A further five players have been confirmed for the NIHL North All-Star weekend 2014.
James Spurr (Sutton Sting), Christian Johnson (Whitley Warriors) & Paul Davies (Telford Titans) have been selected to represent Moralee Conference, while Luke Smith (Coventry Blaze) & Jamie Cobley (Hull Jets) will line-up for Laidler Conference at the charity event in aid of Mind.
Spurr (left) made his senior debut for the EPL’s Peterborough Phantoms in 2005/06, going on to make over 200 appearances for the club. He was part of their treble-winning squad in 2008/09 and has also featured for Hull Stingrays in the Elite League and Manchester Phoenix in the EPL.
After joining Sting in 2012, Spurr has averaged over a point per game to help the team establish themselves at the upper end of NIHL North. Last season he topped their scoring charts in Moralee Conference with 40 points.
A product of Whitley’s junior system, Johnson made his full Warriors debut in 2010/11. He quickly became a regular fixture on the blueline, enjoying a fine personal season in 2013/14 by winning the Defenseman and Players’ Player of the Year Awards.
Davies (right) spent three seasons with Bristol Pitbulls in ENL South before moving to NIHL North with Telford last year.
Although Titans endured a difficult campaign, Davies finished as second highest points scorer behind Karol Jets to maintain his point per game career average.
Coventry defenseman Smith came through the junior ranks at Solihull, progressing into Barons’ senior team in 2009/10.
He switched to Blaze last season, helping them to third place in Laidler Conference and the semi-final of the play-offs. The 21-year-old has already racked up nearly 100 ENL/NIHL appearances.
Cobley (left) made his ENL debut with Kingston Jets in 2004/05. He joined Newcastle a couple of years later, winning the ENL North & National Championship with the Vipers. Cobley returned to Hull in 2008, establishing himself as a key part of their team.
He captained the Jets in 2013/14, scoring 14 goals with 22 assists. Cobley has averaged over a point per game during his time in ENL/NIHL and is closing in on 250 career appearances.
The NIHL North All-Star weekend is scheduled for the weekend of June 7th & 8th at Deeside Ice Rink. Saturday sees Deeside Dragons face a Laidler Conference All-Star team, while the following day they will join forces to meet the Moralee Conference All-Stars.
Tickets are available from Deeside Leisure Centre – Telephone 01244 845440 – and are priced at £6 per person (no concessions) for each of games or a weekend ticket for just £10.
(Images: James Spurr – Andy Baxter; Paul Davies – David Morrison; Jamie Cobley – Arthur Foster)
