Hey people. I'm a canadian moving to the UK in 3 weeks. Will I be able to find a team to play for once over there or any hockey at all? I'd love to keep skating. Let me know who I can talk to or how to go about it. Thanks
Where in the UK are you moving to?
There is a professional Elite league (10 teams), a semi-professional English Premier League (EPL - ten teams) and an amateur (sometimes expenses) English/Scottish National Leagues (about 40 teams in all). The Elite has 10 or 11 imports per side and is roughly low-ECHL standard, the EPL only allows imports from the EU or with a work permit IIRC, and only 4 per club.
The ENL has a limit of 2 imports per club and only 1 on the ice at any time. This is the likely level for a good import who wants to play but doesn't need payment for it. You may get expenses depending on the team.
There is then a wide range of rec hockey, which is entirely pay-to-play but has no import restrictions and is a good, organised structure with four levels IIRC. The rec structure ranges from very competitive to complete beginners so you should find a team to suit, depending on how much travelling you can do.
Hockey is really bad in GB, really bad. Does anyone watch the Elite games on Friday, Sky Sports, the commentary just sounds awfull, dont know why but it just does. Shame though such a great sport is not noticed
Hockey is really bad in GB, really bad. Does anyone watch the Elite games on Friday, Sky Sports, the commentary just sounds awfull, dont know why but it just does. Shame though such a great sport is not noticed
It's not all bad. Nottingham, Belfast and Sheffield get good crowds in, Coventry too. As for the commentary, not like it's amazing in the States either is it?
Hockey is really bad in GB, really bad. Does anyone watch the Elite games on Friday, Sky Sports, the commentary just sounds awfull, dont know why but it just does. Shame though such a great sport is not noticed
I watched the final and it sounded like Nick Hancock was commentating! Very odd combination.
We need to find a way to get more people into hockey at an early age. I've never played myself, I can't even skate - partly because I discovered the sport so late at age 14 by which time I'm too old to learn to play. It's not like you can join a pub football team and just play at your level - there just aren't any casual leagues. Plus there's no way I could afford all the kit or the skating lessons at £25 per hour. I play field hockey and lacrosse instead - a disappointing compromise.
If you think of all the lottery and government funding that gets generated, I bet the fraction that goes into hockey is less than 1%. There's nothing substantial going into getting kids into hockey young and sustaining their development. The situation is improving. The national team is no longer full of dual citizenship Canadians. Taking a look at the Div 1B World Championship winning team this year:
Position, Name, Place of Birth, Junior
G Jody Lehman - North Basttleford, SASK (WHL)
G Stevie Lyle - Cardiff, Wales (UK)
D Shane Johnson - Brandon, MAN (NCAA)
D Danny Meyers - Ascot, England (UK)
D Ben O'Connor - Durham, England (OHL)
D David Phillips - Beverley, England (UK)
D Mark Thomas - Stockport, England (UK)
D Graeme Walton - Belfast, N. Ireland (UK)
D Tom Watkins - Durham, England (UK)
F Greg Chambers - Toronto, ON (OHL)
F David Clark - Peterborough, England (UK)
F Russ Crowley - Edmonton, AB (UK)
F Robert Dowd - Sheffield, England (UK)
F Jason Hewitt - Manchester, England (UK)
F Phil Hill - Cardiff, Wales (UK)
F David Longstaff - Newcastle, England (UK)
F Matthew Myers - Cardiff, Wales (UK)
F Greg Owen - Northampton, England (UK)
F Mark Richardson - Swindon, England (UK)
F Colin Shields - Glasgow, Scotland (NCAA)
F Ashley Tait - Toronto, ONT (UK)
F Jonathan Weaver - Sunderland, England (UK)
Right now I'd say we're about on a par with Denmark despite them producing some very good players recently, but Denmark will become another good league in a decade just like the DEL has, we'll probably be no further forward than we are right now.
Jack Prince quit !!! Not at all, if you google him under 'Jack Prince Ice Hockey' you will see all of his latest achievements including a you tube goal in his game v's LA Jnr Kings and national championships overtime winner v's Dallas Stars.
With David Phillips signing an AHL contract with Rockford, I was wondering--has any player born and trained in England played in the NHL or AHL before (and, in the case of the AHL, did he play on a regular basis)?
I was wondering--has any player born and trained in England played in the NHL or AHL before (and, in the case of the AHL, did he play on a regular basis)?
No. Colin Shields was drafted by Philadelphia straight out of Maine but only bounced around the ECHL for a couple of years. Welshman Matt Myers has signed for Bakersfield this summer straight from Nottingham. British kids for the majority just aren't that ambitious to go abroad and get decent coaching, nor are they encouraged to. It's a shame, because those that do become far better players for it (see how Robert Dowd's done as a first-year pro in the EIHL after going abroad). Martin Clarkson is the latest from the Cardiff goalie factory and is doing fantastically well in the NA college system. There's also Jack Prince and Scott Conway to look out for in the NA juniors.
With David Phillips signing an AHL contract with Rockford, I was wondering--has any player born and trained in England played in the NHL or AHL before (and, in the case of the AHL, did he play on a regular basis)?
The only other player I know of is Tony Hand, who was drafted from the Murrayfield Racers by the Oilers back in the 80's. He played a few games in the WHL (which he had a rather respectable showing, getting 8 points in three games), before heading back to the UK. Bit of a shame, according to Glen Sather he could have been a really good player had he stayed with the Oilers.
i'm currently living in the UK for a few months a year, which sucks as it is. But where can I go to watch hockey here. I have searched on the internet, but I wouldnt know any teams. Anyone care to point me in the right direction?
i'm currently living in the UK for a few months a year, which sucks as it is. But where can I go to watch hockey here. I have searched on the internet, but I wouldnt know any teams. Anyone care to point me in the right direction?
Depending on where near London there are a lot of teams to choose from, but none in the Elite League.
In London itself there are Streatham, Haringey and Lee Valley, and near London there is Romford, Chelmsford, Milton Keynes, Bracknell, Basingstoke, Slough, Guildford, Invicta (Gillingham), and probably a couple more.
If you let us know which town/city you are in or where in London you are we can be more specific.
Okay well, there isn't an Elite league team in London anymore, after the London Racers folded, and the nearest Elite league team after that was Basingstoke, but they left the Elite league this year because of their finances, and play in the English Premier League (EPIHL) now, the second tier. I suppose the nearest Elite League clubs to London now would be Nottingham and Coventry, but they're still pretty far away. There's one EPIHL team based in Greater London, the Romford Raiders, and there are also a few home counties based teams who play in the EPIHL, such as Slough, Bracknell, Swindon (all in Berkshire), Guilford (in Surrey) as well as Milton Keynes and Basingstoke, which are both a bit further away. There's also a few London team in the English National league, but that's not a professional league.
I am looking for somehwere to play too in all honesty...I am 17, and missing out on 1/4 of the Canadian HS hockey season...so I could do with honing my skills
I am looking for somehwere to play too in all honesty...I am 17, and missing out on 1/4 of the Canadian HS hockey season...so I could do with honing my skills
I lived in Lewisham for years.
By far your nearest team is Streatham then, who run two teams in the senior English National League, as well as two rec teams. If you want to be put in touch with someone who runs these teams then PM me and I can give you all the details.
The first home game for the senior team, the Streatham Redskins is against their arch-rivals on Sunday 13th September, face-off at 645pm. Come along and see what it's like for yourself.
thats good news...
its just I have a promising hockey career, and just dont want my HS years to go to waste...ill see about college, and maybe even Pros
Quite a few teams have amusingly incongruous names. When I try to spread the gospel of hockey amongst friends everyone laughs at the name Slough Jets.
During the early nienties the Peterborough Pirates landed a sponsorship deal with the Norwich & Peterborough building society. They played a couple of seasons as Norwich & Peterborough Pirates.
With the UK names the baisonstroke Biason take the cake--before they were called the Bison's they were called the beavers and they tried to sign a few Canadians and were told by a few players "we are not playing for a team called the beavers" they explained what beaver was slang for in canada--if you don't know--go ask you uncle who you mother does not like--he will know
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