Published: Thursday, 26th June, 2008 12:00
Greener arrives at the Hive
By Charles Watts
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Adam Bicknell has got his man and bagged Joe Greener.
ADAM Bicknell has spoken of his delight at capturing long-term transfer target Joe Greener.
The Bracknell Bees coach announced the signing of the 21-year-old forward this week as he brought to an end his long chase for the brother of former Bees skipper Adam.
And Bicknell has predicted that Greener will go on to become a vital member of the Bracknell side and one of the English Premier League’s star performers.
He said: “He’s going to be a real impact player for us. I saw him skate on Tuesday night for the first time this year and he’s got everything.
“He’s fast and he gets on the puck so quickly. He’s going to be a massive player and will be an able replacement for Tom Carlon and Shaun Thompson.
“It’s a great signing for us. There were a couple of Elite League sides after him so I had to work some magic. People are saying that he’s only come because his brother played here but that’s not the case.
“He knows that he will be a major player in our team here and not just a third line player.”
Greener arrives at Bracknell after a five-year stint in America where he initially played for the Soo Indians Midget AAA Hockey club before moving to the North American Hockey League’s Traverse City North Stars.
Bicknell believes that Greener’s spell in the States has been hugely influential and that he’s matured massively beyond his relatively tender years.
He said: “He went over there when he was 16 and he’s done really well. A lot of coaches that I’ve spoken to gave him really good write-ups and were very impressed.
“As hockey is aged over there he’s been playing as a senior player. To speak to him you can see he’s not a young man, he’s a grown adult. He knows the game inside out and loves his hockey. I’m delighted to have got him.”
With the Greener deal now complete, Bicknell has turned his attentions to wrapping up his final two imports for the coming season.
He is close to agreeing deals to bring in Canadian Jeff Hutchins from Elite League side Newcastle Vipers as well as Romford Raiders forward Andrius Kaminskas.
The capture of Hutchins would be a major coup as a number of clubs are chasing the signature of the man who just two seasons ago racked up 36 goals and 33 assists for the Belfast Giants.
Bicknell said: “We’ve reached an advanced stage in negotiations. Hutchins is almost there, we just have a few more things to iron out.
“He’s a great player and it would be a huge signing for us so I’m trying my hardest to get him.”
He added: “Both players are the sort of imports I want. They’ve got the right ideas about the game and play it in the right way.
“I know they’re also talking to other clubs but I’m quietly confident we can get them. If we do, that brings the squad up to 14 players and two goalies so I will be just looking for one more forward and one D-man.”
Meanwhile, the EPL has announced a shake-up to its league structure for the coming season.
Following the loss of the Chelmsford Chieftains, it has been decided that the remaining 10 sides will play each other six times, three times at home and three times away.
The first home and away league games will also be Premier Cup matches so points will count double. The winning team will get two points in the league as well as two for the Premier Cup table.
The league section of the Premier Cup will run over 18 games, with the top four then going on to the semi-final stage which will be held over two legs.
There has also been changes made to the end of season play-offs with the top eight now fighting it out in four two-legged quarter-final games rather than in the usual two groups of four.
Bicknell says he happy with the Premier Cup proposals but felt the changes to the play-off stages were unnecessary.
“I’ve always looked forward to those three weeks at the end of the season,” he said. “They’re really intense and the hockey is always good.
“The new way will favour the most in-form side though. It won’t build things up as well.”
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