2008 NZIHL Awards       

The 2008 NZIHL Awards are as follows:
 
MVP Canterbury Red Devils - Jaons Kazala
MVP Botany Swarm - Zak Nothling
MVP West Auckland Admirals - Alex Gafvert
MVP Southern Stampede - Brett Speirs
MVP Dunedin Thunder - Paavo Huhtinen

NZIHL MVP - Valery Konev (Canterbury Red Devils)
NZIHL Leading Points Scorer - Janos Kazala (Canterbury Red Devils)
NZIHL MVP Defenseman - Hayden Argyle (Southern Stampede)
NZIHL MVP Goalie - Zak Nothling (Botany Swarm)
NZIHL MVP Rookie - Daniel Nichols (Canterbury Red Devils)
NZIHL MVP of the Final - Zak Nothling (Botany Swarm)



2008 Season Preview


   

Team: Botany Swarm 

Founded: 2005 

Home Arena: Paradice Botany 

2007 record: Won 8, Lost 1, Tied 1 

2007 finish: Champions 

Championships: 1 (2007) 

Highest finish: 1^st (2007) 

Captain: Andrew Hay 

Assistant Captains: Ian Wannamaker, Mitchell Oak 

NZ Ice Black players: Zak Nothling, Josh Hay, Andrew Hay, Mitchell Oak, KC Ball 

Additions this season: Andre Dowman, Andrew Bourne, Leith Thompson, Michael Hopkinson, Aaron Sommerville, Adam Carlzon, Jamie Clark, Michael Dobbs, Sebastian Dahlström, Waide de Encarto 

Departures from last season: Martin Lee, George Pilgrim, Graeme Carstairs, Daniel Brodan, Nick Curnow 

Key Players: Lyle Idoline, Charlie Huber, Josh Hay, Mitchell Oak  

Players to Watch: Sam Boniface, Jordan Challis  

Outlook for the 2008 Swarm: The strength of the Swarm is undoubtedly in their own end of the ice. They had the least goals against in the NZIHL last season including a shut out of the Canterbury Red Devils in the 2007 final. Even though they have lost some key defenders from last season, they still have Ice Black and 2007 NZIHL MVP Goalie Zak Nothling and the majority of their defensive core from 2007 returns for a shot at a championship defence. 

Offence last year for the Swarm was spread throughout the team with no one featuring in the league’s top scorers. Last years final MVP Charlie Huber and their top goal and point scorer Josh Hay both return, along with 2007 Swarm MVP Ian Wannamaker. Time will tell whether the addition of Swedish forwards Adam Carlzon and Sebastian Dahlström will give the Swarm some more much needed firepower. 

The Swarm this season will be sticking to the approach that they had last season which is to have a very balanced team and a good team spirit. They will certainly be the team that everyone wants to beat in 2008 and they have the team to at least make it to the final for a third year in the row.

Key Games:      
5^th - 6^th July vs Canterbury Red Devils in Christchurch. The Red Devils will be keen to avenge last years humiliating 0-7 loss in the final at home. They’ll get a chance in the first of the inter-regionals round in early July. This round will also be the first chance to see how the northern teams compare to the southern teams.                       

9^th- 10^th August vs Southern Stampede in Botany. Potentially a preview of the final, with the Southern Stampede full of Ice Blacks and wanting to forget last year's inconsistent form. The Stampede will be looking to get back their high standard of play and league position that they are accustomed to.


   

Team: West Auckland Admirals 

Founded: 2005 

Home Arena: Paradice Avondale 

2007 record: Won 0, Lost 10, Tied 0 

2007 finish: Last (4^th) 

Championships: 0  

Highest finish: 2^nd (2005) 

Captain: Darren Blong 

Assistant Captains: Danny Smith, Robert Chamberlain  

NZ Ice Black players: Danny Smith, Rick Parry, Corey Down 

Additions this season: Luke Christie, Shawn Henry, Alex DeVaux, Blake Jackson, Brad White, Jamie Goodridge, Mike Brum, Alex Gäfvert, Freddie Jigmalm, Janusz Choromanski, Jason Toovey, Jeff Bonazzo 

Departures from last season: Warwick Simpson, Nicolas Blum, Cristopher Johansson, Thibaut Villemejane, Chris Van Poppel, Michele Valle da Rin 

Key Players: Darren Blong, Danny Smith, Rick Parry, Jeff Bonazzo

Players to Watch: Gareth McLeish, Guy Pulman 

Outlook for the 2008 Admirals: The Admirals last season failed to fire a shot in anger and were unable to win a single game. However last year's team which was a particularly young team, did manage to come close and competed early in most of the games. 

As they did last year, they will be relying on Ice Black goalie and 2007 Admirals MVP Rick Parry to give them a chance to win. The Admirals will hope that the addition of Ice Black Corey Down and Frenchman Alex DeVaux can improve a defensive corps that allowed the most goals in 2007. 

Darren Blong and Danny Smith led the team in scoring last year but lacked support from the second and third lines. Once again they will lead the attack for the Admirals, but the return of 2006 NZIHL leading scorer Jeff Bonazzo and the experience gained among the young players from last season should see the Admirals be able to put in more goals. 

The Admirals are talking tough this year and refuse to repeat last year’s performance. To do this their young players will have to stand up. This combined with their talented additions should see them compete in every game. A third placing in 2008 would be a fair result. 

Key Games:      

21^st – 22^nd July vs Botany Swarm in Botany. This will be the first chance the Admirals will get to right the wrongs of last season. Keen to impress early and reward their loyal fanbase, the Admirals will be pumped up and will come storming out the gate. Look for a physical and fast opening period.                       

2^nd – 3^rd August vs Dunedin Thunder in Avondale. The first chance Auckland fans will get to see the new team in this year’s NZIHL. With no pressure and expectations on the Thunder, they will be looking to upset some of the more established teams. These are also the Admirals’ last 2 regular season games for 2008 and 2 wins might be vital to their finals chances.