Change is good.
Hence the summer revamp of On The Prowl and a lot has changed in the world of hockey in the last 4 weeks, the Telford dominance was temporarily ended by the surprising Phantoms win in Coventry, Red Hockey has began to flex its muscles in the league once again having taken shares in Manchester and Bracknell, Guildford have had a mass clear-out, Nicky Chinn has retired, Andre Payette has been replaced and the legend of MK Nick Poole has moved off the bench and behind the desk. Yes folks, you’re eyes aren’t deceiving you it is only May 1st! The Off Season has been a whirlwind so far, with hockey still fresh in the minds of all the fans because of the influx of changes.
For the Swindon Wildcats, the memories we have in the back of our minds are the sheer disappointment on all their faces when they walked past the fans back to the locker-room in Peterborough. They were as gutted, if not more than the fans were. They wanted it were close to achieving their goals and this year it just wasn’t meant to be. We’ll hold cherished memories from this season, winning the EPL cup south group and making the semi-finals being the main one. Memories of shutting the Tigers out twice, scoring 11 goals in the new MK rink, winning 10 games on the bounce. Memories of individual performances, Stevie Lyle’s shutouts, Adam Finlinson scoring on his first shift against the Tigers, Toms Rutkis breaking through, Tomasz Malasinski scoring whilst lying on the ice and Shane Moore making 500 games in the EPL. The 2014-2015 season was one to be remembered for more reasons than we thought back at the end of March.
So what has changed for Swindon so far this off season? Well, frankly not a great deal. We’ve probably been the most stable side this summer in terms of people going and coming in. We knew early on that Aaron Nell and Stevie Whitfield would be back for the new Stevie Lyle regime. Both are exceptional players at what they do. Aaron was top goalscorer in the regular season yet again last season which amongst some critics (which I think is unfair) led the side in scoring. Stevie improved more last season than I think I’ve ever seen him develop before. He’s now a legitimate top 2 EPL D man and does not get the credit he rightfully deserves from elsewhere in the EPL.
The next piece of the Wildcats puzzle to be announced was actually a piece leaving the side, young Ollie Betteridge departed for the Panthers in the EIHL and will be a great loss to the Cats. Whilst his numbers may have been a little low at times, he brought so much energy and determination to the side. He was a big loss to the Cats in January when his season-ending knee injury occurred and it is a shame we never got to properly say goodbye to him on the ice. Ollie will be a success in the EIHL and will be one to keep an eye on in the same way Paul Swindlehurst (who joins up with Ollie in Nottingham this off season as well) has done.
The next items on the Stevie Lyle agenda were imports. Two in particular with both Jan Kostal and Tomasz Malasinski returning to the side. ‘Captain Kostal’ re-joins on a two-year contract giving him the security to move his young family over the UK next season, which will make life much easier for Jan and the family. On the ice, he’s arguably the most inspirational leader I’ve seen in my days of watching ice hockey. He works harder than anyone else in the league and is a phenomenal player on the short-hand, he also scores big goals at big moments. Irreplaceable probably doesn’t do him justice! Bringing Tomasz back was also key, a younger Jan Kostal in many ways. He works 110% all over the ice and has a lethal shot on him as well. Another threat to many defences in the league and as an international player he brings more professionalism which Stevie Lyle will be looking to bring to Swindon.
Youth was next in the Lyle blueprint for the 15-16 league season. Michael Stratford and Toms Rutkis we’re added to the roster yesterday to the big delight of the Swindon fans. Both players have big futures in the game and are seriously talented individuals. Michael is the type of player who you just want around the team, he works hard, trains hard and wants to succeed and in particular with the Wildcats. Having come through all the junior teams his dream for playing EPL hockey has now been sealed. He’ll be showing everyone what he can do in the hope of now getting some regular ice time at EPL level. Toms Rutkis is arguably a bigger signing for Swindon. He’s going to be a star no doubt about that, he’s got skill as good as anyone Swindon have had in recent season and isn’t fearful of being a young guy in a professional league. I’ll never forget the game away in MK last year where he ran the show. He had the entire away section chanting his name, scored a beautiful breakaway goal and came away with around 4 points on the night. A full season in the EPL will show everyone of his talents and is a player we are incredibly luck to have.
Whilst it’s key to not put too much pressure on Stratford and Rutkis at such a young age, its important to recognise what they can do and what a good impact they’ll have on the team. They’re ready to step up and contribute and I’ve no doubt both players will be key to the 15-16 Swindon Wildcats.
I started this piece off with the line Change is good and I maintain that it is crucial to us. As good a team as we had last year, a bit of freshening up would be nice and needed. Other sides have significantly improved and Swindon will too. The message that is important to remember is that today is May 1st, September is an awfully long way away. Just because teams are making big announcements doesn’t mean we won’t either. I don’t know who else we’ve signed on the roster, its the fun of the off season I guess. Whats important is to remember what we have signed on the roster so far, the top goalscorer last season, the best british netminder in the league, a Polish international, 3 very strong young brits and Jan Kostal. A month into the off-season, the Swindon Wildcats have been in worse places before.
On The Prowl 