Team Changes, Keep or Release

[MLL79]

First rumour posts from the reliable accounts out - Brandon Whistle and Liam Steele full time.

Others are Joe Hazeldine leaving Glasgow, Racine re-signed in Guildford, Oligny re-signed in Cardiff and........ Logan Neilson to Belfast!

Crikey re the last one. I did keep tabs on Fife last year to see how Lucic went on, and the commentary team were really happy with Neilson - full of praise really, and he was netting for them fairly regularly.

Interesting stuff already!

As a PS thought if the rumours are true - would this see Whistle as a replacement for Tremblay… I hope not.

[ginger]

First rumour posts from the reliable accounts out - Brandon Whistle and Liam Steele full time.

Others are Joe Hazeldine leaving Glasgow, Racine re-signed in Guildford, Oligny re-signed in Cardiff and........ Logan Neilson to Belfast!

Crikey re the last one. I did keep tabs on Fife last year to see how Lucic went on, and the commentary team were really happy with Neilson - full of praise really, and he was netting for them fairly regularly.

Interesting stuff already!

As a PS thought if the rumours are true - would this see Whistle as a replacement for Tremblay… I hope not.

No since Whistle is a Brit. I doubt Tremblay stays though. Believe he's just about to or has now completed his PHD, and likely the real world beckons.

Personally I'd have Dowd on 1 line, Whistle on another and IBN on another. All import 1st.

[greeny]

Brit contingent always a big issue,, been lucky in past seasons but that brit pool seems to be drying up a bit,,,,,,

[Bryan]

I’m fascinated to understand how Diffley is top of the +/- and appears on so many lists here as release. What is going on here?

[paul johnston]

First rumour posts from the reliable accounts out - Brandon Whistle and Liam Steele full time.

Others are Joe Hazeldine leaving Glasgow, Racine re-signed in Guildford, Oligny re-signed in Cardiff and........ Logan Neilson to Belfast!

Crikey re the last one. I did keep tabs on Fife last year to see how Lucic went on, and the commentary team were really happy with Neilson - full of praise really, and he was netting for them fairly regularly.

Interesting stuff already!

As a PS thought if the rumours are true - would this see Whistle as a replacement for Tremblay… I hope not.

No since Whistle is a Brit. I doubt Tremblay stays though. Believe he's just about to or has now completed his PHD, and likely the real world beckons.

Personally I'd have Dowd on 1 line, Whistle on another and IBN on another. All import 1st.

I think that's the way to go if these players are all signed. Not sure Dowd is guaranteed. If Fox remains as coach he has to stick to four line hockey as we play at our best doing so. He resorts unsuccessfully to shortening the bench far too soon and far too much.

[ginger]

First rumour posts from the reliable accounts out - Brandon Whistle and Liam Steele full time.

Others are Joe Hazeldine leaving Glasgow, Racine re-signed in Guildford, Oligny re-signed in Cardiff and........ Logan Neilson to Belfast!

Crikey re the last one. I did keep tabs on Fife last year to see how Lucic went on, and the commentary team were really happy with Neilson - full of praise really, and he was netting for them fairly regularly.

Interesting stuff already!

As a PS thought if the rumours are true - would this see Whistle as a replacement for Tremblay… I hope not.

No since Whistle is a Brit. I doubt Tremblay stays though. Believe he's just about to or has now completed his PHD, and likely the real world beckons.

Personally I'd have Dowd on 1 line, Whistle on another and IBN on another. All import 1st.

I think that's the way to go if these players are all signed. Not sure Dowd is guaranteed. If Fox remains as coach he has to stick to four line hockey as we play at our best doing so. He resorts unsuccessfully to shortening the bench far too soon and far too much.

Dowd wouldn't be allowed to low key retire

2 hour ceremony at least!

He's also still pretty much a PPG player and isn't far off another milestone I think (1000 EIHL PTS?)

In all seriousness, assuming Jasper is retained on his 2nd year (Im sure it was announced as that last year), then for me it's him + whistle+ another as the defacto 3rd. IBN and 2 imports on the 4th should give very good balance and 4 line hockey. IBN proved he can easily cope with 10+ minutes a game at this level.

[MLL79]

I’m fascinated to understand how Diffley is top of the +/- and appears on so many lists here as release. What is going on here?

Yep, it’s a bit of a head scratcher to me.

In his first year he went a bit under the radar for me, until scoring in one of the finals - was it challenge cup - I’m struggling to remember? When paired with Saucerman, who stole the show for me, I didn’t really pick up on just how good Diffley was. Since Saucerman left I’ve watched him a lot more closely and noticed how good he is.

Maybe he’s a bit unorthodox? He somehow seems to be able to dispossess opposing players from almost any angle, and then retain possession come what may and clear the zone. Add the pinching in (which I don’t remember really seeing him caught out of position taking risks) and he’s an asset I honestly think we’d miss.

Clearing the crease is possibly a weaker area, but he’s much better sweeping up further out, probably where he and Saucerman were a winning combo.

[ginger]

Diffley has been our best D not named Cormier this season.

Easy keep for me.

[Jayboy]

Ive said it before and I am going to say it her again... and no doubt again into the future... We miss character players like Vallerand and Saucerman and maybe even Tansey from a couple of seasons ago, who I believe has been pulled about all season and broke his gritty on edge spirit.. Players in that mould that can turn a game around at any given second, not only that characters in the room that keep the decent down and the moral up after a poor result... Players that buy in and play for the badge on the front and play for the fans. yes some of our more colourful players in our past seasons have not troubled the top of the stats charts... but the stats they excel in dont get recorded.. Winning Steelers teams have grit ,passion and bags of character. Its not a coincidence that Heard came in and stirred the pot and quickly became a fan favourite.. those types of player have to be managed in a different way its true... but I once asked arguably our most successful coach Mike Blaisdell (back in the day the Steelers coaches was happy to talk to a fan) something about Tommy Plommer, he had been a proper plank in a game and basically took on most of the storm team! I never forget his responce and I still believe it to this day.. he said that player like Tommy (and weve had a few) was worth much more than the sum of his parts and that the talent of his team mate combined and his contribution on any given night was immeasurable. I thought about that a lot over the years and have seen many times what he meant..

Our 2024 Grand Slam team was galvanised by a tragic event and a group of players that had character players like Valley to drag every last one of them into a battle every night, when many of those players would not have turned up for... for me those are the type of players we are missing!!

[MLL79]

Ive said it before and I am going to say it her again... and no doubt again into the future... We miss character players like Vallerand and Saucerman and maybe even Tansey from a couple of seasons ago, who I believe has been pulled about all season and broke his gritty on edge spirit.. Players in that mould that can turn a game around at any given second, not only that characters in the room that keep the decent down and the moral up after a poor result... Players that buy in and play for the badge on the front and play for the fans. yes some of our more colourful players in our past seasons have not troubled the top of the stats charts... but the stats they excel in dont get recorded.. Winning Steelers teams have grit ,passion and bags of character. Its not a coincidence that Heard came in and stirred the pot and quickly became a fan favourite.. those types of player have to be managed in a different way its true... but I once asked arguably our most successful coach Mike Blaisdell (back in the day the Steelers coaches was happy to talk to a fan) something about Tommy Plommer, he had been a proper plank in a game and basically took on most of the storm team! I never forget his responce and I still believe it to this day.. he said that player like Tommy (and weve had a few) was worth much more than the sum of his parts and that the talent of his team mate combined and his contribution on any given night was immeasurable. I thought about that a lot over the years and have seen many times what he meant..

Our 2024 Grand Slam team was galvanised by a tragic event and a group of players that had character players like Valley to drag every last one of them into a battle every night, when many of those players would not have turned up for... for me those are the type of players we are missing!!

1000% agree (the Duke was my original favourite player)

There seems to be a general absence of that brand of player across the league. Love him or loathe him - Riley Brandt for Cardiff is probably one of the few, we’ve probably got the other in Heard.

I wish we could teleport Scott Allison somehow lol