Taking The High Road: A New ImPORTER

A NEW IMPORTER

Streatham has its 12th forward. 4 full lines can now roll on the High Road after head coach Ben Paynter has dipped into the import market for a player to round out his scoring options. And he couldn't have come away with a better bargain than 2024 play off champion and former Chelmsford Chieftain, Damon Porter

“Being able to add Damon at this point of the season will be a massive boost for our offence. He has a great shot, moves the puck well and will add some speed to our offence. He caused us problems when playing against us at times last season and I’m excited to have him with us for the rest of the year. Damon has skated with the team, and I think he will be a good fit in our group!” - Head coach Ben Paynter

Damons stats courtesy of EliteProspects

                                                 

As Ben says, landing a player of Damon's quality is a massive boost and very much something of a rare occurrence at this time in the season. Most 50 point players are locked down at thus point in the season. 

He was a player I was surprised to see not returning for the Chieftains. After all, no one wants to see a player who posts 29 Goals 23 Assists for 52 points in 26 league games leave. That even for a club with Chelmsfords resources is hard to replace at this level. A National level could replicate those numbers, but there is no guarantee of that. Porter was one player on my list of wants in the off season. But very much in my wildest dreams section. So imagine my excitement at the possibilities here with Porter joining an already strong offensive unit

Now at this point I feel I should make a point of suggesting some caution. Damon has all the tools to be a huge success for Streatham, and is a mega signing. This is the kind of late season addition that can put a team over the top in terms of challenging for trophies. But he has missed half a season at this point. Not to say he won't hit the ice running, but we should give the guy time to settle, learn the systems, get the ice time he would have got in pre-season under his belt. And dial his sights in(watch as he now goes out and scores a hatty in Solent)

That said the club has landed a player who will fit right in with the rest of the squad. High Skill, high speed and physicality with a defensive mindset that chokes off the opposition. That is the way I see what Ben has built this season. Something I think Damon matches. He brings a sizeable frame at 5 11 and 181lbs according to eliteProspects. The Chieftains themselves also play a physical style, so no worries about him fitting in with that aspect of the teams play.

Where Damon will likely excel for the team is of course around the net. He's a skilled skater on the puck, able to weave the puck through the forrest of lumber that sprouts up around the slot and crease areas trying to prevent shots on goal. 

Streatham do like to play close to the net as much as possible, looking to close the distance and score not off the initial shot but also off the rebounds and chaos this generates. This can call for chances from tight angles, with quick snaps and these are both areas that Porter is able to convert from in spades. See the below exhibits of this 

(all clips from the Chelmsford Chieftains Youtube channel)

All examples of shots on the net that have been converted, that were from as I described close in and on the angle. Not only that but there's a quick release on the chances. 

As I said it will take Damon a bit of time to settle in and shake off the rink rust. But soon as he gets going Porter is no doubt going to be another key piece of offensive artillery in an already stacked offensive line up, that has now racked up 139 goals so far this season. 

I'd expect Ben not to throw the lines in the blender immediately as the lines are settled and producing. Giving Damon some time in the lower 6 to help beef up the offence there, and on the second PP unit first. Then bring him up the line up and commit to making changes, that reflect his production for the team. 

Because to, add Damon into the top six where he does belong based on past performances. Something will have to be taken away and moved down the line up. 

Either way this, is a dream problem for coach Paynter to have. As he's faced with having to blend his lines not because of anything negative but because the team just added a huge net positive in an established import who can score and create. In any outcome both the top and bottom 6 units now get stronger overall as a direct outcome of this.

TAKING THE HIGH ROAD: Shepherding The Crease

New signings in Streatham this season all seem to be about returning faces, and this morning the club announced the return of another familiar face in Brett Shepherd.

Photo taken by Blueline Photography

Starting net minders are hard to come by, especially this time of the year. Thats what head coach Ben Paynter told me during his post game interview for the SLP a few weeks back. Streatham had just come off the back of two wins over title rivals the Slough Jets in pre-season action. But the 2 wins had come with a huge cost as starting net minder Danny Milton had suffered an injury in the game on Saturday. This had lead to Ben pulling off a miracle move. Convincing Damien King to return from retirement for a few games. King didn't look out of place. But as King was in retirement his commitment to a full season was not going to be possible.

 This has seen second and third choice net minders Danny Phillips and Nik Romhas step in where King has been unavailable. Neither has looked bad in net, and both have at least one shut out to their name from their deputising while the club has waited for Danny Milton's return. However it can be argued that Streathams start to 24/25 has only seen them play one game they were expected to be troubled in. That being the early season encounter with Invicta where King was between the pipes. 

                                                   Photo taken by Blueline Photography

With the season now in October and heading into its 3rd month, and no word from the clubs official channels on Milton's injury or length of time on the sidelines. It can only be assumed that Milton has suffered a serious injury that will take a long time to heal. As Damien King no doubt has off ice commitments, as does Romahs and the load can not all be placed on Phillips young shoulders the club has managed to find that which Ben said was hard to find this time of year. A starting net-minder in Brett Shepherd. 

Something of a prodigal son, Shepherd returns to the club where he started out in UK hockey. A product of the Streatham youth academy, Shepherd is a player I feel would have been a Red Hawk sooner had it not been for the absence of an NIHL 2 side in Streatham at the time. With Shepherd first heading to Lee Valley for a season, before putting in impressive numbers in 18/19 backstopping Slough Jets to an NIHL 2 South title and NIHL 2 National championship title. During that season Shepherd also played up on occasion for Streatham and while he only posted a .850 percentage he still looked impressive and NIHL 1 Calibre. This had me hoping that we would be seeing Shepherd back on the High Road in 19/20, but instead Shepherd opted to stay in Slough with the Jets. 

His first season, he would post a .883 save percentage, but was overshadowed by Matt Smital's .905. Smital moving on meant Shepherd was able to make the net his own in 2021 and over 24 games posted an average of 3.11 GAA and a .915%. An improvement to 2.98 GAA and .917 in 2022/23 was enough to catch the eye of Berkshire Bee's who have had Brett in the back up role for the past season and a bit where his ice time was limited to 15 games over 2 seasons. In 23/24 he posted a 5.69GAA and .850 save percentage. While this season has posted a 7.00 GAA and .806 in 1 game. 

Photo taken by Blueline Photography

Shepherds signing comes a little bit out of left field this morning. It will have been no secret the club was still likely looking for a starter to stand in for Milton. While as I said Romahs and Phillips have been solid when called upon, neither right now is an NIHL 1 starter, especially with the expectations on the Streatham roster this season. The move signals that Milton's injury is possibly worse than thought and so short term deals will not cover the tougher games against the likes of Chelmsford, Slough, Solent and Invicta. Though the Bee's may have a sort of buy back clause as they mention monitoring Brett's numbers and that he is still an important part of their plans. With Morgan Garside coming in on a 2-way, already signed up with Cardiff Canucks to fill in, though how that all matches up against the Canucks schedule am not certain. Either way hopefully any buy back options have a Danny Milton return condition on then

The amount of starts Brett has at 24, and the levels he has played at mean that the club has landed that starter it needed to find. He's a championship winning caliber net-minder having won NIHL 2 and the Coventry NIHL 2 showpiece in 18/19. Brett's numbers in Slough for the Bee's are comparable to those that Jordan Lawday and Matt Smital were posting when at National level. With Lawday's last season in NIHL a .863 with a 4.65GAA and Smital's a .843 and 5.43GAA for Raider and a .827 and 7.37GAA for Bristol. The common denominator across all of these being the strength of the offence they faced vs the strength of the defence they worked behind. 

Photo taken by Blueline Photography

Goalies are very much voodoo wizardry and nonsense. The stats they post are a mixture of factors, because if you have a goalie saving 100 shots in a game, it's because the defence allowed 100 shots,as Dan Weller Evans said to me in Slough recently after a big win for the Bees over the champion Leeds Knights. That's what happens when the D makes the goalies life easier. With that in mind, it means you have to look more at how a goalie plays in net. How they control the puck, how they position themselves for shots, how they track and see the puck etc. 

In the case of Brett Shepherd, he's a goalie who passed my eye test a long time ago. Just one of those goalies that looks the part when you watch them play. I have said that the defence in-front of a net-minder is a key aspect of the stats. And with Streatham's very strong defence in-front of him there is no doubt that Brett will post solid numbers, and have life made easier for him. In the below video we see just why he will be able to deliver on that. 

Granted a 62 save performance does say a lot about how the Jets D allowed those chances in this game. But the chances he saves, especially the break away chances and ones with net front traffic showcase why Brett has always passed my eye test. 

Firstly he's good at tracking the puck, and good at playing positing when there's traffic, something you need in your starter. That tracking of the puck feeds into his positioning relative to the shooter every single time here is spot on, Shepherd was a menace for Streatham to play on the high road, always able to cover off the angles on our pad(of course his home knowledge helped) And while yes he will make mistakes and not always get that positioning correct, allowing goals. He has the ability to nail that positioning with a higher success rate. Add to this final part in the holy trinity of goalie skills, in puck control. I don't mean how he skates the puck ofcourse, I mean how he re-directs shots off the pads and blockers. Some goalies can be guilty of just pinging it wherever, but Brett is certainly not a goalie I can accuse of that. While he'll have the odd unfortunate bounce, shepherds strikes me as a goalie who always tries to make sure his rebounds are controlled into a direction his D can clear it or its out to the corners. 

Photo taken by Blueline Photography

As I have said goalies are voodoo wizardry and nonsense. Everything I have said is no guarantee of success. Hockey players, especially goalies can be a bit like the stock market. They have seasons where they rise and they have seasons where they may fall. Past success is no guarantee of future success. But that being said a net-minder in the vein of what I have just described in terms of ability, the stats and experience he has at such a young age. All point to this move having the potential to steer the club clear of what could have been some choppy waters in its quest to retain that league title. 

Taking The High Road: How They Line Up

HOW THEY LINE UP

My probably totally wrong guesses at how

Streathams lines will look in 24/25

So the 2024/25 season roster now looks to be completed, or thereabouts with 3 goalies, 8 defenders and 11 full time forwards with an additional 12th who's on a two way deal. Possibly the club has an additional 12th forward to announce, but the fact the team has begun training, and the teasers from socials have ended I'd suspect we are looking at the completed roster for 24/25 

No doubt Ben already has in mind who will be playing on a line with who heading into the season, and will fine tune this during pre season training and the 2 pre season games vs Slough. But I have my own ideas of what pairings we will be seeing, so in this blog I'm going to pop on my coaches cap and see if I can successfully guess the lines heading into the season. 

Goal Tenders

Always build from the net outward, its a saying I always apply to team building in hockey. signing and picking a solid starter is the difference between winning and losing. In the case of Streatham choosing the starter is not the toughest of choices. Danny Milton of course gets the nod here with Matt Friend my A choice for the back up position. 

DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS

This is where things began getting tricky. The way the teams defensive corps is built this year, has seen size, and physicality signed along with offensive ability and steady effective defensive players. I decided I wanted to try and balance lines where each player complimented the others negatives with their own positives. But I also wanted to avoid the top heavy approach by pairing Stead and Baird together. 

1. SAM WALLER AND PRESTON TOMBS

Keeping this pairing together was easy for me to see. They were incredibly effective last season, and really complimented each other. Waller provides the physicality and offensive ability of the pairing. While Tombs brings that youth, extra speed and tenacity. This saw the two of them cover for one another shift after shift. Usually Waller going for an offensive move would see Tombs move a bit back in preparation for any turnovers, he'd usually be the one back to collect pucks behind the net and find an outlet to Waller

2. BAIRD AND GREGORY

I've tried to balance things here, as Brendan Baird tends to play a more offensive minded D game, and I would expect to see him pinching down, and also providing that transitional outlet play. As such I'd expect to see Jordan hanging back in that stay at home role here. While also providing the physical presence on the line battling in the corners and using his size to guide players out to the boards. As Gregory was often paired with Callum Burnett who had offensive tendencies 

3. STEAD AND WARMAN

So again with this line I went for the mix of offensive and physical play styles. However in this case both players match that description. While its true that Ben has said Harvey has been signed in order to improve the teams offensive transition play. But Harvey much like his brother Will is not shy about playing that physical Streatham style. Much the same as his line mate here in James Warman, James has an offensive approach himself to plays at times. Having hit highs of about 15 assists in previous seasons James is just as a capable at setting up the offensive plays. But he is of course also well known for those big bone crunching hits at centre ice. 

4. SKOKAN AND AIKEN

A top tier offensive defensemen paired with the other solid work horse on the back end. Tomasz Skokan clearly fits the bill of offence on this line. A great 200ft player Skokan is however prone to being caught out pinching down to use that wrist shot of his, so I thought Aiken operating in that defensive role where he hangs back to cover this doing what he does best, which is that hard work on the back end that made me describe him as a gold dust player because of how vital he is to the overall make up of the roster. 

FORWARDS

So picking the forward lines I told myself I needed to try and be mindful of not falling into the age old traps of loading up 1 line for bear, and just sticking the youth players on the 4th line. However at the same time, being mindful of what I know works from previous seasons, combined with fitting the new faces in around that. Last seasons mix of suspensions and injuries mean there isn't a set core line group for me to call on here, as Ben had to blender the lines on a seemingly weekly basis. Ideally i'm aiming for lines that mix speed, physicality and scoring. 

BRITTLE BEESLEY NORCLIFFE

Beesley was a lock for first line centre for me. Streatham's best player all last season, and leading scorer Ziggy was in beast mode stepping up to fill the void left by friend Vanya Antonov's departure. As Jordan Lawday described him he is a player who can place the puck in the net from anywhere around the net. Luke Brittle started out slow but really hit the after burners in the scoring column throughout the season. If Brittle had the puck around the net it was highly likely he would be scoring or his goto in Ziggy would be scoring. Lastly we have the new face on the line in George Norcliffe. I described George as being potentially the best power forward in the league this season. And thats what Luke and Ziggy need, a big body capable of scoring and setting them up who will also make space for them, much the same way Brandon Miles did. 

INGOLDSBY PAYNTER PITCHLEY

I juggled centering this line with Doughty, but decided to stick with Ben as he's the best 2 way centre in this league, and of course was the 2nd line centre last season. But face offs and 200 ft games are not the only reason I chose Ben in this role of course, his offensive ability as well are why. As Ben has posted multiple double digit seasons in both goals and assists for Streatham over his time with the club. On the wings I wanted to try and recreate an old classic from the clubs history in part, and also keep two players together who I feel work well together. Bang and crash hard hitting hockey is a big part of the Streatham way of hockey, and Danny Ingoldsby and JJ Pitchley both embody this perfectly I feel. JJ provides that energy player who is capable of getting the puck about the ice as we saw last season. While Danny I'm hoping would rekindle the partnership he had with Ben in 19/20 that saw Danny end that season with 35 points. But he also provides that physicality, combined with a quick edge to it. 

WATT DOUGHTY J LANE

The embarrassment of riches in the clubs forward group has made me fall into the trap I didn't want to here. But more on that in the next section. Doughty I have put at centre because of his net front presence and size. I have seen a lot of highlights of him shovelling loose pucks in front, and generally making a nuisance of himself to opposition goalies. Watty of course takes up position on the wing where I envision him doing what he does best which is dangling down the wing, and cutting in for those chances, while also being in prime position to rotate to the point for one of his long range bombs. Both Doughty and Watt should be able to generate space for Jared Lane to move into and use his speed. Watt and Lane had a solid partnership in the past so I envision this should work out well. 

E LANE CATHCART PLAYER ROTATION/ERSKINE

And so I have fallen into the trap I set for myself, I have put the 2 young prospects on a line together in favour of loading up the top 3 lines, and adding in the 2 way player on this line alongside the rotation. I wanted to move Cathcart and Ethan up somewhere in the top 9 but every time I looked at the trios I had I couldn't find anyone who I could move down the order in place of them. Ive used Roman in the centre because as Ben has described him he's a physical presence but with speed which is what you need in a centre. Ethan Lane of course everyone will hope pushes on from the impressive form he showed last season and finds a way to continue adding to his 4 goal total. Ethan is a player who has found regular scoring at every level, so hopefully he will continue that trend at NIHL 1 level. 

It would be easy to see this as the 4th line that gets rolled out when the goal difference is very favourable but I don't see it that way. Roman and Ethan are established at this level, in Romans case he has international and NIHL experience under his belt. Add in a solid rotated forward working with them, most likely Ben himself or Watty and these 2 youngsters should come on leaps and bounds together. 

So there it is, how I think the lines will match up and why. Possibly if Ben see's this he'll be having a chuckle at how wrong I am. We'll have to wait till the season starts on the 7th September to find out though. 

TAKING THE HIGH ROAD FRIENDS OLD AND NEW

TAKING THE HIGH ROAD

FRIENDS OLD AND NEW

TAKING THE ROAD BACK 

18 TOMASZ SKOKAN

With clubs trying to up the ante offensively going into the 2022 hockey season, Streatham needed to up its game with its defence. Signing an import at this level of UK hockey is something of a crap shoot, as we Streatham fans have seen. Usually imports in South 1 are already here working and play hockey alongside their carers. And usually they have played hockey in the lower tiers of Europe, such as Slovakia's 2nd league or Czechia's 3rd tier. So the club cashed in a jackpot when Tomasz Skokan was signed. 

In one fell swoop the club landed a player who had the potential to become one of the best offensive D-Men in the league. How many teams in South 1 could boast a player who brings experience in the polish top flight and experience in the continental cup. In the past I have talked about players being found money, in the case of Skokan he was the club finding a winning lottery ticket down the back of the sofa.

Photo by:Mel O'Brien

Tomasz has ofcourse over the past 2 seasons with the club been exactly as I describe. With a total of 77 points across all S1 competitions, and a PPG average of 1.15 in league action. He has lived up to that monicker of offensive D-Man I gave him. With a bullet wrist shot Tomasz became a solid replacement for Michael Farn on the blue line in terms of offensive ability. But instead of long range lobs, we now get close range snipes. Whenever on the puck you can tell Tomasz always has a sense of where the net is. Most notable of all examples of this being the game winner he scored in the epic game with Slough

Photo by:Mel O'Brien

But Tomasz's sense of where the net is in relation to the puck is not only applicable offensively. As he has been solid in the defensive zone as well. Making him a great 200ft player with great speed off the puck and ability to get the puck carrier to play the puck how he wants them too. 

Every off season I fear we will see Tomasz depart for one of the London adjacent National teams, in fact seeing him hanging out with the Romford roster at National finals in 2023 had me worried we'd be seeing him in a Raiders jersey the next season. But thankfully Tomasz has once again committed to the Red Hawks cause.

16 JORDAN GREGORY

            Something that hockey coaches need more than those big splash star signings, are the signings that form the engine room of the roster. The work horse players who don't put up 50 points, who just do their job and put in solid performances that while not noted on the stat sheet don't go unnoticed by opponents, and fans in the arena. While every teams needs their Vanya Antonov's, it badly needs players like Jordan, in my opinion they are like gold dust.

Photo by:Mel O'Brien

Jordan returns for his now 7th season on the High Road, now 28 he's entering the peak year range for defensive players. 13 seasons in NIHL 1 hockey with a total of 258 games under his belt, this is the first thing Jordan brings to the team, that much needed experience which is why I describe D-Men in their late 20's as being at peak years. You then combine that with a frame that makes Jordan so well suited to the Streatham way of playing. He's big physical and imposing on the ice, so big and imposing, and no doubt due to his choice of hair style. That he has been nick named, sasquatch, and wookie by non Streatham fans attempting to insult him. But to be honest given no one worries about upsetting droids but they do Wookies I wouldn't see it as too far off the mark(sorry Jordan) but not because Jordan is big and hairy. But because if you make him angry he will not think twice about stepping up and making you pay for it. Most famously as we saw in the infamous Farn is a chicken incident v Invicta. 

Photo by:Mel O'Brien

Jordan as I said fits that role of the solid work horse defender in the teams engine room. Besides fighting Jordan uses that size and physicality to his advantage, in battles at the boards and the corner. Granted he can sometimes get a bit over zealous in this but he's ultimately very effective at using his size in those 50/50 battles by the boards. But he's also very adept at moving puck carriers out wider and wider during the defensive phase of play. 

11 HENRY AIKEN

    With the departure of Andrew Cook at the end of the 2022 season, Streatham were in need of a player to fill the role Cook had occupied on the roster. Thats of the dependable workhorse defence-man who does the simple things the right way on every shift. Enter former Guildford junior Henry Aiken. Signed from rivals the Invicta Dynamo's Henry took a little time to settle in to the Streatham systems but once he had he became exactly as I described. The dependable workhorse in the defences engine room, not the defence-man you relied upon to score or create goals on the transition. More the defence-man who's work goes unrewarded by the stats collumn. Despite this his style of play meant Henry became a firm fan favourite. 

Photo by:Mel O'Brien

As Ben puts it in his signing release Henry is the kind of player every club needs to succeed. Not just because of what I have outlined above. My description of him as a work horse in the defensive unit is only part of what Henry brings to the table. He has a great energy about him that is apparent both on and off the ice. To see the way the rest of the team reacted to his return after his season long absence. As Ben describes it he creates a great atmosphere about him both in the room and outside of it. Having been in the pub around Henry I can attest to this. 

Photo by:Mel O'Brien

Henry really loves being a RedHawk, and the fans love having him. Players like Henry are in my view a rarity and are more important to sign than your Vanya Antonov's. Goal scorers tend to be easier to find, than reliable solid defence-man that do the simple things right shift after shift. Streatham have been lucky with Henry that we found one to take the place of another. 

57 DANNY INGOLDSBY

Danny Ingoldsby's was as I described him a bit of a gamble on potential. Before arriving on the High Road Danny had never had a double figure goal season outside of junior hockey, with his highest season being 7 playing for Basingstoke Buffalo in 2014. That being said he did post double figure points seasons collecting assists but again his highest being a 18 point season in 2018 for Bracknell Bees. Of course Adam Carr saw potential in a young player he had played against many times, and who's numbers at EPL/NIHL level could translate into a force at NIHL 1 level. Sometimes this can be a false narrative that fans and coaches fall for. That a player capable of posting an 18 point season at NIHL could double that to 36 say in NIHL 1.

Photo by:Mel O'Brien

Danny definitely did not fall into that category however. In fact he delivered in spades over 3 seasons with the club from 2019 to 2023. Posting a new career high in his first season of 35 points(23+12) he dipped the following season with a 28 (14+14) before his personal scoring contest with Vanya Antonov saw him become the leading goal scorer in the league in 2022/23 posting 38 goals, 24 assists for 62 points. Sadly 23/24 was curtailed by injury and so Danny only posted 5+9 for 14. 

Photo by:Dave Trevallion(IcyPhotography.co.uk)

Danny's offensive output has been for lack of a better phrase explosive since he joined the club. And besides what he can do with the puck around the net he also has fit the style of Streatham hockey over the time he has been with the club. A hard hitting physical player who brings energy on every shift, and more than willing to stick up for himself or team mates. Unfortunately the way Danny plays has lead to him spending a bit of time on the treatment table every season. But that is what coaches want from their players(not that they want them injured of course they don't) what I mean is he charges in to the fight with no regard for himself and puts his body on the line for the cause. Which will have made it a no brainer for Ben to bring him back this season. 

ETHAN LANE

In recent seasons the club has been able to unearth at least one, decent up and coming young prospect. Conner Smith, Emil Oksanen, Preston Tombs,Jack Hoppes,Harvey Briggs, Maks Mazlak, and of course Millique Martelly. Ethan Lane is the next in this long line of players who have been developed at the club. A product of the junior system, he was a surprise yet welcome addition to the roster in mid season as the club looked for some depth. As with most 18 year olds stepping up from junior and NIHL 2, Antonov style numbers were not expected. But everyone could be forgiven for thinking the club had another Vanya on its hands as he scored twice on his debut away in Oxford

Photo by:Mel O'Brien

He would net 5 more times through the season for 6 goals in all all competitions. At NIHL 2 level he showed why Stan Ratcliffe and Mark Saunders had suggested him as a prospect to ben netting 12 goals(including a beauty from centre ice V Peterborough) and totalling 23 points on the season. At NIHL 1 level he played exactly as Ben had described him, always in the thick of things, willing to charge head first into the corners and able to make defenders look like they were standing still. 

Photo by:Mel O'Brien

Hopefully Ethan continues to impress this season, and finds a way to continue climbing the depth chart to the point where the club feels they want him onboard full time and not doubling up with the Blackhawks. 

94 JJ Pitchley

    JJ has done a better job of keeping his re-signing a secret this off season than he did last summer, where his liking of every streatham social media post alerted me to the fact he had likely signed for us. That being said his comments to me at seasons end has me basically convinced it was a formality my favourite new signing of 23/24 would be back

With a shift to a more physical, defence oriented style, coach Paynter needed to bring in players who would fit into that system but still post up points. And with other teams bringing in ex National league players to increase their firepower there needed to be a response in kind from the club. Luckily Ben had a former team mate who fit both these characteristics in mind.  

Photo by:Mel O'Brien

Energy, intensity, aggression, ruthlessness, on and over the edge. These are all words I would use to describe JJ Pitchley after a season watching him in a Streatham jersey. JJ has always been one of those players you hate when he's not on your roster, but love when he is. Despite a quiet start goal wise, he got louder and louder as the season went on. In fact it seemed to be post suspension JJ had a fire lit under him as hit everything that moved, and began finding ways to score regularly, ending the season with 10 goals, and of course how can we forget the moment he score the winner in the National final v Billingham. 

Off the ice he's also been a great fit with the team and the fans. I will never forget my social awkwardness and anxiety coming through in an interaction we had during one warm up. And my colleague on match nights, Ian throwing me under the bus by revealing this very fact to JJ in the pub post game. JJ's reaction, was to sign my shirt, be nothing but charming and then tell me that I'd get beaten up if I kept wearing a jersey with his name on. On a side note am convinced both Ian and  Steff Reines will not be happy till they have made me feel like a socially awkward turtle with the whole roster!! 

Photo by:Mel O'Brien

Back on track and on point. JJ become a favourite of mine last season after many seasons of feeling the opposite towards him when he was in a Raiders or Bees jersey. Largely due to the fact from game 1 he played with that intensity and aggression I spoke of. But also because when on the puck he could seemingly make things happen, and was happy to take the puck into and out of a corner battle to get the goal. I at one point said he was like a more physical Vanya because of the aspects and his willingness to skate the puck and out dangle opponents looking for the gap.

It having been a while since he had last lifted a trophy, no doubt getting that monkey off his back was a big part of JJ coming to streatham last season, that and clearly getting a chance to play alongside Ben again. But as was revealed in his signing announcement, it took within seconds of lifting that National trophy for him to tell Ben he wanted back in for 24/25. And no doubt took Ben less than that to say yes. With a full season under his belt, and the way he was firing up at the end of last season, hopefully we'll be seeing JJ adding more to his 23/24 haul of 10+16   

TAKING THE HIGH ROAD IN

ADAM ERSKINE

Having a roster of experienced veterans who can land you championships is important, but equally important is developing for the future. Something the club I feel has understood very well in previous seasons. Millique Martelly,Harvey Briggs,Max Maslak,Emil Oksanen,Jack Hoppes, Preston Tombs. All players that have climbed the rungs from the Streatham academy, into the Blackhawks roster and up to the main Streatham roster. Of these only Tombs now remains on the roster as the rest have all either caught the eye of National teams or in the case of Maslak and Oksanen the eye of teams in mainland European hockey. Streatham's academy has had a solid track record in recent seasons with developing prospects who go on to better things. No doubt this was a factor in the decision by Berkshire Bee's to sign up with Streatham to a development pathway. In the hope that another Millique Martelly makes their way up from the academy. 

Photo sourced from Adams EP Profile

In the meantime though the path is being utilised as a way to help get younger prospects on the Bee's roster to get extra ice time when there is no Bee's game. As such Streatham have added young forward Adam Erskine from the Bee's on a 2 way deal. Now unlike the Hoppes and Cathcart 2 ways the Bee's will be Adam's primary team, meaning we will only see him ice for Streatham when there are no fixture clashes. It however does mean that Adam can train with the team regularly. More ice time generally means player improvement as they can work on different aspects with different coaches. Which would likely be the trade off here for Adam and the Bee's

Photo by:Dave Trevallion(IcyPhotography.co.uk)

At 19 years old Adam is already a player with some great experience behind him. Having iced 12 times at National level with Romford, and now set for a full season with the Bee's. He's a player with speed and skill, something that is becoming more and more important in the modern hockey game. Statistically Adam doesn't leap off the page as a must sign kind of player. But stats don't always tell the full story, and I think thats the case here. Having seen him ice now for Romford and Slough I remember him as a player who would give Streatham problems at both ends of the ice. With experience for GB U18 under his belt as well, Adam is a player with a lot of upside. While the 2 way means the Bee's will benefit most from his potential, adding a solid young prospect with Adam's experience adds great extra roster depth

MATTHEW FRIEND

While having a strong starting net-minder is key to winning any championship. Having a solid 2nd option in the crease is just as important. Your back up net-minder has to be that player you can rely on to step in and change the course of the game when your starter has had an off night. Its something we Streatham fans have been accustomed to seeing happen to opposition net-minding duos these past few seasons. While we have been rather spoiled with a combo of Tom Annetts, Danny Milton and Nate Gregory to call upon. That is the kind of set up generally you would only expect when someones playing hockey manager and loads the team with top talents, eg Sergei Bobrovski and Linus Ullmark on the same team. In fact Streatham was accused of running a cheat code at the time in that same vein. 

Photo By Unknown(please contact for credit)

With Tom Annetts retired, and Nate Gregory opting to go play in Slough the club has needed to bring in a steady hand in net to work alongside Danny. My thoughts were the club had 3 main options on this front. Dylan Phillps, a young rookie net minder returning from a season in juniors over seas. Or the signing we made, Matthew Friend. But with Friend having been part of the Invicta Dynamos set up last season, it seemed a slim hope that we could land Friend. But with the Dynamos opting to bring in Brad Windebank to pair alongside Owen Rider the way became clear.

Friend is a net minder I became familiar with during his season with the Streatham Blackhawks in 22/23. Which is why Im pleased to see him in a Streatham jersey. Friend struck me as the kind of netminder who with a solid defence in front of him could do a solid job for any team. While his season on the high road saw the team finish 7th in the league. Judging a goalie on that metric alone isn't fair. I once heard goalies described as voodoo wizardry and bullsh*t. This means its easier to judge forwards and defensemen by the goals, assists and +/- stat to evaluate their contribution. But with goalies, wins and losses, save percentages, shots faced and goals against are all manipulated by the performance of the team in front of them. Instead you really have to rely on the eye test. 

Photo by:Dave Trevallion(IcyPhotography.co.uk)

Having given Friend the eye test, he definitely fits the bill in my opinion. He was a steady presence in the Blackhawks net that season, and kept them in games they had no business staying in. He could really soak up the rubber for them, and coach Paynter sees that too in Friends team first attitude, which is a big thing Ben looks for. He moves well in the net as well to me, his stint in Medway only saw him ice 4 times in league action. But a .915% and 2.75 GAA is a good indicator of his ability when he has a solid defence in front of him. Ben says Matt is keen to improve with every shift and practice and while the sample is smaller, and improvement to .915 and 2.75 from 9.80 and .815% when he played 14 games for the Thunder with a comparatively weak defence, should bode well for Matt's ability to win games when he is called into service.

NIKOLAJS ROMAHS

Strength in depth at all positions is key for both current and long term success in hockey. It's all well and good having a Danny Milton in net who can steal you games and win you championships. But what happens if Danny has a bad night? what happens if we see what happened to Tom Annetts a few seasons back and he gets injured in warm up, what happens if Matt Friend is taken out of action for some reason. Not only that but what use is it having a net minder who is something of an expert in training youngsters in Danny Milton, and not having a young up and coming prospect working alongside him. Enter Nik Romahs. Something of a prodical son, as the 19 year old net minder returns to Streatham after having traded Streatham juniors for Romford juniors and the Buccaneers in 2021. 

CREDIT:UNKNOWN PLEASE CONTACT ME

Romahs will be mainly familiar to streatham fans as one of the net minders for the Romford Bucaneer's in recent seasons. He's also had a little time over seas playing in the NA3HL with the Great Falls Americans. His ice time last season was severely limited on a Raiders team that relied heavily on Sonny Phillips in net. Combined with Danny Milton, Romahs has had some great tutors to try and learn from, in 2 of the best at this level of hockey. Unfortunately that also meant his ice time was limited, to 3 games last season. Although that small sample saw a solid return with a 2.75GAA and a .933%

CREDIT:UNKNOWN PLEASE CONTACT ME

As I said with Matt Friend however, stats are helpful with goalies. But they are still very much voodoo wizardry and BS. Meaning a promising young talent can post those numbers in a small sample, but a longer term sample can see those stats drop. However Nik will be spending the season facing shots from some of the best forwards in the division, and also working behind what should hopefully be a solid defence and, will be getting advice from Danny Milton on how to deal with both of these elements. Granted it will mostly be in training situations, and I would hope the club has extended an offer of sending Nik out on a 2 way to the Blackhawks to get him regular game time(because in spite of what I just outlined, regular games ultimately are the best thing for development, especially in the case of goalies) Ben will no doubt have seen something in the eye test with Nik, and no doubt he sees him as a long term project to help the club maintain depth and continuity in net for the future.

            Any More To come?

With the teams social media channels switching to posts on the teams training sessions, it would seem that the club has wrapped on signings for the coming season. Where we will be running with 11 forwards for the bulk of games, with Erskine filling in that 12 spot. 8 defensemen and a trio of netminding options. Possibly a 13th forward will become available as the season begins, when teams begin shedding players or players opt out upon realising that the team they signed with isnt a good fit. 

With no official announcement so far, it does leave a question mark over Josh Martin and Josh Ealey Newman. Possibly in both cases the club is waiting on confirmation from them on if they intend to return(unlikely as usually signings are all typically done in a short time frame after end of the season. In Martins case the 30 game ban may have disqualified him from being asked back, as he'd be using a roster spot to sit for 30 games. But the suspensions aside Josh did a solid job for the club and it wouldn't surprise me if he has been signed to sit, and the club will announce his return nearer the time. 

The same can be said for Josh Eaeley Newman. No official announcement has been made on his future. But with the departure of brother Ben it wouldn't shock me to see him end up in Slough. However it should be noted that Josh suffered a season ending shoulder dislocation. From what I have read this injury can be a simple recovery, however this injury could be forcing Josh to take a little extra rehab time. And as such he could have decided to return to the club and the club is just waiting for him to give the green light for his return to be announced. 

In both cases we can only speculate. If and when any official announcement is made I'll of course give both the same treatment I have all other departures with a little blog about their contributions to the club. But till then I'm going to hold off till I see official word from the club or where they sign. 

MORE POINTS, MORE TEAMS MORE TROPHIES

MORE POINTS, MORE TEAMS MORE TROPHIES

        The league has now dropped the format for the league for the 24/25 season. A new trophy has been added, the path to grand slam for anyone wanting it just got a bit longer and we have some new enemies joining us on the campaign for the league, play off and National championships

SOUTH 1 EXPANSION

                We have 2 new teams in NIHL 1 South this coming season. One of them a familiar face rejoining us after some time away in South 2. And the other a new face stepping up to South 1 for the first time. 

    The Cardiff Fire make their return to South 1 for the first time since 2020. Following the Covid curtailed season the Fire opted to enact a plan to rebuild the team after a torrid few seasons that had seen them rooted near the bottom of the league in its various guises. That last time around the Fire roster was something of a mystery till they arrived on the High Road to open the season having not announced anyone. This time around the Fire are slowly but surely announcing signings, most of which seem to be joining from the Oxford City Stars so far. Which has lead to a great deal of consternation among Oxford and non Oxford fans as it seemed like no one was signing in Oxford. So far they have signed, Danny Williams and Tom Stephens to bolster their ranks. And likely given he's a Welshman himself we could expect to see Ross Miller sign on with the Fire. 

            Stepping up for the first time to NIHL 1, as what seems to be a push by the Nell family owned teams to get development routes going for their National teams in Leeds and Swindon. The Wildcats 2 side makes the step up from NIHL 2 to NIHL 1. While everyone else drip feeds the news of signings through the summer as a means of fan engagement. The Wildcats opted to drop their entire roster in one go. And its a strong mixture of youth and experience. The Wildcats 2 are determined not to be in the wooden spoon fight at seasons end, but are also determined to be committed to developing talent. 

To this end they have signed players with experience of the National, NIHL 1 and 2 leagues. In net they have landed Brett Massey from Slough. Likely a move to further the organisational goal of moving Massey into the main Wildcats roster one day. The arrival of Wildcats 2 much the same as Cardiff Fire has hit the Oxford Stars hard with Ben Nethersell,Matt Lawday, and William Harding all being brought in along with adding a scoring touch by signing away Liam Coleman and Steve Osman from Solent. And for good measure bringing in everyones favourite player they all love to hate Jay Warren. 

These experienced players, will be aided by a crop of talented youngsters who are a mix of graduates from the NIHL 2 Wildcats, the Swindon Academy and even players who have already played up with the Wildcats main like Dylan Lipsey. Jan Kostal jr is a player everyone is watching keenly, and his youth stats back this up. Carl Forshee, Ethan Taylor, Ben Mason and Alfie Druett are all players the club will be hoping continue their upward development trend in NIHL 1

CONCLUSSIONS

The expansion of the league with the addition of 2 new teams is only good for the leagues entertainment value and is in turn therefore good for business, for 7 of the other teams. Despite the assurances made by Oxford and Mark Saunders that despite a large percentage of Fire's new signings having been part of the Oxford last season. And Swindon's NIHL 1 arrival seeing players like Oliver Stone and Matt Lawday leave, along with Jan Kostal and Shannon Taylor departing to take up coaching roles with the Wildcats. The Wildcats and Fires arrivals is going to impact the Stars ability to improve the roster after a couple of seasons where the team has struggled on the ice. As was seen last season, the Wildcats and Solent organisations were the Stars best options for players they could try to sign to strengthen. With 2 new sides now in that catchment area, along with the Pitbull's in NIHL and NIHL 2 it makes a very crowded market place. 

From a fans perspective this will be great of course. The issue with the 8 team league was of course that the same teams would be back once every 2 weeks. I recall a point where we played the same team twice in 2 weeks. Now while the addition of 2 new teams meaning 2 new home and 2 new away games won't mean an end to that. It does mean there will be more of a breaker upon how often we see certain teams. That combined with the new formats I will look at shortly will make for a more exciting league for the fans. 

THE NEW STRUCTURE

The league announced yesterday the plans for the league structure this coming season. They break down as follows

Points - Its now 3pts for a win, 2pts for an OT/Shoot Out win 1pt for a loss in OT/SO and 0 for a regulation loss

Roster limits have now also been introduced, and the Non British Trained player rules changed as well. 

Rosters are now only allowed to contain 30 senior age players(these will likely be U24 and above) and on game day only 2 non British trained players. Or Imports as we collectively call them, will be allowed to ice, and the old rule preventing them from icing at the same time has been removed. This will now allow teams at our level the option of signing import net-minders if possible. Meaning any club who signs Petr Cech will not have to juggle him with another import skater.

With the expansion to 10 teams there has been a corresponding rise in games for the league season. We return to the format of 36 games in a season. Thats 4 against the 9 teams we play, 2 at home and 2 away. Of those 36 games 10 will make up the cup campaign, where we will compete in a group of 5 with 4 other teams. Currently we don't know how the groups will be split but likely it will be done using either east v west or north v south divides. 

The play offs get the biggest shake up however. The league has adopted the round robin format for the play offs. With 6 teams not the usual 8 qualifying for the quarterfinal round robin, where it will be 1 home 1 away and the 1st and 2nd qualifying for a 2 leg semi final. Presumably the seeding draw will be 1,3,5 in one group, and 2,4,6 in the other. 

Of course the biggest part of this shake up, has been the announcement that there will now be a National Play off championship weekend for all regional divisions at 1 and 2 levels. By April 5th and 6th all regional division play offs(the round robin and 2 legged semi finals) will have to have been completed. Following this on April 12 and 13th there will be a National play off weekend. Were the S1,N1, S2 and N2 play off finals will be decided. Then on the Sunday the North will face the South in a National play off championship game.

CONCLUSSIONS

The leagues expansion has precipitated these changes, but also the widening of the gap between those teams in the top 6 to 7th and 8th in recent seasons has also lead to these changes. After several seasons of what could be seen as a bye in to the finals weekend for the teams finishing 1st and 2nd, and with cricket scores seeing them through to the finals weekends. Im not blind of course to the fact we have been the beneficiaries of this situation. The introduction of a top 6 qualification format increases the jeapordy of those top 6 positions in a league of 10. And it makes the end of season play off run in equally more packed with the possibility for upset. As all it will take is one or two bad games to upset the possibility of a favourite moving on to the semis or the finals weekend. 

The change in points structure will add to the excitement surrounding all this. The fact that teams were rewarded the same for what was effectively a tie in a game going to overtime as a win in regulation didnt make sense in my opinion. The introduction of 3 points for a win, should mean an improvement in the entertainment of games as teams go all in to win games for the maximum points. It will also help make the title fight more entertaining in theory with more points on offer, and thus more ways for opponents to close ground, but also lose it by allowing late comebacks to turn a win and 3 into 2 or 1 point in over time. 

Change is something that many will fear, and many will not approve of. Thats UK hockey, many things done in it are done because that's how its always been done. But if the sport is to grow, and to evolve it needs to look at new ways of doing things, and while ourselves and S2 are clearly an experiment with the end result being it will be applied to the National league if succesfull. 

The play-off weekend now enters what I think maybe if commercially succesful, its final evolutionary form. The MK weekends were a good attempt at doing a whole weekend for South 1, however the location just wasn't ideal for South 1 hockey fans, despite the modest number of nearby hotels. Travel issues and the fact the last one was done over the easter weekend when everything was shut leaving everyone with nothing to do on the Sunday, combined with tribalism keeping large numbers of fans away, leading to a rather empty arena on the Sunday for the final. Saw the league opt for Ally Pally for a joint S1 and S2 weekend. Commercially this event was a success, with standing room only and even then that was hard to come by, for all the games. With the stands packed out, however there have been several who have voiced concerns at the venues suitability due to its remote location, lack of nearby hotels and amenities, the food options and hotels and a lack of locker rooms. 

    While the national venue has not yet been announced, Ally Pally is not likely to be it. Its a wonderful building and the visuals of the National Finals taking place on a hill overlooking the capital are the things of cinema. But reality is that the finals weekend will need to be held somewhere geographically central or will need to be somewhere with the means and capacity to host such an event. The shortlist there would be Nottinghams arena, Coventry, Ice Sheffield or even the Hallam Sheffield arena for the Steelers, possibly MK as well. 

    The two choices I would be betting on here are Coventry or Ice Sheffield. This will all depend upon whats happening with the NIHL play offs and the EIHL play offs. Whether both will have been completed on time of course. But I'd also put an outside bet on somewhere like Leeds, Bristol or Nottingham. Sheffield or Coventry though would be the best chocies, both are experienced at hosting hockey tournaments, have good travel links, and hotels and other ameneties in close proximity to the rink. 

    The introduction of a National play off title will add another level of intrigue to the play offs, and may provide a window into the National league champions game the week after in Coventry if its league champion vs league champion. However for any team looking to secure all the trophies it will now represent another possible blocker on that quest. But you can only defeat who is put in front of you and can only play for whats on offer. 

Taking The High Road More Comings and Goings

 TAKING THE HIGH ROAD

More Comings And Goings

Hello again all and welcome back, the team building for the Streatham Redhawks continued these past couple of weeks with the departure of a homegrown talent, the welcome return of two big parts of last seasons roster and one of the biggest and best signings at our level this off season. Whether by coaches design or by offers too good to pass up players end up leaving eventually. And while its always a shame to see our favourites depart(I was crushed when Vanya left for example) sometimes these departures form part of a teams natural evolution. As has been shown in nature, creatures that fail to adapt to the environment around them go extinct. In the case of the Streatham RedHawks coach Paynter is trying to ensure the teams run of dominance doesn't go the way of the dodo. 

HARVEY BRIGGS

                As I said in the previous post about Jack Hoppes, its a tradition on the High Road recently for the club to find solid young players in the prospect pipeline and see them depart one or two seasons after we signed them. Alongside Conner Smith Briggs was touted as a great young homegrown prospect. However after the opening phases of the season saw limited ice time for the youngster, and too some extent overshadowed by the emergence of Millique Martelly as one of the best offensive D-Men in the league. Harvey ended up departing the club for Romford Buccaneers(then Raiders 2) for 2 seasons. Arguably Harvey made a smart move here as this opened up the door for him to make 30 appearance for the Buccs and 8 games with the Raiders national side scoring 2 goals at National level in the process. 

Image by Mel O'Brien

To be totally honest, when Harvey left in 2021, it wasn't something I saw as a loss to the teams overall makeup. He had shown flashes of the potential that made Michael Farn sign him, but hadn't really lived up to that potential, that said 8 games is a low sample size so I would say I was hasty in that opinion. In fact what Harvey needed to bring out that potential was to play on a team at this level who were going to give him a bigger role, as he returned as something of a thorn in the side of the Redhawks on a few occasions. So I was pleased to see Harvey prove me wrong on his return to the club this season. 

While he may not have improved his stats line in fact ending the season with the same points as the season before in the league with 5+6 for 11 points on the season. With an additional 2 goals and 1 assist in the Britton cup. Harvey looked a totally different player to the one I remembered. He moved the puck with more confidence, was able to thread needles to get pucks into the zone. A big part of the Streatham model as I have said has been speedy players who can move the puck, Vanya Antonov archetypes and Harvey fit that bill on his return. And even though he only just slightly edged his stats higher this season, that number doesn't reflect that when paired with certain line mates he had chemistry with Harvey showed why he has landed the opportunity he now has

We don't know yet where Harvey is bound for, the best best would be the Bee's as part of the development pathway. But in all likelihood he has probably been enticed back to North London and the Romford Raiders. With an outside bet on him heading up to MK to join up with Millique. 

Taking The High Road Back

49 Ryan Watt

    Back in 2017 Jeremy Cornish was faced with a dilema, a roster he had built to contend for NIHL 1 silverware had gone from champions in waiting to a team having to overcome the odds as the collapse of EPIHL hockey saw the Redhawks forced to chose between NIHL 2 and familiar competition or toughing it out against the former EPIHL powerhouses. The decision to stay was the right one, but Corny knew he needed more skill and firepower able to contribute at this level. Enter 3 men who have entered legendary status at the club in Adam Carr, Michael Farn and Ryan Watt. 

Image By Mel O'Brien

Watty has always been something of a divisive player wherever he has played. He is one of those players you love if he's on your team, and hate if he isn't. This is because Ryan is a player who plays close to and over the edge and is prone to letting the red mist descend, that has lead to some lengthy suspensions. Which has lead to some divides at times among us Streatham fans over his on ice actions. 

But to me something that outweighs these things, is everything that Ryan has brought to the club since that first season in 2017. Ryan brings that blend of skill and physical play that does lead to him straddling and crossing a line. But that in part has been because Ryan has always bought in on being part of this team, cliche as it sounds he goes to war for his team mates every game. But like a good captain he holds his team mates responsible as well. Even when injured or suspended Ryan can still be found at the rink supporting the team both home and away. Ben sums up quite well why you need a player like Watty on the team 

"Being able to secure someone with Watties experience and skill at this level is massive. He has been a huge part of all of our success over the years and he has the ability to score massive goals when it matters. He plays the Streatham way with a blend of skill and physicality and knows what it takes to win trophies!"

From day 1 I have enjoyed the way he can throw hits and hands one minute, the next out dangle the opposition to deliver the needle threading pass for a goal, or find the room up top for a bullet from the point. Ryans bursts up and down the wing to rush the net have been great to watch over the 5 seasons he's been with us. Ryans been more of a set up player for the last 2 seasons, however it should be noted injury and suspensions did cut short his playing time over the last 2 seasons. Seeing him only score 7 goals a season, but generating 29 assists in 22/23 and 11 in 11 games in 23/24. He dominated in the Britton Cup however scoring 6+9 for 15 points in 5 games in this competition. 

Something about Watts scoring in the past 2 seasons has been that he's found a specialty in making things happen from up high, particularly on the pp. Below is just such an example, the goal that basically secured the 22/23 league title in a 3-2 win over Solent, Ryan feeds in a shot/pass for a waiting Ben Paynter to tip it in.

Another example is this goal(also scored on Solent, which seems to be Ryans specialty)

Ryan has been a big part of the championship success the team has enjoyed in recent seasons, both on the scoreboard and the important intangibles and of course the leadership he brings to the team. So it's great that Ben was able to get Ryan back on board, but as Ryan said in his signing interview like coach Paynts said we're not done yet. So I have no doubt there was nowhere else Ryan wanted to be this season.

77 LUKE BRITTLE

        Late in the 19/20 season coach Adam Carr signed a new face to the Streatham roster as some late season depth and additional scoring. In 7 games Luke posted 9 goals and 9 assists, for a total of 18 points, making him a 2.5 Point per game player. When hockey returned in 2021, I looked forward to seeing Luke back on the team sheet, as someone who had watched Luke play in NIHL North 1 for Telford many years prior I felt given a full season in NIHL 1 South he'd tear the league apart. Ben had the same thoughts, as he resigned Luke for this campaign at the start of the year this time, Ben acknowledged that Luke had spent time away from the game and that he needed time to get up to speed. No doubt attempting to temper expectations that Luke would be firing the puck in the net at the same pace. Goals were not immediately abundant, but soon as he got dialled in and got those first few goals he began lighting the lamp and picking up the assists as well. Ending the season on a 1.65 PPG pace, with 38 points in 24 league games. 

Photo By Mel O'Brien

While I have focussed a lot in these articles on the physicality of the players Ben has been bringing in, especially the newer faces. It's also important that the team has puck movers on the offence as well as in the defensive transition phase of play. This is something Brittle is really good at as he showed last season with his 24 assists. Of course he knows how to fill the net as well as evidenced by 14 goals to go with it. Brittle provided something I didn't feel we had enough of which was the guy who could bat in the garbage around the net, something Ben has added to with some key additions this off season. But I'll never forget the sight of Luke batting a puck in out of mid air against Solent.  Luke has stated he feels he can contribute more, and Ben has said given a full season, and summer of prep under his belt he thinks he will be producing more. 

TAKING THE HIGH ROAD IN

George Norcliffe

        Losing Brandon Miles to Slough, meant Streatham lost one of if not the best power forwards in the league. So there was only one possible response Ben could have but to go out and get a player who has all the potential to take the crown of best power forward in this league. George Norcliffe brings everything that Brandon did to the ice, size, physicality, willingness to fight. There is a key difference between the two however, which is that George has more of a goal scoring pedigree to go with this. 

George is another returnee to the high road this season rejoining after his last appearances for the club back in 2017. And to me he's the most important signings made this off season. Its one thing to sign a player who was in the National league last season, it's another to sign a player who has now had multiple double digit goal, assist and point seasons, over a sustained period at second tier level. George is one season removed from a career year captaining the Bison where he scored 57 points. That career year saw him much sought after before signing for the Romford Raiders, where he had a downturn in production ending the season on 34 points, with 12 goals and 22 assists. This to me underlines the potential that is there that George could dominate the division

Looking online for descriptions of George, the best comparables I have seen, are that of him being akin to a brick being thrown at a window or a freight train moving at high speed, when he's on the puck and heading for the net, and that he is the spearhead you use to force attacks through. These are all things a coach looks for, especially in a power forward so it's easy to see why Ben signed him, as he is an evolution on the Streatham archetype. Big and physical at 6'2" and with a goal scoring and assist generating pedigree fresh off 6 seasons playing in the various iterations of hockeys second tier George is a high caliber addition that not only plugs the gap left by Brandon Miles, but to a degree further reinforces and replaces on the gap in the line up left by Ben Ealey Newman departing, as he has the potential to be that same clutch big goal scorer.    

Conclussions

        Getting Ryan back on board will have been one of those split second decisons for both Ryan and Ben. Ryans the captain, he's part of the core and he's basically part of the furniture in the rink these days. So much so as I said he's always there for the lads when he's not able to ice. With a few parts of the core leaving keeping Ryan was also about that continuity of both the same group of players, but also the glue and spirit that has helped turn this team into the force it is at this level.  

Losing Harvey Briggs does cost us something in the mobility and speed department going forward. But I think the new transitional defensemen we have brought in should compensate for this. Its a shame to see a young player with such upside leave but an offer of National hockey for someone looking to go as far as they can in their career is not to be turned down, so all we can do is wish Harvey the best, and in an odd way hope its a long, and successful time in National or Elite before we see him again. 

    Its great to see Luke Brittle convinced to give it at least one more go this year. I often wondered what happened to him after that short stint with us in 19/20 as he was a potent threat in front of net. So its great to see he's settled here in London and wanting to give it at least one more go with us. I asked last off season with Vanya gone who would score the goals, Luke made a good contribution in that regard, with a full season now under his belt, back up to speed and a full summer prep I am excited to see if he improves on this.

Lukes return, along with the biggest signing of the off season so far in George Norcliffe signals to me that Ben's taking the team in a still defence first mode, but one that is able to transition, crash the net and score more goals. Because though Streatham won a lot of games last season, those 1 goal losses to Oxford, Slough and Solent in the play offs are no doubt playing on Ben's mind that if we'd had a player able to put up the points and break through we might have landed that grand slam. George Norcliffe personifies this for me. And to paraphrase Mr Olivander "We can expect Great things from him" on his return to the High Road