WC: Team GB 2019 Roster
- Thread starter GBHockey
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Kiev the Great
Registered User
- Aug 21, 2014
- 83
- 14
There's no one particularly coming through. Hopefully another year in the OHL will help Liam Kirk. Ciaran Long was the top scoring Brit in the domestic league, but had an injury just before the championships. He should be being blooded into the team ready for next season. There might be some dual nats coming available, not sure.
As it stands GB won't be significantly better next year, but being overwhelmingly domestic players means we should always have a full squad. That is a useful factor compared to countries which have 2 or 3 NHLers that may or may not show up.
Siamese Dream
Registered User
Probably a few years away still, lots of raw talent there but not well-rounded enough for the senior game yet.
Siamese Dream
Registered User
We know Shields is done so Long is the most obvious choice to replace him. The younger forwards with a realistic chance of cracking the roster regularly soon are the likes of Jordan Cownie, Lewis Hook, Sam Duggan, Ross Venus. The D is a lot more suspect though.
They might also be able to convince Scott Conway to play if he's available
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FabricatedArbitrage
Registered User
Hopefully someone is able to capitalize on all the buzz and attention bought on by the Team's recent success.. most notably investing in improving the youth/junior hockey development AND/OR
re-ignites efforts to start a London based KHL franchise.
Now I admit I have no idea how realistic of
a feat that is (nor why the rumors from a few years ago flamed out) but from a pure hockey perspective, a KHL franchise would offer everything GB Hockey hockey needs to take that next step in the program's development.
*shrug* Just my 2 cents.
re-ignites efforts to start a London based KHL franchise.
Now I admit I have no idea how realistic of
a feat that is (nor why the rumors from a few years ago flamed out) but from a pure hockey perspective, a KHL franchise would offer everything GB Hockey hockey needs to take that next step in the program's development.
*shrug* Just my 2 cents.
Kiev the Great
Registered User
- Aug 21, 2014
- 83
- 14
A KHL (or EIHL) team in London is one of those things where I wont believe it until I've seen it.
There's currently no rinks in London with sufficient capacity for a Professional team ATM. There's talk about putting an ice plant in at Wembley Arena, but it's been "a couple of seasons away" for the last 10 years.
As for KHL, there's lots of Russian money floating about in London and maybe someone would like to stump up some cash for it, but I dont thinks it's likely. Although I'm sure the KHL would love a team in a major global city like London.
I read some article about this, in the past when there was a good team in London, still the attendance was pretty poor, if there was KHL team it could very well end up as Kunlun attendance wise. Perhaps it would be better if they place it more north to one of hockey centers.
ozo
Registered User
- Feb 24, 2010
- 4,521
- 570
Ping some Croatian hockey fans and ask how beneficial is an artificial KHL team to the hockey of your country. Unless you are a fan of icing a roster of Canadians in your national team, you will get nothing out of it.
Jumptheshark
Rebooting myself
There is no arena in the London area. The O2 arena is used 90% of the time already.
The bike shed in Lee valley is too dangerous for games. I was at the game where the players and fans got hurt.
Jumptheshark
Rebooting myself
A london team will not work in the EIHL at all. If this team that is talked about in Wembley every does start it will be named 'Wembley' not London.
London isn't one big city, its many cities and townes, this is why there is no London FC in soccer.
The KHL could probably make it work if they wanted to throw a lot of money at it but for the domestic league, it doesn't need London like it thinks it does, they just want to sell the marketing of 'Oo look at our London team' but it won't work.
Congrats GB I guess!
London isn't one big city, its many cities and townes, this is why there is no London FC in soccer.
The KHL could probably make it work if they wanted to throw a lot of money at it but for the domestic league, it doesn't need London like it thinks it does, they just want to sell the marketing of 'Oo look at our London team' but it won't work.
Congrats GB I guess!
Jumptheshark
Rebooting myself
They already travel between Bratislava and Vladivostok? I don't think adding London would be too much issue travel wise?
I think more.. it'd be a pure vanity project that would struggle to keep a decent fanbase, especially being called 'LONDON' it won't last
BrendanGallagher11
Registered User
Jumptheshark
Rebooting myself
FabricatedArbitrage
Registered User
Comparing Croatia to Great Britain is like comparing apples and oranges...
Croatia is a small nation with only 6 ice rinks (4 Indoor), 600 players with a National Team that has historically struggled to develop it's own players. Even with the recent infusion of foreign players (around 2012-13), the National Team has struggled to compete at the 2nd/3rd tiers of the World Championships (in addition to going 1-6 vs GB).
While the popularity of hockey in the GB is about the same as it is in Croatia, proportionally speaking (#players/Population and #players/#rinks), the National Team has gotten to the top tier of the World Championships relying predominately on domestic players. With a MUCH larger and wealthier population, the GB National Team stands to benefit WAY MORE from an "artificial" KHL franchise.
Just in the short term, a KHL team would not only improve the National Team's player pool but more importantly, give their top players the exposure to a much higher quality of hockey without having to leave home (thanks to the Rule requiring 5 Domestic Players for all Non-Russian based KHL teams). See: Belarus and Kazakhstan.
unknownbrother
Registered User
Damn shame we weren't good enough to hold on to those guys. Loved watching them in the EPL at the Thunderdome.
Uncle Rotter
Registered User
3 Minute Minor
Registered User
- Sep 29, 2009
- 5,201
- 850
Have you looked at the examples that you told us to see?
Belarus was a top group nation for a decade with only 2 relegations before getting a KHL team and they still heavily rely on imports like Geoff Platt or Russian dual nats despite having the "KHL expose players to a higher standard." Their junior national team programs will have more impact than the KHL could ever dream of.
Kazakhstan is even worse example, with 12 imported players. Just because their names could pass as Kazakh, it doesn't mean the Russian imports aren't imported. Then you have Henrik Karlsson, who spent time with the Swedish national team, carrying the load in net. There's absolutely no sign of the KHL actually improving this team outside of adding juicy NHL imports like Bochenski, Boyd, St-Pierre, Dietz, Dallman, Nigel Dawes. There hasn't even been a properly Kazakh trained NHL draft pick since 2004, 4 years before the KHL went to Kazakhstan.
Realistically that's 5 domestic jobs you're talking about which can be 3 4th line fwds, 1 bottom pair D, and a back-up goalie, all players that barely touch the ice. That's basically what happens in the EIHL.
ozo
Registered User
- Feb 24, 2010
- 4,521
- 570
It absolutely is like comparing apples to apples, my friend. Both nations struggle to produce professional hockey players, yes GB has infrastructure (and potential) in place, but British players are not used as a driving force in even in their own domestic league, and to think that 5-6 developed players thrown into KHL role minutes will somehow magically improve your national team is a fallacy. CRO/GBRTheir junior teams are 1b and 2a quality respectively for a reason.
GB hockey hockey has more in common to Croatia than with Belarus and Kazakhstan, with much better junior programmes and history, yet they are getting relegated from the elite despite having a KHL team for years. That just shows KHL is not a driving force behind any development of players whatsoever. Only way how NT benefits in short term is when countries hand out passports to AHLers - like again Croatia did... And as soon as they are gone, so are the improved national team.
