Great Britain: Foreign Players in the EIHL

[GBHockey]

Sheer boredom and wanting to increase the awareness of the type of level the EIHL currently stands at, this thread will list all of the foreign players signing in the EIHL for the coming season. To add an escense of organisation to it, it'll be split up via leagues which will also then in theory be able to depict the average quality of foreign players in the EIHL. The list excludes foreign players who have re-signed from last season.

AHL

Tommy Hughes - Hershey Bears
Kyle Baun - Toronto Marlies
Francis Beauvillier - Manitoba Moose - 2012 174th Overall Draft Pick of Florida

ECHL

Jordan Abt - Norfolk Admirals
Dylan Olsen - Adirondack Thunder - 2009 28th Overall Draft Pick of Chicago
Josh Pitt - Kalamazoo Wings
Scott Tanski - Reading Royals
Joel Rumpel - Utah Grizzlies
Guillaume Lepine - Wichita Thunder
Tanner Eberle - Jacksonville Icemen
Curtis Leonard - Fort Wayne Komets
Evan Janssen - Rapid City Rush
Alexander Guptill - Allen Americans - 2010 77th Overall Draft Pick of Dallas
Tyson Wilson - Brampton Beast
Matt Ginn - Atlanta Gladiators
Chris Joyaux - Tulsa Oilers
Tyler Biggs - Kalamazoo Wings - 2011 22nd Overall Draft Pick of Toronto
Kevin Morris - Manchester Monarchs
Corbin Baldwin - Idaho Steelheads
Jaynen Rissling - Indy Fuel - 2012 197th Overall Draft Pick of Washington
Evan Richardson - Tulsa Oilers
Matt Rupert - Indy Fuel
Ryan Rupert - Indy Fuel
Ryan Lannon - Atlanta Gladiators - 2002 239th Overall Draft Pick of Pittsburgh

NCAA

Charles Corcoran - Brown University
David Norris - Arizona State University

CIS/USports

Drydn Dow - University of Calgary
Connor Cox - University of Saskatchewan
Josh McFadden - University of Guelph
Josh Roach - University of Saskatchewan
Kendall McFaull - University of Saskatchewan -2010 155th Overall Draft Pick of Atalanta
Trey Lewis - University of New Brunswick
Jamie Crooks - University of Alberta

BCHL

Brandon Whistle - Salmon Arm Silverbacks

Qu'Appelle Valley Hockey League (QVHL)

Harrison Ruopp - Balgonie Bisons - 2011 84th Overall Draft Pick of Phoenix/Arizona

KHL

Charles Linglet - Dinamo Minsk

Finnish Liiga

Ben Blood - Assat - 2007 120th Overall Draft Pick of Ottawa

Swedish Allsvenskan

Pontus Sjogren - HC Vita Hasten

DEL

Mike Hedden - Straubing Tigers
Jordan Owens - Fischtown Pinguins
Stephen Dixon - Grizzly's Wolfsburg - 2007 229th Overall Draft Pick of Pittsburgh
Aaron Johnson - Adler Mannheim - 2001 85th Overall Draft Pick of Columbus

DEL2

Evan McGrath - EC Kassel Huskies
Justin Buzzeo - Ravensburg Towerstars
Shawn Boutin - Dresden Eislowen
Stefan Della Rovere - EC Kassel Huskies - 2008 204th Overall Draft Pick of Washington

EBEL

Jon Rheault - Klagenfurter AC - 2006 145th Overall Draft Pick of Philadelphia

Tipsport Liga (Slovakia)

Justin Kovacs - HK Nitra
Josh Gratton - HC Nove Zamky
Martin Mazanec - MsHK Zilina

Metal Ligaen (Denmark)

Rasmus Bjerrum - Odense Bulldogs
Kevin Henderson - SønderjyskE
Michael Fine - Esbjerg Energy
Justin Hache - SønderjyskE - 2012 208th Overall Draft Pick of Arizona
Mark Hurtubise - Frederikshavn White Hawks
Patrick Dwyer - SønderjyskE - 2002 116th Overall Draft Pick of Atlanta
Jake Hansen - Rungsted Seier Capital - 2007 68th Overall Draft Pick of Columbus

AlpsHL

Patrick Killeen - Ritten-Renon - 2008 180th Overall Draft Pick of Pittsburgh
Mike Sullivan - Asiago

Erste Liga (Hungary)

Kelin Ainsworth - Fehérvári Titánok
Logan MacMillan - ASC Corona Brasov - 2007 19th Overall Draft Pick of Anaheim

Ligue Magnus (France)

Rob Linsmayer - Gap
Alex Nikiforuk - Epinal
Evan Ritt - Gap

French 2nd Division

Fabrizio Ricci - Cergy

Poland

Radek Meidl - Orlik Opole
Joonas Huovinen - GKS Tychy
Shane Owen - GKS Katowice

Czech Extraliga

Jiri Gula - HC Litvinov

Czech 2nd Division

Nicolai Bryhnisveen - HC Dukla Jihlava

Optibet Hokeja Liga (Latvia)

Georgijs Golovkovs - Liepaja

Click to read more...

 

[Siamese Dream]

I always enjoy the amount of signings I make when playing Eastside Hockey Manager as an EIHL team that actually come true in real life (usually former Rangers draft picks or in the system) and players like Tyler Biggs who I've actually heard of

 

[Rigafan]

If you placed Belfast/Nottingham/Sheffield in the ECHL they'd probably be a decent mid range team

 

[GBHockey]

Edited the topic with the recent influx of signings. Some key, and very experienced players signed up.

 

[Jumptheshark]

says a lot about how the game here has changed

previously we just got goons--but we are actually getting guys that can play

 

[Vandalay Industries]

But still way too few British impact players in your own league. With Great Britain going to the World Championships in 2019 for the first time in many years, I would have loved to have seen more Brits with some real prospect, but looking through the league, I gotta say it was pretty much a fluke promotion. Probably will be in Division 1B in a few years.

I understand that Great Britain has almost no youth development work. But why? Why are there no youth clubs with a good combination of will and ability to develop young players?

(Yes, I am aware of Liam Kirk and Kieran Brown, but they are pretty much alone out there, aren't they?)

 

[GBHockey]

But still way too few British impact players in your own league. With Great Britain going to the World Championships in 2019 for the first time in many years, I would have loved to have seen more Brits with some real prospect, but looking through the league, I gotta say it was pretty much a fluke promotion. Probably will be in Division 1B in a few years.

I understand that Great Britain has almost no youth development work. But why? Why are there no youth clubs with a good combination of will and ability to develop young players?

(Yes, I am aware of Liam Kirk and Kieran Brown, but they are pretty much alone out there, aren't they?)

GB last year at the World Championships were made up of 17 British born and British trained players. The other 5 either were born in GB and moved to North America when very young (Brett Perlini), or have relatives with British Passports, meaning after two seasons they're eligible for GB. They played superbly and I wouldn't say it was fluke that they got promoted. It was simply a case of GB being physically superior, likely fitter and also playing with the underdog factor in each game. Kazakhstan were the only team to dominate GB during the Championships. GB won't do well next May though, their upper limit in my opinion is Division 1A. They're too good, though not by a big margin, for Division 1B and vastly not good enough for the top Division alongside the likes of Canada etc.

The only reputable youth development in the UK is the Okanagan Hockey School in Swindon. There are a few other junior teams with decent reputations for developing junior players but for every 1 kid who ends up in the EIHL, there will be hundreds and hundreds of kids who never play a senior game, never mind a professional game. Youth players who are clearly too good for British junior leagues tend to jump across to lower North American junior leagues such as the Eastern Ontario AAA Midget Hockey League.

Youth teams in the UK are almost always coached by parents of kids, pay to play, pay to train and feature perhaps 20 games per year. Training could be twice a week if you're very lucky, and ice time could be anywhere between 45 minutes and 2 hours. Usually the training takes place relatively late too, 9pm onwards at the more reputable clubs.

The reason it is so poor is mainly due to politics within British Ice Hockey and funding. England (EIHA) have their own governing body, and Scotland (SIHA) have their own governing body. Historically they've never got on, both have different agendas and ideas. Most rinks outside of the EIHL are in poor condition. Some rinks struggle to keep ice frozen, some have no plexi, some have no bench doors, some can't afford new goals, as well as a whole other load of problems. Ice hockey is 2nd best to public ice skating, in every ice rink in the UK. Some rinks even prioritise figure and speed skating over ice hockey too. With so few rinks, some people have to travel 90+ minutes in both directions just to train, just to see ice. Due to the almost zero amount of funding, it means everything in junior hockey here must be paid for by the kids and their parents. Very few coaches have qualifications or experience in coaching, and some don't even have actual experience playing ice hockey. EIHL clubs have historically stood by the belief that it is not their responsibility to develop kids, though that has slowly begun to change in recent years with the introduction of a rule which requires teams to dress at least 3 u23 players to play at full strength.

It's an absolute miracle that anybody in the UK has managed to make a career out of playing ice hockey and it's more often than not thanks to the foreign/import players and coaches that British kids manage to develop further. I know Cardiff Devils' owners send their goaltender, Ben Bowns (born and trained in England, GB #1) over to Calgary during the later summer to train with pro's and former pro's. Without that added development I don't think he'd be half the goalie he is. Nottingham Panthers' former head coach Corey Neilson consistently sent out most if not all of the clubs British players to Canada during the offseason for high quality training, power skating and other areas of development. Former EIHL players who have returned to Canada/America will sometimes invite their former British teammates over for a couple weeks too.

There are a lot of people in the UK who deserve praise and thanks for their efforts in assisting junior players but ultimately the kids need to go elsewhere if they want a career in Ice Hockey. Whether it's North America or Scandinavia, there's one case of a Welsh kid going to Germany to assist with development and now he plays in the German 2nd Tier (DEL2).

British development can't particularly get much worse and Team GB will suffer seriously in the near future. Many players will retire and there will be near enough nobody to replace them. To anyone watching GB next May, make the most of it because I'd be very surprised if we play Canada and the rest of them again in the next decade or two.

 

[3 Minute Minor]

"increase the awareness of the type of level the EIHL currently stands at"

But you're telling us where they've been, not where they're going.


What I mean by that is, the EIHL has basically become a retirement league for imports. Teams are neglecting any young British talent because they're getting excited about a guy with 20 AHL games 8 years ago who is going to be retired in a season or 2.

This isn't something I'm making up either, I have actual numbers to support it.

So from the 2015-16 season:

27 players have moved to leagues abroad
34 Players are on their 2015-16 EIHL club
25 of those 34 are British which means...
9 imports are still on their EIHL club from 2015-16
16 EIHL players from 2015-16 have moved within the EIHL
18 players are currently unsigned

113 players from the 2015-16 EIHL season have retired.


From 2016-17:
31 players have moved to leagues abroad
46 players are still on their 2016-17 EIHL club
29 of those 46 are British which means....
17 Imports are still on their EIHL club from 2016-17
26 EIHL players from 2016-17 have moved within the EIHL
27 players are unsigned

72 players from the 2016-17 EIHL season have retired.



I don't think there's a way to spin this in a positive light. EIHL teams overvalue a player with a resume and undervalue young players that can be contributing to their club for a decade+.


I think a prime example might be Jordan Cownies falling out with Glasgow. He wanted more ice time and left for MKL in the EPL to get it. The Braehead coach and goalie at the time took a healthy dump on Cownie as he left.

But if you look at that roster:
11 players are retired (10 imports)
1 is unsigned (40 yr old Brendan Brooks)
2 are in Guildford
2 in Fife
1 in DEL2
4 returnees (Haywood, Sullivan, Russell and then Scott Pitt came back this season)

Every fan of Glasgow should be upset that their team felt it was necessary to sign a bunch of old guys on their way out of hockey instead of trying to nurture a young talent like Jordan Cownie.

 

[Rigafan]

"increase the awareness of the type of level the EIHL currently stands at"

But you're telling us where they've been, not where they're going.


What I mean by that is, the EIHL has basically become a retirement league for imports. Teams are neglecting any young British talent because they're getting excited about a guy with 20 AHL games 8 years ago who is going to be retired in a season or 2.

This isn't something I'm making up either, I have actual numbers to support it.

So from the 2015-16 season:

27 players have moved to leagues abroad
34 Players are on their 2015-16 EIHL club
25 of those 34 are British which means...
9 imports are still on their EIHL club from 2015-16
16 EIHL players from 2015-16 have moved within the EIHL
18 players are currently unsigned

113 players from the 2015-16 EIHL season have retired.


From 2016-17:
31 players have moved to leagues abroad
46 players are still on their 2016-17 EIHL club
29 of those 46 are British which means....
17 Imports are still on their EIHL club from 2016-17
26 EIHL players from 2016-17 have moved within the EIHL
27 players are unsigned

72 players from the 2016-17 EIHL season have retired.



I don't think there's a way to spin this in a positive light. EIHL teams overvalue a player with a resume and undervalue young players that can be contributing to their club for a decade+.


I think a prime example might be Jordan Cownies falling out with Glasgow. He wanted more ice time and left for MKL in the EPL to get it. The Braehead coach and goalie at the time took a healthy dump on Cownie as he left.

But if you look at that roster:
11 players are retired (10 imports)
1 is unsigned (40 yr old Brendan Brooks)
2 are in Guildford
2 in Fife
1 in DEL2
4 returnees (Haywood, Sullivan, Russell and then Scott Pitt came back this season)

Every fan of Glasgow should be upset that their team felt it was necessary to sign a bunch of old guys on their way out of hockey instead of trying to nurture a young talent like Jordan Cownie.

This is perfect, thanks!

Teams and especially fans in the UK don't know the concept of rebuilding or long term planning. They want to win and win now. So every year the teams clear out and waste all their time recruiting some more ECHL drop outs

 

[klimbo13]

I think if you do that you will see a decline in the standards certainly from the Superleague days. Although we had rubbish imports then Todd Gillingham for example.

I would like to see a comparison for the EPL and BNL but that would take a lot of time.
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In relation to the amount of Brits in the Elite league the total is 62
Giants 6
Clan 6
Devils 9 (includes 4 netminders)
Blaze 7
Stars 4
Caps 3
Stingrays 7
Vipers 6
Panthers 8
Steelers 6

However each team has a back up netminder who is British except the Devils who have 3!

 

[Gianpaolo]

What happens right now in UK reminds me of the Italian hockey in the 80ts and in the 90ts. Imports who had been able to make the NHL, high attendances in all the arenas and a few locals who were considered good boys playing hockey just for fun. Then came the DEL with the higher salaries, the Italian teams had to reduce their budgets and the former NHLers moved to Germany. The dream of professional hockey was suddenly over and the good boys became the best players of a poor league with one single import for each team.