What does the season cancellation mean for Team GB?

Let's face it. The 2020/21 Elite League season won't be going ahead, and rumours suggest confirmation of that is imminent. On the assumption that the lower leagues will probably be cancelled too, the only thing to look forward to regarding British ice hockey will be next years World Championships when GB begin their second straight campaign in the top division alongside the giants of international hockey, such as Canada, Sweden and Russia. Getting the consecutive gold medals in division 1B and 1A, to then go on and avoid relegation with a sensational comeback win over France is a remarkable feat for the sport in this country, but it seems like surviving again is a step too far in these circumstances, as if it wasn't already. 

With no season, where will Brits play? Some have already signed abroad, in some decent leagues too. Robert Farmer is remaining with GB assistant coach Corey Neilson in Germany, which is very encouraging. Mike Hammond has signed in Slovakia, and I imagine fellow dual nationals such as Brendan Connolly, the Erhardt brothers  and Evan Mosey won't have an issue finding employment at a decent level of hockey considering they were bought in as import standard players and delivered. The big plus is that starting netminder Ben Bowns has signed in the highly rated EBEL, and could very well go into next years worlds as an even better player than before. Brett Perlini has signed it the Alps League, which isn't as highly regarded, but I imagine he'll be getting a lot of game time. Joey Lewis is under contract in the DEL2 so it's not like the whole roster will be full of unfit players who are in temporary retirement. 

If we look to North America, Scott Conway and Liam Kirk are continuing to make progress at their respective clubs, but like with a lot of these players, will their domestic seasons collide with the world's? Kirk missed the Olympic qualifiers last season as a result of wanting to remain in the OHL for the sake of his development. This is a big question mark that shouldn't be ignored, but I'd like to think we'll get a good chunk of key guys who will be available. 

So, what about the players who are not currently under contract? It's not practical to suggest they all go abroad. Most of these players are not good enough to fill import slots in good quality leagues. They could drop down to a significantly lower level, but the pay likely wouldn't be great, when they could probably earn more doing something else completely away from hockey back home. 

The only player who I can realistically see getting contract abroad is Luke Ferrara following his fantastic performances last season. I'd add Robert Dowd to that list if he hadn't become so injury prone. There could very well be a surprise name or two who do make the move oversea's, but I'm not exactly holding my breath on that. 

For all we know though, there could be an NIHL season. Attendances at a lot of clubs are pretty low, meaning social distancing could be possible in certain rinks. Once again, I'm doubtful but I'm just exploring all possibilities. All players would be able to get a contract, but would be playing at a pretty dire level compared to what it was in the EIHL. It would just be a case of keeping fitness levels up for most players, rather than actually testing them. 

Whether these players play or not, I'd imagine mostly the same players will still get selected, because what other options are there? I can only think of the few Brits in junior leagues in North America, who aren't remotely prepared for the stage we're stepping onto. 

What can the GB setup themselves do? First off, GB head coach Pete Russell and his assistant Corey Neilson are coaching in the DEL2, and could very well bring in a Brit or two to their clubs. Neilson did exactly that last season, bringing Robert Farmer and Mike Hammond out of the EIHL with him, and both put in solid performances. 

Another good idea would be to organise some exhibition games throughout the course of the season to make sure the players are somewhat regularly in competitive situations. This likely wouldn't include players who are playing abroad but would help to make sure the entire squad is fit. I'm not sure how practical this is, because finding opponents may not be straightforward, whether it's national or club teams. It's already been stated that a friendly with Canada is on the agenda for next Spring, but getting some games in long before that would be ideal. 

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