Signings, Rumours and Hybrid NHL teams

Busy few days in both the EIHL and the EPL as regards comings and goings, signatures, and floating rumours for the forth-coming 09/10 season. Also, news out of the NHL is that the Phoenix Coyotes could be a few home games away from home this season.

Firstly though to the concrete signings of the past week or so, going back to the week that Andre Payette put pen to paper in Manchester, Rod Sarich also confirmed he would be playing another season at the House of Steel. Coach Dave Matsos feels that this signing is the most important of the summer and also added that Sarich may have a different role this season as the Steelers look to retain their Elite League crown. I don’t think there’s anyone that can deny it is a great signing for the Steelers as Sarich will have had a mountain of contracts awaiting his signature from various teams around the world as he continues to be one of, if not the best defenceman in the Elite League. Meanwhile Ryan Finnerty has been confirmed as leaving the club by Matsos and has apparently signed a contract in North America (possibly with the Bloomington Prairie Thunder of the IHL).

Meanwhile in the North-East the Newcastle Vipers continued to re-shape their squad by securing the services of Matus Petricko. The Slovakian born forward should add strength and further depth to a completely re-vamped Vipers side. During a previous spell in Newcastle through the 05/06 season, Petricko scored 53 points in 47 games, leading them to the play-off title, this will be the kind of production that coach Rob Wilson will be hoping to get from the Slovak in the coming season. The Vipers also completed the signings of their blue liners for the new season by adding the final piece in American defenceman Tyler Kindle. Kindle is an offensive defenceman who arrives on Tyneside from the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder. In the 07/08 season with the Fresno Falcons he posted 10 goals and 34 assists in 57 league games for a career year.

In the English Premier League, the Bracknell Bees have signed Dutch defenceman Chad Euverman. Born in British Columbia, Canada, Euverman opted to use his family ties and regularly holds a spot on the blue line for the Netherlands team and has played in World Championship and Olympic qualification tournaments. Although, from recent stats, it doesn’t look like he has a played a full season (or somewhere close) since the 06/07 season with Bolzano II of the Italian second division where he posted 22 points in 30 games.

The Romford Raiders completed their import quota last Friday (July 24th) with the signing of defenceman Jonathan Sitko who last season played for the Swindon Wildcats. Sitko also comes with experience from the ECHL (Toledo Storm, Gwinnett Gladiators) and the NCAA (Bowling Green State University). On the same day, Slough Jets lost a defenceman before a puck has even dropped as the Belfast Giants snapped up Kevin Phillips, brother of AHL bound Davey Phillips and the Slough Jets management seemed less than happy to lose a valuable piece of their blue-line some 7 weeks from the start of the new season.

Final couple of notes, veteran forward Ed Courtenay is strongly rumoured to have signed for the Manchester Phoenix and if Tony Hand has worked his magic again, this scoop is sure to raise the threat levels to red at several other EPL clubs who are looking for the league title this year. Meanwhile the ongoing saga across the pond in the NHL is as to whether the Phoenix Coyotes will in fact be playing hockey in Phoenix for the 09/10 season, and news has come about that the Coyotes might have two homes for the new season, one in Glendale, where they are at present in Arizona, and one in…Saskatchewan. The planned ‘hybrid’ Coyotes team would play five ‘home’ games in Saskatoon as part of the company Ice Edge’s buying of the franchise that would see the Coyotes remain at home in the basking sun of the Arizona Desert apart from the said five games. One thing’s for sure, if those scheduled five ‘home’ games are against Canadian opposition, tickets won’t be on sale for long.