Toughest teams 13/14

[nickthepanther]

Now most of the rosters are complete or close to it who do you guys rank as the toughest EIHL teams for this coming season? 

[oneillthegiant]

#1 Cardiff Devils


For all around team toughness it has to be the Cardiff Devils this season.

They have a team stacked with team toughness and a few guys who have played the Enforcer role back in North America. Another thing looking at their roster is that all their tougher players can also play, so I expect them to all be playing regular shift each game which means they will have tougher players on the ice at all times.. Here's a look at their tough guys this season.

Andrew Lord, I expect to be their main enforcer. Not the toughest guy in the league but tough enough to hang with most of the other enforcers.
Andrew Conboy, Will be a high scoring hard hitting power forward who will also fight.
Adam Ross, Tyson Marsh, Brad Plumton are all very tough D.men who have fought regularly in N.A.

Add other guys like coach Gerad Adams who is tough, Brits Josh Batch and the big guy Quincey they have a team stacked with physical players.



#2 Nottingham Panthers

Panthers have in my opinion the toughest guy in the league in Brent Henley playing for them this season, and I can't see too many guys troubling the 6'7'' 250lbs tough D.man this season. Having a guy like this in the roster also makes guys around him play tougher.

Panthers also have a heavyweight Power forward in Leigh Salters who has been improving as a fighter over the last few season's and will be among the tougher guys in the league this year. Panthers also have tough Brit Stephen Lee and scrappy D.man Chris Murray.

No team in the league will bully the Panthers this season.



#3 Coventry Blaze

Coventry I would of had at 2nd had they not lost Mike Egener due to Illness. They still have in their roster enforcer Benn Olson who is a good heavyweight fighter and the toughest guy IMO last season in the EIHL, and they have added Kevin Harvey who is another guy who is tough as nails and will fight night in night out for the Blaze. Big Adam Henrich is a tough power forward though I don't expect him to drop the gloves much this season due to him being one of the Blazes star players and the fact the Blaze have other who are signed to do the fighting for the team...

It's going to be interesting to see who the Blaze replace Egener with. Will they go out looking for some one like Egener or will they look for something else.



#4 Sheffield Steelers

Steelers have signed a proper heavyweight in Tim Spencer to their roster and he will be among the toughest guys in the league this season. Add the likes of tough D.man Drew Fata, and two gritty forwards in Steve Goertazan and tough agitator Stefan Meyer, the Steelers have a good mix of toughness and skill in their roster this season.

Spencer is the guy that will be their main go to guy when other players step out of line and I've a feeling he will impress the fight fans out their.


#5 Hull Stingrays

Hull have brought in Matt Suderman who is heavyweight tough to their Defense, and also bring back Jeff Smith and former Hull tough guy and long time EIHL player Derek Campbell. This will give the Rays plenty of toughness next season and I would say they are the toughest team in the Gardiner Division. They will not get bullied next season and also have a few other feisty players in their roster who may not fight a lot but will certainly throw them self's around.


#6 Belfast Giants

Giants have brought back the toughest guy pound for pound in the EIHL last season Adam Keefe who has proved he can and will stand up to the best fighters around, having fought the likes of Raitis Ivanans, Jeremy Yablonski, Mike Hoffman, Alex Henry, Francis Lessard and like during his career. He also showed last season in his fights with Benn Olson he's as tough as they come in the EIHL.

Giants also brought back top Power forward Jeff Szwez who also happens to be a decent fighter and he will add grit and fire power to the Giants forwards. Szwez has a lot of tough enforcers on his fight card and hangs in with the best of them. Giants also have hard hitting agitator D.Lloyld who will surely cause trouble around the league again this season, with Keefe and Szwez having to sort things out afterwards.


#7 Braehead Clan

Clan have brought in coach Ryan Finnerty and he has shown while coach of the Steelers that his teams will play a physical style of hockey. He brought in former Steelers and hard hitting D.man Chris Frank, added power forward Kevin Bergin who's tough and a decent fighter, brought in AHL agitator Nathan Moon, and also added tough Brit Triston Harper to the roster.

Clan have a very good mix of toughness and skill in their roster this season and it would not surprise me to see them lift a trophy this season.


#8 Dundee Stars

Stars have brought in heavyweight D.man Tysen Dowzak who at the minute is their toughest player. They also have Jeff Hutchins who's a middleweight / agitator in their side.

I've a feeling they may add someone else to their squad this week.


#9 Fife Flyers

Rumored to have signed tough d.man Matt Nickerson, he should be very exciting in the EIHL and one of the toughest in the Gardiner. Add in tough Brit Tom Muir and agitator Danny Stewart.


#10 Edinburgh Caps

No toughness but they do have Les Reaney who's an physical forward and good agitator.

[gordon17]

Agree Cardiff clear number one in terms of team toughness, not too much in the next four teams although i agree Nottingham have the toughest 1, 2 duo in henley and salters so are arguably the second toughest team.
I think Spencer will definately be very active for sheffield and whilst i have him slightly behind henley as toughest guy (mainly due to a lack of activity last Year) he is the only guy who has been brought in purely to fight imo and as such he should be out to enforce and could easily end up number one by the end of the season.

[hockeyfan207]

Got to be Cardiff at number one for me,they have a crazy amount of team toughness and going to the big blue tent will be hell for any opposition team.

Coventry,notts and sheff are pretty equal IMO (be interesting to see who egener's replacement is).

I think hull in fifth is about right-cloutier has mentioned about adding a gritty third line forward as huttels replacement which would add further to the team toughness.on a side note chamberlain in his year in America has bulked up considerably-will be interesting to see how he fairs this year as I expect him to be looking to scrap regularly.

Belfast and braehead are about equal I would say whilst I would have fife in eighth ahead of dundee.With Nickerson,dacosta and Fulton they finally have some much needed grit that they lacked last year.

Dundee I have in nineth,as though they have a top five heavy in dowzak,they appear to have nothing else after that.edinburgh are obviously last,they have no toughness and with the loss of the key players on top of that I think it looks like a long season ahead for them right now.