So, this weeks signing announcement saw TH add another 2 Brits to the squad in the shape of local favorite utility player Ben Wood, and Ryan Johnson, returning after a season on the wrong side of the Pennines.
Ben Wood, for my money anyways, was a no-brainer. He has improved season on season, and is a rare commodity: A true utility player, equally at home patrolling the blue line and in front of the crease. He is also a very popular young man, and probably the best of the 'home grown' players to come from within the set up at Alty.
Johnno's return took most folks by surprise. Not the greatest player ever, Johnno is a solid, reliable presence on the blue line, and a tiny bit of a character off the ice, too! I should know having been pressganged into a players photo by him at Coventry a couple of seasons back, and having to suffer the indignity og being stuck between him and Rhys McWilliams in the Skydome bog this past playoffs!
Added to this, TH has told the MEN that he wants a bigger squad than previous seasons to help combat injuries better. This makes sense. The past 2 or 3 years have seen us seriously short of bodies on the bench at difficult stages of the season. Adding another 2 bodies to the bench ( be it from the Metros, U-18s, or outside the Alty system) can only be a good idea. Plus, it has the added benefir of helping to blood new players, and give them vital experience of being on the bench during a senior game.
And the rumor that Andrew Sharp is signing for Guildford... brilliant. Some Guildford fans are practically distraught at the thought of 'Blunt' as they like to call hime sullying their beloved team uniform. Personally, i'll miss Sharpy next season if indeed he isn't part of the Phoenix roster. Although, him and Johnno... jesus, that would be trouble....
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