So it is nearly time for Ice Hockey season in Manchester! Virtually all teams are now back on the ice after the crazy Covid ridden previous season and preparing for their upcoming campaigns. The Manchester Storm are looking to make are looking to make a splash in the top tier of British Ice Hockey. The Blackburn Hawks and Altrincham Aces are getting ready for the UK regional leagues (NIHL 1 and NIHL 2 respectively) and the various recreation teams are starting to get fixtures listed.
Manchester Storm Season Preview
For those that might not be aware, the 2020/2021 Elite League season was cancelled due to Covid-19. In its place, the Elite league set up a small tournament played exclusively in Nottingham. The draft tournament only included four teams, the Manchester Storm, Sheffield Steelers, Nottingham Panthers and Coventry Blaze. Each team could protect 6 already signed players and then all remaining eligible players were drafted from one pool (think school yard picking teams one player at a time). The focus was also on ensuring that each team had a certain percentage of UK players.
The tournament was generally a success, with high quality, fun hockey that showcased British talent. As with most sports that utilise a draft (think US based sports), the parity of the teams was immediately obvious. This meant close games, with no team taking an obvious lead or having a stronger team.
The teams are now looking forward to a full 2021/2022 season. This means all 10 UK teams are back and so are fans in arenas. So let’s dive right in.
Pre-season
The Manchester Storm have made some great signings over the pre-season. Two key signings are the return of fan favourite netminder Matt Ginn and captain Dallas Erhardt. Matt had an amazing pre-Covid season before spending time in the US minor leagues (think Championship level footy). Dallas is the incumbent Storm captain and played a key part in Team GB’s recent success in Riga.
Coach Ryan Finnerty’s comments about the type of defence man the Storm have signed will excite fans. Coach Finnerty explained that because of the small ice in Manchester, they are looking for big physical defence man. It’s well known that smaller rinks, increase the physicality of game and creates more opportunity for contact. Therefore welcome to the Storm, Mark McNulty 6 foot 7 inch, ex Detroit Red Wings practice squad defence man. A worrying sight for visiting teams.
Overall, the MIH assessment is that the squad looks solid. There appears to be a really good mix of, previously proven Storm player, Elite League talent from other teams, hard-nosed players with experience in the US minor leagues (some of the physical and toughest in the world) and those who did well in the draft tournament. The real question is whether the Storm can keep pace with the clubs with biggest and most impressive spending power in the league. We’re looking at you, Sheffield, Cardiff, Belfast and Nottingham.
if you’re interested in finding out more about the Storm’s upcoming campaign check out our Storm homepage and their website.
Altrincham Aces season preview
The Altrincham Aces will be playing in Northern Ice Hockey League 2 this year. They have assembled a strong squad with many of the team from 2019/2020 returning and are looking to mount a run in the league. Unlike the pros of the Elite League, the Aces did not have a league to play in last year due to Covid-19 and so there is a lot of excitement about the return of Aces hockey.
Pre-season
The Aces have made some great signings this pre-season. A key signing (and the first official signing) was Sam Dunford, a key player and part of the leadership team from the last season. The Aces have also brought back women’s GB player, Sarah Hutchinson. In addition, the Aces have made a number of cross NIHL signings and interestingly Czech import Jan Fiala, who has moved to Manchester.
Check out the below fixture list for the Ace’s games this year.
If you want to know more about the Aces, check out Aces homepage or their website.
Recreational season preview
Details are still in the making for most recreational leagues for Manchester’s recreational teams. Fixtures are slowly starting to book up as teams return to the ice after Covid-19.
Altrincham Jets and the Manchester Swarm are slated to play each other in the Howie’s Ice Hockey Summer Classic Tournament. The Trafford Thunder have started pre-season games, recently playing the Nottingham Outlaws. The north west Police team the Peelers are continuing to go from strength to strength taking first place in the inaugural emergency services tournament. Manchester Mayhem are having a drive for new players and so check out their social media for more information and the Metros (Uni team) are recruiting for the upcoming season.
Keep checking in with MIH for updates as we get them! Links our below to our other blog posts and our recreation hockey home page.
- Complete season preview 2021/2022
- What did we learn from the IIHF championship 2021?
- Manchester Storm visiting away fans – The Guide
- The Elite Series 2021 – Storm preview
- How much do Manchester Storm players get paid?
Upcoming
Keep an eye out for upcoming posts in the Elite League’s new sponsorship deal and and Liam Kirk’s rookie camp with the Arizona Coyotes!
We hope you enjoyed our season preview and we’ll see you at a game!
MIH – grow the game.
