With 11 imports in their ranks, Belfast Giants look set to stomp their way through the Elite League once again.
Christiansen building ominous-looking roster at Belfast
Eleven. Count 'em. Eleven.
The Giants are all set to stomp their way through the Elite League once again and have maxed out their import slots, while other clubs struggle to find enough warm bodies to line the bench. And there's nothing wrong with it at all. In fact, teams like Belfast and Nottingham are supposed to do this. They're who the spare import rule was created for.
Former Capitals D-man Ryan Crane has been anointed by Doug Christiansen as the odd-man out, but he should see his fair share of action especially against the lesser teams as Big Doug takes the luxury of resting other players who are playing just a tad hurt. Crane is good enough to start on half of the teams in the league, but in Belfast he's bought into the idea of being the next man up.
The Giants were involved in the two biggest off-season moves in the Elite League. Team GB forward Colin Shields moved on to play for Morzine-Avoriaz in France, triggering a chain reaction that resonated throughout the hockey ladder in Britain. And while Shields exited stage left, Jon Pelle marched on to centre stage. The First Team All Star put up monster numbers in Cardiff Bay in his first spin in the league and will be hoping to replicate his 55 goal and 55 assist campaign in Northern Ireland.
Calibre
As usual the Giants have signed a plethora of offensive talent around Pelle, including former Sheffield man Robert Dowd, who ate up the opportunity to be Belfast's go-to Brit forward and replace Shields. Watching a player of Shields' calibre walk out the door stings, but with Dowd arriving and Craig Peacock sticking around the G-men have two of the leaders of the new school of Brit forwards.
Up front, it's the usual collection of AHL studs and young players primed to make this their first of many years in Europe. Benoit Doucet (Tilburg Trappers), Brock McBride (AHL/ECHL) and Darryl Lloyd (Kalamazoo Wings, ECHL) will be tearing through the offensive zone together with Pelle.
However, the Giants have a small and shifty forward pack and overall one of the lightest rosters in the league. Only one forward, Derek LeBlanc (Rapid City Rush, CHL) is listed above 6-foot. Similarly, the blueline looks to be populated by more puck-movers than stay-at-homers.
This is great to maximise home advantage in the Odyssey, but the small arena teams could well be licking their chops at the prospect of getting all up in the Giants' kitchen. Defenceman Nick Kuiper (Graz 99ers) and forward Adam Keefe (Grand Rapids Griffins) are the de facto tough guys on the roster and with it being a down year for EIHL toughness as a whole, these two should be ample coverage. And more to the point, you can't hit what you can't catch.
Jeff Mason returns to the Belfast blueline, which again looks strong, if not quite as impressive as it did this time last year. Canadian veteran Jeremy Rebek (Vienna) is this year's Rich Seeley, hopefully without the season ending injury. Tom Dignard (Tulsa Oilers, CHL) adds some more fizz to the transition game, while Graeme Walton and Peterborough Phantoms Brit James Hutchinson add depth to the unit.
Stephen Murphy once again steps into the crease for the Giants as he comes off another outstanding season. The British goalie argument is irrelevant here. Murphy is as good as his contemporaries and has proven it in the Elite League and in the World Championships, where he put together a 1.89 GAA and 93.48 SP to be voted the best goalie in division 1 as Team GB almost made the promised land. Murphy is legit. End of story.
Masterminded
In the league and also in recruitment, the Giants' Achilles heel is their travel schedule, which is inarguably the toughest in the league. A typical weekend for the G-men in the past could include flying from Belfast to Luton, driving to Coventry, driving back to Luton, flying back to Belfast and then playing at home in the O on Sunday.
On many occasions home advantage isn't quite what it should be. However, Todd Kelman appears to have masterminded the fixture list this term by grouping together as many home stands and road trips as possible to avoid overnight travel for back-to-back games. You can practically count the number of times that the Giants have consecutive travel days on one hand.
The 11 imports. The coach bound for bigger things in North America. The GM who brought Boston to Belfast. The Odyssey Arena.
Everything that the Giants have is as good as you can get in British ice hockey. Once again the roster is stacked from top to bottom and Kelman's scheduling might have done enough to swing it this year. They've come close, within inches, and they should have another run at the title in 2011/12.
