Great Britain: British players abroad

[3 Minute Minor]

JJ Pitchley returning from abroad to play for London (Romford) Raiders, on a two-way with Slough Jets

Looked like he did quite well in NA, same league as Bobby Chamberlain and more points. He was always a good player, saw him a few times playing juniors for Bracknell

7 more points in 11 games a year older than Chamberlain

 

[3 Minute Minor]

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/posts/vi...keen-as-a-WhistleGB-boss-is-keen-as-a-Whistle

NHL target Jackson Whistle could yet turn out for Great Britain.

GB Under-18s boss Mark Beggs is aware the Canada-born goalie qualifies for the Lions because he learnt to play in this country.

Whistle, 17, came through the junior ranks at Bracknell when his father Dave was coaching the Bees’ first team.

The Whistle family are now back in Canada, where Jackson plays for Western Hockey League Vancouver Giants. He is tipped to figure in next year’s NHL draft and Beggs would call on Whistle if the teenager was prepared to pledge his future to GB.

Dave Whistle said: “We are aware of the interest and it will be up to Jackson to decide his international future.â€

Meanwhile, two-time coach of the year Dave – he took both Bracknell and Belfast to league titles – says he would jump at the chance of another spell coaching in Britain.

Didn't even know

 

[Siamese Dream]

I'm sceptical about how true this is, he would have been no older than 5 when his dad was coaching Bracknell, EP says he left the UK and went back to coach in Canada in 2006 making Jackson 11 years old, so if the IIHF 2 years since 12th birthday applies, he can't play. I haven't been able to find any stats either.

 

[3 Minute Minor]

google searched "Jackson Whistle Malcolm Preen"
http://preen.xtreemhost.com/u12s1cardiff2004.html


Also I first became aware of this when Pete Russell tweeted at Jackson Whistle saying he taught him how to make a save that he was pictured making lol

 

[Siamese Dream]

Interesting

I only looked at Bracknell stats as the article claimed he "came through the junior ranks" there.

I still doubt if he will fit the IIHF criteria though

 

[3 Minute Minor]

Interesting

I only looked at Bracknell stats as the article claimed he "came through the junior ranks" there.

I still doubt if he will fit the IIHF criteria though

Missing the point. I wasn't posting an article from over a year ago about a player who obviously won't play U18 seeing as he's already 18+, just saying I had no idea he had any connection to GB let alone played in GB as a youth.

 

[Siamese Dream]

Missing the point. I wasn't posting an article from over a year ago about a player who obviously won't play U18 seeing as he's already 18+, just saying I had no idea he had any connection to GB let alone played in GB as a youth.

Yeah but the article was saying Mark Beggs wanted him to play

 

[3 Minute Minor]

Yeah but the article was saying Mark Beggs wanted him to play

ye it's from before the IIHF rules so at the time he would have been eligible

 

[Siamese Dream]

I've updated the OP ready for next season as many of these guys are now confirmed returning to the UK. So far I have only included the confirmed with link on EP signings. There will be a long list again when the season starts.

 

[3 Minute Minor]

I wish there was a little more USHL/NAHL content on hfboards. I'd like to hear how Conway looked at Indiana's USHL camp

 

[3 Minute Minor]

Farmer to Alaska

http://www.britishicehockey.co.uk/news/farmer-set-for-alaska-adventure--6671.html

of all the ECHL teams he could have gone to, I think he made a great decision.

 

[Bojovnik]

I guarantee he'll be back before Christmas.

 

[3 Minute Minor]

I guarantee he'll be back before Christmas.

Why...

 

[Siamese Dream]

Why...

Because the #1 prerequisite to becoming a British hockey fan is: must always be pessimistic and think the worst case scenario is the most likely scenario every time.

Note how on THF nobody has commended the guy for actually having some ambition and giving it a go overseas again, or been positive about it in any way at all, all comments are along the lines of "he will fail and will be back in the EIHL this season"

 

[3 Minute Minor]

Because the #1 prerequisite to becoming a British hockey fan is: must always be pessimistic and think the worst case scenario is the most likely scenario every time.

Note how on THF nobody has commended the guy for actually having some ambition and giving it a go overseas again, or been positive about it in any way at all, all comments are along the lines of "he will fail and will be back in the EIHL this season"

I've kind of ignored THF because 95% of the people are rubes

 

[Siamese Dream]

I've kind of ignored THF because 95% of the people are rubes

Even the admin is an idiot, the guy doesn't even watch hockey anymore, and he is always flaming other posters

 

[3 Minute Minor]

Even the admin is an idiot, the guy doesn't even watch hockey anymore, and he is always flaming other posters

haha there's a few guys I'd actually enjoy talking to and it seems like they actually have first hand experience with hockey at some level. I love how many of them never played hockey in GB, coached, have a kid in GB hockey, etc. they have as much insight as me but tell me why I don't know what I'm talking about

 

[Bojovnik]

Because the #1 prerequisite to becoming a British hockey fan is: must always be pessimistic and think the worst case scenario is the most likely scenario every time.

Note how on THF nobody has commended the guy for actually having some ambition and giving it a go overseas again, or been positive about it in any way at all, all comments are along the lines of "he will fail and will be back in the EIHL this season"

Probably because of the fact that he couldn't cut it in the OHL, and came back after one game, before upping sticks from Kazakhstan in pre-season because it was too tough for him.

And that's secondary to the fact that... he's not all that good?

 

[villevalo]

And that's secondary to the fact that... he's not all that good?

When he was getting positive stuff when playing EPL I really couldn't see it, they guy played a typical gritty Sheffield game, very rarely backed up his play with the gloves.

 

[3 Minute Minor]

Probably because of the fact that he couldn't cut it in the OHL, and came back after one game, before upping sticks from Kazakhstan in pre-season because it was too tough for him.

And that's secondary to the fact that... he's not all that good?

You know Ben O'Connor only played 56 games over 2 seasons in the OHL because he "couldn't make it" if you will. Are you saying he couldn't play in the ECHL after a couple of years of dominating the Kazakh league?

 

[Siamese Dream]

Probably because of the fact that he couldn't cut it in the OHL, and came back after one game, before upping sticks from Kazakhstan in pre-season because it was too tough for him.

And that's secondary to the fact that... he's not all that good?

None of this is even true. It wasn't because he "couldn't cut it" in the OHL. He was an import in the OHL and you have to be really worth one of those two spots, if he was Canadian he would have cut it in the OHL easily, a Czech defenseman became available and his team decided that guy was a better option.

It probably wasn't the hockey that was too tough for him, he was in a country where not many people speak English and yes while Ben O'Connor was able to stick with it there, some people are just better at dealing with the culture shock. I've just come back from spending 2 months in Russia after living a completely sheltered middle class life in South Wales/England, it isn't easy, after a few weeks I was thinking "**** this **** I want to go home"

Farmer is a good player, while other guys may be more skilled than him, he is much better suited to the North American style of play on the smaller ice.

 

[3 Minute Minor]

Old news not posted:

Jack Musil recently joined the New England Wolves. If I'm not mistaken this is some sort of prep school. I don't think they guarantee NCAA placement but they do everything they can to get as many as their players as possible on NCAA rosters. I think he'll end up on a Div. III NCAA team like Boxill and company.

 

[3 Minute Minor]

I know IT/99 doesn't like Perlini updates because it doesn't look like he'll play for GB but...

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2013/08/28/maletta-looking-to-rebound

The IceDogs plan to start the season with a No. 1 line of Carter Verhaeghe centrering Brendan Perlini and Anthony DiFruscia.

Looks like he'll be getting top line minutes. Unfortunately it looks like Niagara won't be very strong meaning Perlini will be available for U18s and Canada will likely use him.

 

[Siamese Dream]

Old news not posted:

Jack Musil recently joined the New England Wolves. If I'm not mistaken this is some sort of prep school. I don't think they guarantee NCAA placement but they do everything they can to get as many as their players as possible on NCAA rosters. I think he'll end up on a Div. III NCAA team like Boxill and company.

No it looks like they're in a new league similar to the old one he was in, it's one of those tier III Junior A leagues in the USA

 

[3 Minute Minor]

No it looks like they're in a new league similar to the old one he was in, it's one of those tier III Junior A leagues in the USA

No what? It's not a prep school type thing? Well...

http://www.americanhockeyinstitute....w/americanhockeyinstitute/about-the-institute

Welcome to the American Hockey Institute, home of the New England Wolves.

Designed to serve the unique needs of the elite player transitioning between high school and college, our seven-month residency program based in beautiful Waterville Valley, N.H., provides rigorous hockey-specific training and a highly competitive 45-game schedule. The Institute also provides college prep courses and counseling to better prepare its students for their young adulthood years directly ahead.

The ultimate goal of the American Hockey Institute is to successfully place each of its students in a university hockey program. And while it is impossible to guarantee placement, there is no doubt our program’s targeted strategies dramatically increase the odds of each student achieving his or her own ultimate goal.