TAKING FLIGHT
RETURNING TO THE NEST
Welcome to the first Taking Flight. In these articles I will detail the signings made during Jeremy Cornish's team building of the Streatham Redhawk's for the upcoming 2018/19 NIHL 1 season.
I am a big fan of the way Jeremy Cornish built the 2017/18 Redhawk's. Streatham High Road is not the biggest of rinks, typically small rink teams are built using big heavy hitters with low speed and plenty of size. The idea being to punish your opponent by beating them up in the corners and forcing them in to center ice where you defensive fore-check can obliterate them at the blue line, while your team collapses in.
However coach Cornish recognized not every team has ice like this, and while being able to beat up on the opposition does make for entertaining hockey(in the sense of big hits not tooth breaking brawls) he realized the team needed speed not just for the High Road, but for on the road as well. Which lead to some amazing up ice rushes and stretch pass plays this past season which became one of the signature offenses of the Redhawk's.
But that was last year, and what does the 2018/19 season have in store for us? Who will be pulling of the red and white this year? Well so far we know some who will and some who sadly wont be. I personally was devastated to learn of the end of my favorite line of Webb Carr and Watt or WCW as I refered to them. Yes sadly much like its wrestling namesake WCW is no more as Ryan Watt, along with Ben Paynter, Brendan Baird and Aidan Doughty have all signed in Bracknell for Doug Shepphard's new look Bee's side. The loss of Doughty for me also is unfortunate as he fit the mold of last seasons team perfectly, highly skilled, lots of size but had speed to burn as well surprisingly. Also popular penalty killer Joe Allen and last seasons number 1 net minder Matt Colclough are also both known to not be returning. But we wish the best of luck to all those departing the club. Just try not to have too good a night when you come back to the High Road ok boys.
However Coach Cornish has not been resting, he has been busy and already by now the Redhawks have a total of 11 skaters and 2 goalies signed up. So the team building is well underway. And who are these 13 faces, well lets meet them now in Taking flight.
The returnee's
I am going to start with those making a return to the High Road for this year, then I'll look at those new faces coming in next time.
I hope the club wont mind but I have borrowed quotes from each of the signing press releases.
Nathan Gregory
I like to say when it comes to team building, build from the net out. So I will do the same here. Nathan Gregory, the younger of the two Gregory brothers in the team, was an exciting prospect to watch last year.
He keeps himself in top shape and this year he will be looking to challenge Damien for ice time. I think we now have the best goal tending pair in the league and I'm relieved we have two very capable goalies at our disposal.”
“I know Nate wants to work hard in training to push Damien and I hope they form a strong bond to help our team win. Nate has never let me down when called upon and can face any team in our league and get a result.
Unlike a lot of young goalies in the NIHL Gregory was given his fair share of matches, and wasn't simply thrown in when the team was up by 8. He split the season with the departing Mathew Colclough both in the league and the cup playing in 28 league games and 7 cup games. Though posting a .898 save percentage in league action, his on ice performances I witnessed looked very strong, always had a good eye for the puck and had good positioning. He will most certainly not want to sit back and watch from the bench he has it in him to push King for the starters job, so it will be intriguing to see how that duel pans out. At the same time working with an experienced net minder like King can only help bring on the youngster.
Jordan Gregory
Jordan Gregory really impressed me last year, I couldn't believe the former Bracknell graduate was only 22 as the way he played was that of a defense man with many more years experience. He's the blue chip defensive prospect of the team in a way.
“He's a big, tough d-man that can move the puck very well. Jordan's attitude is fantastic and he always takes a team-first approach to his game. Even though he had a few offers from around the league, I was pleased he decided to stay with us. Jordan likes the direction the team is heading and I'm happy he wants to be a part of it.”
He fits the check list of playing at the high road perfectly, plenty of size and strength which he used to good effect last year, and was rewarded with high level minutes. But also able to move at speed in order to keep up with the faster forwards on the rush. Suspect he'll be in a battle with Warman to claim the number one pairing slot alongside Farn.
James Warman
I like to think of James Warman as something of a small rinks expert. Having started out in Telford and played in Grimsby, Bristol Cardiff and Streatham since 2013 its safe to say the 25 year old knows how to work defensively in a tight space.
As Coach Cornish described him
“James is one of the last remaining players from when I took over a couple years ago and there's a big reason for that.
He keeps himself in top shape and plays the game the right way. He's one of the most underrated defensemen in the league and a player that is horrible to play against because of his ability to hit in open ice”
A former GB Jr international Warman while not being the most offensive D man provides what is needed on a team that depending on how its built could go looking to use speed to execute its attacks, he is a stay at home defense man who you can rely on to hang back and cover the play from there. And his hard hitting no nonsense style means he is very tough to shake in a corner war. Though only posting 3 goals and 6 assists last year he has a good back hand release if in space, and has a very powerful slap shot which when used did lead to a few tip ins last year.
Adam Wood
Adam Wood meets that requirement that coaches look to have at least one of in their teams. A utility player, someone who can play both forward and defense. Wood spent most of last season out due to injury, but the big power forward makes his return to the high road fully fit for 18/19
“He’s got great size and can play forward and defence effectively. He’s also a team-first player that understands how important it is to wear a Streatham jersey. He will once again be an alternate captain and this is a role he respects and is very good at.”
Woods size will be an incredible asset on the back end of this team, I can not understate how important a big body in the defensive zone is at a small rink like Streatham's. I expect given his experience as a forward for him to show good offensive transition as well, while also being more than capable of pinching down from the blue line if needed.
Jacob Ranson
Jacob Ranson, or Taylor Swift as my flat mate likes to refer to him due to his golden hair. Is not your prototypical defensive forward.When I first saw Ranson on try out at Bison he was an offensive energy player who I nicknamed The Flash for his speed. However now a defensive forward Ranson plays like a terrier both on and off the puck(I really hope Jacob doesn't mind that comparison) not phased by how big the opponent is Jacob will throw himself in to the play and use all his energy to move it up ice or harass the opponent.
Jacob is very intelligent and plays the game the right way. He can play up and down the line-up and rarely makes a mistake. Jacob also never hesitates when sticking up for himself or a teammate. I'm really pleased we could get Jacob back this year, his speed is unbelievable and hopefully with more opportunity should be able to improve on last season.
Ranson was part of the team split between speed and size last year, and provided that speed in the lower order. I see him as a more skilled on the puck Alan Lack, scrappy and not phased by any opponent, but with the speed and hands to make opposition defenses look stationary when he skates by. Only draw back to Ranson's game is his low scoring rate, but you're not looking for goals in a defensive forward. But as Cornish said, if more opportunity is created for him he should improve on this.
Ryan Webb
If Jacob Ranson is The Flash, then Ryan Webb is Quicksilver or maybe Flash from another dimension if were to stick with a DC theme. Anyway part of the Speed force on the Hawks last year with Ranson(The others being Alex Sampdford and Andreas Siagris, both of who'm I'd personally love to see back) Ryan Webb, was the speedster of the WCW line last year. While Watt stick handled, and Carr provided the net presence Webb would often provide the drive down the wing to a corner that set up a large chunk of this lines goals.
"He keeps himself in excellent shape and takes his hockey very seriously. He had a much improved year last year playing on our top line with Carr and Watt and I am hoping he can continue where he left off at the end of last season.”
For Ryan to be effective he knows that he needs to play the game at a high speed and go into the tough areas to score goals. He is one of the most reliable players I have had the pleasure to coach and I can't wait to start the season with him in the line-up.”
With Ranson and Scott Bailey signed up it looks very much like Cornish is looking once again to have speed on every line. Webb will most likely retain his place on the first line as the speedster with Carr and possibly new arrival Leigh Jamieson using his size to create space for Webb to move in to. With 13G and 15A last season he was highly productive, and I share Jeremy Cornish's belief he can kick on and follow up on this success.
Andreas Siagris
The 3rd member of last seasons Streatham Speed force, and the first import signing for 18/19, and the player I most wanted to see return. Siagris provided some much needed speed and creativity in to the team last season when he arrived half way through, bringing with him the added experience of time spent in Canadian junior.
"The 20 year old British Columbia native joined us towards the end of last season and scored 12 goals and 7 assists in 23 games.
Andreas signed after the start of the season and I think it took him a while to get up to speed” said Head Coach Jeremy Cornish
Having said that, he finished the season very strong and became one of our best forwards by the end of the year. He's not the biggest of players, but plays the game at a high speed and the puck seems to follow him around the ice.”
Siagris was one of the brighter stars of the second half of last season. He perfectly uses his size to his advantage zipping in and out of skating lanes, always finding the puck and working it up ice. Much in the same way Tomas Karpov of the Bison was known to do. Had an eye for the net with 12 goals, and every time you saw he had open ice and the puck on his stick you could see he was going to create something. If he can pick up where he left off last year there's no reason he can't improve on his 12 goals and 7 assists.
Michael Farn
The MVP defense man of last seasons Redhawks returns for another season at the High Road. One third of what I am calling the MK Connection, Farn was an absolute beast on both blue lines for Streatham in 17/18. Be it clearing threats in the defensive end or back stopping the Hawks Poweplay bombing in shots from the blue line Farn put in performances that I do not doubt had other coaches making inquries about his services this year.
"It's no surprise that he won the Player of the Year award this year. He was fantastic for us both on and off the ice and I think we may even see more of his game after a year in the league. Michael is a game changer and a player that is very poised on the puck, he's a leader and hopefully with some stronger support around him he will be able to have anther strong season."
Michael Farn provided a steadying presence on the bench for the Redhawk's, I think a big part of what brought on the game of James Warman and Jordan Gregory was the defensive leadership of Michael Farn brought. As Cornish says above with better support he feels he can be even better, and in the form of Rupert Quinney and hopefully whoever else the coach has planned he will receive this. I expect Farn to once again take up the role of defensive leader and the first weapon of choice on the point for both power plays and even strength. It was his 2 way defensive play that lead to him leading the Hawks in points last season with 12 goals and 34 assists. A large chunk of these assists coming off of moves he created from the back or deflections and rebounds off his point shots.
Adam Carr
The most important signing for any hockey coach besides his starting net minder in my view is your captain and your number 1 center. In the second third of the MK Connection Jeremy Cornish signed this last year, leading goal scorer in all competitions with 23 goals and a leader on and off the ice Carr brings with him the experience of an 18 year career, in which he was part of multiple championship winning teams. Including the Playoff championship winning MK ligtning in the last season of the EPL.
"He's a fantastic player and even better leader. He's won a number of trophies throughout his career and if we have our sights set on being a better team this year, Adam will be a big part of that. I know Adam enjoys playing for Streatham and I hope the fans are as excited with this signing as am. It shows how far the club has come over the last couple years if we can recruit players of Adam's character and skill"
A constant threat around the net, either stuffing home rebounds, or scoring with his wrist shot Adam Carr was is in every sense of the word a leader. Does everything right as a center man, buzzes the net looking to screen and collect the garbage, while also providing support for his line mates going to war in the corners, combine this with Webb's speed and you can see why the two worked so well together last year, as I said above in Webb's intro I expect these two to be reunited so we can expect this approach to continue bearing fruit.
So that is all of the returnee's ahead of the 18/19 season. Up next will be all the new faces announced so far.
ALL QUOTES TAKEN FROM:http://streatham-hockey.co.uk/
