Shaggy
Forum Moderator
Am I a cynical idealist or an idealistic cynic?
Posts: 10,995
|
Post by Shaggy on Mar 27, 2019 18:30:43 GMT
Don't underestimate the impact of the surprise (shock?) success that both Nottingham and Cardiff (but especially us) had in the CHL. That really has boosted the profile of this league in Europe... I remember getting asked about it several times at the last World Championships, for example! How much actual concrete influence it has had will be totally impossible to determine... but I would be amazed if it hadn't had some.
|
|
|
Post by ted logan on Mar 27, 2019 18:37:47 GMT
I feel like players came to the ISL to showcase their skills and earn themselves a move to Germany, Austria or Scandinavia where they could earn big bucks, where as guys coming to the EIHL are often doing so for a final season or as part of a Uni deal with an eye on retirement. Even if it's not intentional, if you know you've got a real world job coming up in the summer you're not going to be putting your body on the line in the same way you would if you were trying to earn that next big move or big contract. I can't think of too many players who have come to the UK recently and used it as a springboard to a big move. Interesting point. Who would you be thinking of? ISL to a "bigger" league? Kelly Askew. ISL to DEL, then straight back to ISL after 1 season? Warren Norris? ISL to Slovakia, then EBEL. Not a great move up. I'm struggling to think of any ISL player who went from the ISL to SEL (as it was), Liiga, NLA or Czech for more than a single season. I'm open to people telling me who they might be though. The ISL rosters are littered with players on the way down to retirement, or who retired after 1 last season in the ISL. EIHL to "bigger", I can think of Mosey, Pollastrone, Lannon, Sauve, Zack Phillips (maybe), there are doubtless some others. Depends what you class as "big"? Liiga, SHL, DEL definitely (although I'm struggling to find someone who's done that from the EIHL too) but Allsvenskan? EBEL? DEL2? Denmark? Jon Landry. Played for Braehead then had 6 AHL seasons playing 300+ games
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2019 18:57:06 GMT
I feel like players came to the ISL to showcase their skills and earn themselves a move to Germany, Austria or Scandinavia where they could earn big bucks, where as guys coming to the EIHL are often doing so for a final season or as part of a Uni deal with an eye on retirement. Even if it's not intentional, if you know you've got a real world job coming up in the summer you're not going to be putting your body on the line in the same way you would if you were trying to earn that next big move or big contract. I can't think of too many players who have come to the UK recently and used it as a springboard to a big move. Interesting point. Who would you be thinking of? ISL to a "bigger" league? Kelly Askew. ISL to DEL, then straight back to ISL after 1 season? Warren Norris? ISL to Slovakia, then EBEL. Not a great move up. I'm struggling to think of any ISL player who went from the ISL to SEL (as it was), Liiga, NLA or Czech for more than a single season. I'm open to people telling me who they might be though. The ISL rosters are littered with players on the way down to retirement, or who retired after 1 last season in the ISL. EIHL to "bigger", I can think of Mosey, Pollastrone, Lannon, Sauve, Zack Phillips (maybe), there are doubtless some others. Depends what you class as "big"? Liiga, SHL, DEL definitely (although I'm struggling to find someone who's done that from the EIHL too) but Allsvenskan? EBEL? DEL2? Denmark? Shayne Mccosh was sheer quality he went from the Steelers to the DEL, Drioun left us to go to The DEL then onto the Liiga, yes this is when we had a league which matched upto the best in Europe!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2019 19:02:09 GMT
Jinman left us to join Timra who were in the SEL at the time . I went over to watch him. He never cut it over there sadly. As a import he never made an impression. After he briefly returned to the Panthers he went to Switzerland and played in the A and B leagues and had 10 very successful years upto his retirement. The B league is way better than the EIHL as well
|
|
|
Post by bobness on Mar 28, 2019 15:59:56 GMT
Interesting point. Who would you be thinking of? ISL to a "bigger" league? Kelly Askew. ISL to DEL, then straight back to ISL after 1 season? Warren Norris? ISL to Slovakia, then EBEL. Not a great move up. I'm struggling to think of any ISL player who went from the ISL to SEL (as it was), Liiga, NLA or Czech for more than a single season. I'm open to people telling me who they might be though. The ISL rosters are littered with players on the way down to retirement, or who retired after 1 last season in the ISL. EIHL to "bigger", I can think of Mosey, Pollastrone, Lannon, Sauve, Zack Phillips (maybe), there are doubtless some others. Depends what you class as "big"? Liiga, SHL, DEL definitely (although I'm struggling to find someone who's done that from the EIHL too) but Allsvenskan? EBEL? DEL2? Denmark? Jon Landry. Played for Braehead then had 6 AHL seasons playing 300+ games Of course. Came from the DEL though, so not quite the exact path, but certainly one of the very few players to go back to NA from the EIHL and get a 2 way NHL contract (I think he ended up with 3). I believe he even got called up in 2013, but didn't actually play. If I get some time over the weekend I may look at ISL players and see how many did go on to consistent "greater" things, after a quick stint in the EIHL. I bet you it's not a long list. I know McCosh and Drouin have been mentioned, but McCosh was in the ISL 5 years before going to the DEL for one season, via Italy (hardly what you'd call a stepping stone if it's a 5 year stay, and only 1 year in the DEL after which he went back to the (lower) Italian league)). Simialrly, P-CD was in the UK 4 years before a year in the DEL and 1 in Finland (split between 2 clubs) then back down to the UHL/France/Panthers. Jinman found his niche in the much less physical NLB, rather than the EBEL/NLA/SHL. Alex Nikiforuk had good stats in the NLB before coming to Panthers. I think it's probably a quicker, less physical and more technical style of play, and much more native player dominated, but "way better" than the EIHL? That's debatable. See also Evan McGrath, James Desmarais, Francis Verrault-Paul, Mike Vaskivuo and a certain Jon Rheault, all of whom had good stats in the NLB, and generally good stats (Rheault excepted) here. That suggests to me the 2 leagues aren't overly far apart.
|
|
|
Post by messier1851 on Mar 28, 2019 16:02:43 GMT
Robby Sandrock went to the DEL from Belfast after the final season but actually you're right, not as many players as I thought made a significant impact in leagues abroad.
Maybe nostalgia just isn't what it used to be...
|
|