The results are in! This summer, we invited you to participate in a survey about the 2022-23 Elite League season, covering league-wide predictions and club-specific confidence levels.
We split our questionnaire into two sections: forecasts and front-office ratings. In section one, we asked you to guess how the new campaign would unfold. In section two, we asked you to mark your club out of five in four categories: roster building, player development, long-term planning, and head coach quality.
In total, half the league registered 50-plus votes, with seven clubs hitting the 25-ballot mark. Unfortunately, the Dundee Stars, Fife Flyers, and Manchester Storm fell short – albeit by fine margins.
Also of note: our survey isn’t high-end data science. We’re working with a small pool of self-selecting respondents. However, it should still allow us to read into how each club is regarded by its most vocal supporters – especially as our participants were experts on the topic.
2022-23 Elite League Fan Survey Results:
So, what are British Ice Hockey readers thinking ahead of the Elite League’s return? Here’s how every team in the top-flight ranks.
1. Belfast Giants
- Average Position: 1.89
According to our voters, the Belfast Giants are clear favourites to win the 2022-23 Elite League title. Adam Keefe’s side scooped a remarkable double last season and were only one win away from completing the Grand Slam.
Despite losing prolific forward J.J. Piccinich during the offseason, the Northern Irish club went unbeaten in preseason and made a determined start to their Champions Hockey league campaign. In other words, the Giants are well-equipped for another title charge.
- Roster Building: 4.37
- Player Development: 3.81
- Long-Term Planning: 3.91
- Head Coach Quality: 5.00
Now, onto the fan poll (which is scored out of five).
Belfast supporters are an optimistic bunch, with 81.8 percent of them more confident in their club now than this time last year. They have plenty of reasons to be upbeat, starting with the man who patrols the bench at the SSE Arena.
Belfast Giants head coach Adam Keefe celebrates winning the 2021-22 Elite League title (Image: Dean Woolley)
Keefe received a perfect score from British Ice Hockey readers, making him the Elite League’s top coach by some distance.
Supporters of the Titanic Quarter club are also happy with the quality of the Canadian’s roster. He might’ve lost Piccinch and Tyler Beskorowany, but Peyton Jones and Darik Angeli were shrewd signings.
Belfast’s “low” scores in player development and long-term planning are higher than the league average. They’re an impressive organisation from top to bottom.
2. Cardiff Devils
- Average Position: 2.42
Following their threepeat playoff triumph, the Cardiff Devils are slated for a second-place finish. Brodie Dupont & Co. enjoyed a productive summer, re-signing Joey Martin and Ben Bowns to revitalise the roster ahead of the franchise’s Continental Cup return.
- Roster Building: 4.46
- Player Development: 4.38
- Long-Term Planning: 4.27
- Head Coach Quality: 4.31
Cardiff fans are feeling themselves ahead of the new season, propelling their club into the top three in every category. They are also more confident than they were this time last year, with 92 percent of respondents believing the organisation is on an upwards trajectory.
Brodie Dupont (left) scooped last season’s playoff title as an interim head coach (Image: James Assinder)
It isn’t a surprise that the Devils posted a league-leading player development score: they signed an affiliate agreement with the Bristol Pitbulls during the offseason and have played an important role in Sam Duggan’s continued rise.
Brodie Dupont, fresh from his Playoff Finals Weekend trophy lift, is well-liked in Wales. But could that change over the course of a full Elite League season?
3. Sheffield Steelers
- Average Position: 3.14
If not for injuries in the second half of the season, would the Sheffield Steelers have overcome Belfast in the title race? We’ll never know, but the year ahead will be revealing – especially if Aaron Fox’s side enjoy better health luck.
Sheffield are tipped for a third-place finish by our voters. Spicy.
- Roster Building: 4.01
- Player Development: 3.38
- Long-Term Planning: 4.10
- Head Coach Quality: 4.36
Let’s start with Fox, who is held in high esteem by fans at the Utilita Arena before his fourth season in the Elite League. Sheffield’s supporters are also impressed with the American’s general management, scoring his roster building a high 4.01 out of five.
Evan Mosey is back for another season with the Sheffield Steelers (Image: Dean Woolley)
But there’s a catch: the Steelers’ player development score is low, with Fox’s recent comments about the club’s “ridiculous” netminding situation a likely factor.
4. Nottingham Panthers
- Average Position: 3.43
Although it’s been a busy summer at the Motorpoint Arena, British Ice Hockey readers are still unsold on the Nottingham Panthers. They finished fourth last season and will apparently repeat the trick this time around.
- Roster Building: 4.40
- Player Development: 3.95
- Long-Term Planning: 4.24
- Head Coach Quality: 4.29
That said, Nottingham fans are buzzing, expressing a high level of confidence in CEO Omar Pacha and head coach Gary Graham. After watching their team recruit Luke Ferrara, Mike Hammond, and Andrew Johnston, supporters were also left impressed by the Panthers’ roster building capacity.
Luke Ferrara will aim to solidify his Team GB spot with a strong season for the Nottingham Panthers (Image: IHUK)
However, player development is a sore spot – an issue our readers identified across the Elite League.
5. Glasgow Clan
- Average Position: 5.73
Malcolm Cameron endured a horrible start as the Glasgow Clan’s head coach. Issues with the rink and COP26 forced the club to delay their season entrance, leaving the Canadian with a lot of catching up to do.
He did: Glasgow qualified for the playoffs and are tipped for a fifth-place finish this time around.
- Roster Building: 4.40
- Player Development: 3.20
- Long-Term Planning: 3.60
- Head Coach Quality: 3.80
However, fans of the Clan are still a little unsure about their boss, ranking the former Long Beach Ice Dog in the middle of the pack. Player development and long-term planning are also sore points in Glasgow.
Mitch Jones is a familiar face to Glasgow Clan fans (Image: Al Goold)
But Glaswegians are confident in their club’s roster building processes ahead of the new season, buoyed by the arrival of Stephen Dixon and retention of Mitch Jones.
6. Guildford Flames
- Average Position: 6.30
The Guildford Flames finished last season on the front foot, dumping Nottingham out of the playoffs in the quarter-finals. But confidence levels are sliding in Surrey, with Jamal Watson’s departure a key factor in their slide down our respondents’ predicted standings.
Jamal Watson left the Guildford Flames this offseason for a roster spot in the ICEHL (Image: John Uwins)
- Roster Building: 3.83
- Player Development: 3.75
- Long-Term Planning: 3.75
- Head Coach Quality: 4.08
Paul Dixon remains a fan-favourite in Guildford but Flames supporters are less confident in their team now than they were this time last year.
7. Coventry Blaze
- Average Position: 6.91
If our respondents are correct, the Coventry Blaze are set for another season in the playoff picture.
- Roster Building: 3.42
- Player Development: 3.92
- Long-Term Planning: 3.25
- Head Coach Quality: 3.84
Danny Stewart is a popular figure seven seasons into his Coventry Blaze tenure (Image: Scott Wiggins)
However, the Skydome Arena faithful’s confidence was knocked over the summer, with Ferrara and C.J. Motte leaving the club. Even so, Coventry fans are impressed by their club’s player development powers, with the likes of David Clements and Alex Forbes going from strength to strength under Danny Stewart.
8. Dundee Stars
- Average Position: 8.01
British Ice Hockey readers are sceptical of the Dundee Stars heading into 2022-23, mainly due to Pacha’s switch to the Panthers. They are slated for an eighth-place finish, although only just.
- Roster Building: 2.67
- Player Development: 3.67
- Long-Term Planning: 3.33
- Head Coach Quality: 3.40
Jeff Mason is set for a tricky rookie season as Dundee Stars head coach (Image: Dundee Stars)
Fans of the Scottish club are also underwhelmed, with the Stars’ approach to roster construction receiving the lowest mark in the Elite League. Dundee enter the new campaign with one of the youngest squads in the division (average age: 25.5) and several rookies from the NCAA. Will their gamble on young blood pay off under new head coach Jeff Masson?
9. Fife Flyers
- Average Position: 8.45
It has been a while since the Fife Flyers featured in the playoffs. They haven’t qualified for the postseason since 2018-19, with their last Finals Weekend appearance arriving a year earlier.
But could the drought end next term? British Ice Hockey readers predict a ninth-place finish for the Flyers, despite closing the gap to teams above the playoff line.
- Roster Building: 3.80
- Player Development: 2.60
- Long-Term Planning: 2.00
- Head Coach Quality: 2.80
However, Fife supports aren’t as optimistic about their team, ranking the organisation in the bottom half of Elite League clubs in every category.
Janne Laakkonen swapped life with the Coventry Blaze for the Fife Flyers this summer (Image: Scott Wiggins)
As a result, the season ahead is a ‘prove it’ year for Todd Duiaume’s side: will they turn the tide and return to the playoffs?
10. Manchester Storm
- Average Position: 8.52
If our readers are astute predictors, the Manchester Storm are in for a long season as the Elite League’s weakest link. But what do the club’s supporters think?
Matt Ginn is stepping up as Manchester Storm head coach this season (Image: All Sports Photography)
- Roster Building: 2.90
- Player Development: 3.30
- Long-Term Planning: 3.30
- Head Coach Quality: 3.20
They’re torn, leading to a set of middle of the road confidence polls. Several key question marks are hanging over the Storm this season:
- How will Matt Ginn adjust to life behind the bench?
- Will 26-year-old Hayden Lavigne emerge as a first-class Elite League starter?
- Who will score the lion’s share of Manchester’s goals following Adam Brady’s exit?
We’ll soon find out.
