscorer Dan Speer, who becomes the second player to sign for the Vipers from Canadian college. As with Braehead, the netminder signed could be key to their fortunes next year.
Nottingham Panthers
A complete squad, all that is left for coach Corey Neilson to do between now and August is hope that the long wait for a league title ends in 2011.
Sheffield Steelers
What a month for the Steelers. Controversy, the club up for sale, the club not up for sale. No one really knows exactly what is happening or what will become of the Steelers by seasons end. One thing that is for sure is that the Steelers will have a coach for next season with the news that former NHLer Ben Simon will be the South Yorkshire clubs player-coach next year. Simon will have a tough job on his hands with news that some players formerly signed up may be having second thoughts about joining the club. It would be no surprise if Simon were looking to bring in his own players, particularly with the supposed discontent amongst the ranks. An interesting month ahead for Sheffield with more twists and turns likely just around the corner.
