WC: Team GB 2019 Roster

[SoundAndFury]

So you Think Samuel Duggans move to Cardiff is a bad choice?

People was talking about him, being the biggest talent in British hockey sine Tony Hand.

It's like he didn't improve at all since he was 16. I don't think Cardiff or even move to Sweden is to blame.

 

[GBHockey]

So you Think Samuel Duggans move to Cardiff is a bad choice?

People was talking about him, being the biggest talent in British hockey sine Tony Hand.

Now his numbers are very limited.

I hope Russell will take a look at Scott Conway. His numbers in NCAA er very promising. He sould be a part of the national programme.

It's a tricky one, I'm not sure whether he'd have been able to find ice time in a league better than the EIHL. He started the season in Tier 2 of the US Juniors, in the NAHL and was released after 5 games, posting zero points and a -7 +/-.

I think in terms of league quality, it's a good move for him to have joined a team in the EIHL but perhaps should have joined a mid-low end team to get sufficient ice time. He's at University in Cardiff now for the next 2 or 3 years and I'd imagine there will be one or two retiree's in Cardiff within that time so I'd expect his ice time to increase but as it stands I don't think it's been a brilliant move. If I had to give him a rating out of 10, with 10 being the next best GB player, I'd say he's currently a 5. He seemed to develop rapidly when younger but hasn't really developed a great deal in recent years.

As for Scott Conway, the rumour amongst GB fans is Conway isn't interested in playing for GB. Same for Joey Lewis who is Welsh and plays in the DEL2. It's a shame if it's true.

 

[Urbanskog]

I had hopes that Duggan would establish himself as a decent player in one of the top European leagues. It really is disappointing.

 

[Siamese Dream]

It's a tricky one, I'm not sure whether he'd have been able to find ice time in a league better than the EIHL. He started the season in Tier 2 of the US Juniors, in the NAHL and was released after 5 games, posting zero points and a -7 +/-.

I think in terms of league quality, it's a good move for him to have joined a team in the EIHL but perhaps should have joined a mid-low end team to get sufficient ice time. He's at University in Cardiff now for the next 2 or 3 years and I'd imagine there will be one or two retiree's in Cardiff within that time so I'd expect his ice time to increase but as it stands I don't think it's been a brilliant move. If I had to give him a rating out of 10, with 10 being the next best GB player, I'd say he's currently a 5. He seemed to develop rapidly when younger but hasn't really developed a great deal in recent years.

As for Scott Conway, the rumour amongst GB fans is Conway isn't interested in playing for GB. Same for Joey Lewis who is Welsh and plays in the DEL2. It's a shame if it's true.

I don't see why Joey wouldn't be interested because he played for GB at age group level every year even when he was in Germany. The problem is the GB brass massively overrate the EIHL compared to the DEL2 and they won't pick him for GB based on his stats alone, and he's never been available to play in pre-tournament games to show what he can do.

 

[GBHockey]

I don't see why Joey wouldn't be interested because he played for GB at age group level every year even when he was in Germany. The problem is the GB brass massively overrate the EIHL compared to the DEL2 and they won't pick him for GB based on his stats alone, and he's never been available to play in pre-tournament games to show what he can do.

They'd be very stupid not to include him, the DEL2 is probably on par if not maybe slightly better than the EIHL. Much better skating league anyway and if there's any type of player we're going to need at the world championships it's strong skaters.

 

[Gianpaolo]

You have to play two years at a domestic league to be able to play for a country. I doubt that there are Canadiens/American who would be able to give Team GB a significant boost would do that, they'd rather stay in NA or join a European league which pays better salaries.

I full agree, it's time to stop living in a delusion. So many countries became able to develop their own prospects and to reach an unimaginable level in hockey, just adding some Canadians to the lineup isn't enough to fulfill the gap.

 

[Mike Barber]

I disagree about the EIHL-DEL2 comparison. I think the top 4-5 EIHL teams would dominate that league in Germany.

Look at the CHL results from 2017-18 where the Nottingham Panthers finished top of their group ahead of top tier Swiss side SC Bern and Finnish team TPS.

Cardiff Devils also beat eventual champions Vaxjo Lakers. I'm sure this may have been a weakened squad but it's still one of Europe's very best teams, way stronger than any DEL2 side.

 

[GBHockey]

Game day for GB today!

They face KHL's Dinamo Riga in a sold out exhibition game.

 

[GBHockey]

Team GB 3 - 1 Dinamo Riga

Surprising result in my eyes, expected better from Riga. Riga were quick and pretty physical, had quite a lot of shots but few which actually tested GB's Bowns. Riga's defence were probably below average on the night and their lack of finesse cost them the game.

GB were quick, but not as quick as Riga and definitely not used to playing with each other. Very predictable at times. Forecheck was strong, barely gave the Riga D more than a couple seconds before there was either a stick or a body heading towards the puck carrier. The defending overall was strong but I feel it was as a result of pure desperation more than anything. Riga are a physically strong team and managed to outmuscle our defence many times, GB's D had to get aggressive and throw themselves in front of a lot of shots. The GB D collapsed very well in front of Bowns during periods of heavy pressure from Riga, very few shots got through to Bowns and when they did they were generally very central or low.

GB's PK was okay, struggled to clear the puck a lot and ultimately conceded on a 6 on 4 after Riga pulled their goalie with 7 minutes left. Too many missed passes and fanned dumps killed them, need to fix up a bit. The PP was quite poor, even though I believe one of the goals was a PPG. GB failed to get anything set up, they'd either run and gun or get the puck over the blue line and dump it around the boards, initiating a period of board battling. Very few shots taken on the PP but when they managed to get some on net they generally caused trouble, a lot of scrambles in front of net. To summarise, they just need to settle down and breathe when it's special team plays, need to figure out a plan and stick to it, or at least have a plan B or C before resorting to dump and chase or one man army plays.

GB have a lot of work to do in order to get match tactics ready, they need to strengthen up at the back as they will not last long relying on desperation, as commendable as a lot of moments were. Iron out the issues with the special teams too.

The game itself was very enjoyable. The rink was sold out, 3,000 in the building though at least 2,500 of those 3,000 were Riga/Latvia fans.. and this game was in Coventry, England!

Riga appeared massively frustrated with the officiating, which was EIHL officials (very sub standard). GB won't have that luxury in Kosice. Next up I believe is Italy or Hungary in April before playing Nizhny Novgorod twice.

 

[Alessandro Seren Rosso]

Thank you for the report

 

[SoundAndFury]

Considering the team (Dinamo) was really running out of gas in the KHL I'm quite surprised they agreed to this friendly. But I guess this was a decision made long before and nobody foresaw the situation they are in.

Latvia played GB in Olympic qualifiers not that long ago and the game was pretty close so considering the fatigue factor, travel involved, missing players etc. this isn't that much of a surprise. And their replacements, there were quite a few players on this Dinamo team that make you wonder if they would make GB squad at all. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if Brahmanis - Saulietis played more than Darzins - Dzerins since it would make sense to all the parties involved.

 

[Venkman]

Gamesheet and highlights from last nights game.

 

[GBHockey]

Team GB announce an additional exhibition game in preparation for the World Championships.

They will head over to Poprad, Slovakia to take on the hosts of the World Championships.. Slovakia, on the 4th May. This will be their 5th exhibition game within two weeks, as they face Italy, Hungary and KHL's Torpedo Nizhniy Novgorod in the couple weeks before.

GB TO FACE SLOVAKIA AHEAD OF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – IHUK

 

[GBHockey]

Team GB announce 28-man squad for exhibition games vs Italy and Hungary. The squad will then be cut down to 25 for the following games against Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod.

GB vs. Italy - 19th April
GB vs. Hungry - 21st April

GB vs. Torpedo - 27th April
GB vs. Torpedo - 28th April

Netminders
Ben Bowns – Cardiff Devils
Thomas Murdy – Cardiff Devils
Jackson Whistle – Sheffield Steelers - Dual Nat.

Defencemen
Josh Batch – Cardiff Devils
Tim Billingsley – Nottingham Panthers - Dual Nat.
Dallas Ehrhardt – Manchester Storm - Dual Nat.
Mark Garside – Belfast Giants
Steve Lee – Nottingham Panthers
Evan Mosey – Cardiff Devils - Dual Nat.
Ben O’Connor – Sheffield Steelers
David Phillips – Sheffield Steelers
Mark Richardson – Cardiff Devils

Forwards
Ollie Betteridge – Nottingham Panthers
Brendan Connolly – Glasgow Clan - Dual Nat.
Ben Davies – Guildford Flames
Robert Dowd – Sheffield Steelers
Robert Farmer – Nottingham Panthers
Luke Ferrara – Coventry Blaze
Mike Hammond – Manchester Storm - Dual Nat.
Liam Kirk – Peterborough Petes
Robert Lachowicz – Nottingham Panthers
Ben Lake – Coventry Blaze - Dual Nat.
Ciaran Long – Manchester Storm
Matthew Myers – Cardiff Devils
Craig Peacock – Glasgow Clan
Brett Perlini – Nottingham Panthers - Dual Nat.
Jonathan Phillips – Sheffield Steelers
Colin Shields – Belfast Giants

 

[GBHockey]

In other news, Team GB fans travelling to Kosice for the World Championships have been hit with being told the organiser did not reserve tickets for GB fans, despite already charging for them.

It sounds like the organisers have oversold a number of games as well. GB's games vs. Finland and Slovakia are completely sold out allegedly with no tickets remaining for GB supporters.

*Many GB fans are using the GB Supporters Club as a package travel situation which included tickets, with the supporters club having agreed with the organiser to reserve a large quantity of tickets which had been paid for.

 

[GBHockey]

Team GB defenceman, Steve Lee is unlikely to suit up for GB in the remaining exhibition games as well as the World Championships themselves.

Lee suffered several facial fractures following a 'roughing' incident on Sunday evening in the game between his domestic club, Nottingham Panthers and the Fife Flyers. Upon arriving back at home in Nottingham, Lee had immediate emergency surgery to put several metal plates in his face.

 

[ChaiTiefling]

Connolly has a dislocated kneecap and will miss the Worlds. Shields announced his retirement last week but it's not clear if that means before or after the tournament.

 

[Retroglyphs]

Crossing all my fingers that Brett Perlini's brother also shows up for the tournament in Slovakia.

 

[Friar85]

In other news, Team GB fans travelling to Kosice for the World Championships have been hit with being told the organiser did not reserve tickets for GB fans, despite already charging for them.

It sounds like the organisers have oversold a number of games as well. GB's games vs. Finland and Slovakia are completely sold out allegedly with no tickets remaining for GB supporters.

*Many GB fans are using the GB Supporters Club as a package travel situation which included tickets, with the supporters club having agreed with the organiser to reserve a large quantity of tickets which had been paid for.

Just wondering if these issues have been resolved?

 

[GBHockey]

Just wondering if these issues have been resolved?

As far as I'm aware, GB fans who paid for the GB package will definitely be able to attend all but 2 or 3 games which should have been included in the package. It might be different for some though. I know for sure the games against Slovakia and Germany are 2 that are affected, and there may be another but I'm not too sure.

People who bought individual game tickets are unaffected as far as I'm aware.

I know of many GB fans who have had their accommodation threatened with cancellation if they don't pay the new per night price, so some will have booked a year in advance at £60 per night, to then be told they need to pay £180 per night or the booking will be cancelled. Then there's Airbnb's which have allegedly cancelled completely without warning and relisted the property at double or triple the original cost.

It sounds like a train-wreck sadly, I hope the IIHF see it and then stop allowing obscure towns to host such large events. I can understand with Bratislava but Kosice is not a big place and it's not greatly accessible either.

 

[Friar85]

As far as I'm aware, GB fans who paid for the GB package will definitely be able to attend all but 2 or 3 games which should have been included in the package. It might be different for some though. I know for sure the games against Slovakia and Germany are 2 that are affected, and there may be another but I'm not too sure.

People who bought individual game tickets are unaffected as far as I'm aware.

I know of many GB fans who have had their accommodation threatened with cancellation if they don't pay the new per night price, so some will have booked a year in advance at £60 per night, to then be told they need to pay £180 per night or the booking will be cancelled. Then there's Airbnb's which have allegedly cancelled completely without warning and relisted the property at double or triple the original cost.

It sounds like a train-wreck sadly, I hope the IIHF see it and then stop allowing obscure towns to host such large events. I can understand with Bratislava but Kosice is not a big place and it's not greatly accessible either.

Thanks for the reply. I was hoping it had worked out better for you guys. I was planning on going if the US ended up in Bratislava. But having travelled a bit in Slovakia, I had a bad feeling about how it would turn out in Kosice, so I am staying home this year.

 

[kaiser matias]

Crossing all my fingers that Brett Perlini's brother also shows up for the tournament in Slovakia.

Brendan isn't eligible for the British. Just being born there isn't enough, you have to play at least two years in the country, which I don't think he's done. That also ignores the fact he's played for Canada at the the U18 and WJC, which would mean he'd need to spend at least four years playing in the UK to qualify.

 

[GBHockey]

Thanks for the reply. I was hoping it had worked out better for you guys. I was planning on going if the US ended up in Bratislava. But having travelled a bit in Slovakia, I had a bad feeling about how it would turn out in Kosice, so I am staying home this year.

It sure sounds like you made the right choice!

I know that Team GB offered a fans package too organised by a 3rd party company.. which also turned into a disaster, they've cancelled the entire thing due to the ongoing issues with the Boeing 737 aircraft which has apparently meant the cost of chartering an aircraft has rocketed.

It's such a shame all round, the ticketing and accommodation issues are affecting fans from every nation involved in Kosice, with Slovakia and the IIHF seemingly not bothered about it. I was hoping to go myself but couldn't justify paying £1,500 just for accommodation. One of the big things for me would've been meeting the US, Canada, Finland fans etc, like this could be the last time we see Team GB play at the top level for a long time and just getting to be in the same competition as the US and Canada is massive!

 

[3 Minute Minor]

Brendan isn't eligible for the British. Just being born there isn't enough, you have to play at least two years in the country, which I don't think he's done. That also ignores the fact he's played for Canada at the the U18 and WJC, which would mean he'd need to spend at least four years playing in the UK to qualify.

fwiw Brendan did spend some time in the EIHA junior system. If his career goes off the rails and he ends up in EIHL, he'll technically pass as a Brit.

 

[Gianpaolo]

fwiw Brendan did spend some time in the EIHA junior system. If his career goes off the rails and he ends up in EIHL, he'll technically pass as a Brit.

He already represented Canada two times at the Junior World Championship, so he will need 4 consecutive seasons in GB.