Rebuilding the Storm

Whilst most EIHL clubs continue to scout the globe for individual talent to fine tune their squad, Mark Johnson has a much bigger task on his hands. The newly-reformed Manchester Storm is starting from scratch and will need to hurry to build a team as the season opener is only a short two months away. The added pressure of a successful history will only make things harder for the Altrincham-based side as the likes of Hilton Ruggles and Brad Rubachuk still have a place in the hearts and memories of the Storm faithful - and that is going to be hard to beat.

However, for the Storm it has been a case of 'so far, so good'.

The first two signings - both British players, keeping away so far from the temptation imported talent - announced on the 26th June delighted the followers of the club: the Belfast Giant's Dave Phillips and the Hull Stingray's Matty Davies were to set the ball rolling for the new roster, giving the early skeptics fewer reasons to doubt Johnson's grand plan. Both Phillips and Davies saw their teams all the way to the semi-finals of the 2014-15 playoff championships, despite both being knocked out. 

Phillips was noted for being a fan favourite whilst at the Giants mainly due to his sheer determination when on the ice as well as his ability to switch between pseudo-enforcer and sharp playmaker. The defenceman also can add a very successful Team GB record to his CV having seen through win after win at the recent IIHF championships. Davies was also recently added the Team GB roster and came to earn a name for himself for the Stingrays but may still have some way to go until he can relied on as a solid offensive player.

The rumour that Kyle Jones, the now 'ex'-Braehead Clan goaltender, will also join has appeared recently on eliteprospects.com and on paper seems more than plausable considering experienced ex-KHL stopper Chris Holt has been snapped up by the Scottish side. He would be a valuable asset between the pipes for the Storm and would fill a very large hole in Mark Johnson's to-do list for the Summer.

Looking back at past greats, however, the Manchester side still will need to look harder if they want to build a squad level with the current hype of their comeback.

The doors remain wide open for ex-Stingrays players now the club has announced it will no longer take part in the EIHL. This obvious choice could be shattered in the coming days as Twitter rumours have led us to believe the club could in fact be returning to the second-tier EPL next season (this is still yet to be confirmed). Other players who might interest Johnson could lie in the European leagues but the most obvious choice would be to look towards Canada for the next import waiting to get his blades on UK ice. The key will lie with a mixture of both agility and strength - two traits last year's champions the Sheffield Steelers have plenty of. With these two advantages in mind, could we see the Storm rebuild their way back to the championship or will they flop with a second-grade squad built in under a month?

Only time will tell. For those desperate to know who will wear the jersey come September, the official Manchester Storm Twitter account has announced that fans should expect signings over the coming days. So for you Manchester faithfuls sit back, relax and keep refreshing that Twitter feed.