Solihull Barons

The Solihull Barons are an English ice hockey team from the town of Solihull who play at Solihull Ice Rink on Hobs Moat Road. The current team, which is the third incarnation of the Barons, was formed in 2005; they are named after the original team of the same name who were formed in 1965, and played at the same ice rink between 1972 until 2000, after which they moved to Coventry and became the Coventry Blaze.[1]

Solihull Barons
CitySolihull, England
LeagueNIHL
ConferenceDivision One North
Founded2005
Home arenaPlanet Ice Solihull
Capacity: 800
ColoursWhite, Red & Black
     
Head coachPhil Lee
Websitehttp://www.solihull-barons.net/
Franchise history
1965-1996Solihull Barons
1996-2000Solihull Blaze (rebranded as Coventry Blaze)
2000-2002Solihull Barons
2002-2003Solihull MK Kings (formerly MK Kings)
2003-2005Solihull Kings
2005-Solihull Barons

History

Previous incarnations

The Solihull Barons won the Southern League in 1977–78 and the English League in 1992–93. Canadian Rick Fera played for the original Solihull Barons in the 1987–88 season.[2]

In 1996, the team rebranded themselves as the "Solihull Blaze", and in 2000 they moved from Solihull's Blue Ice Plaza to Coventry's SkyDome Arena, rebranding themselves again as the "Coventry Blaze". As this left Solihull without an ice hockey team for the first time since 1965, the Barons were reformed under a new franchise and returned to their original arena, which had benefited from a much-needed overhaul. Unfortunately, the £1.8m refurbishment was delayed by vandals, leaving the venue operators with a £75,000 damage repair bill, and the grand re-opening was postponed until mid-October 2000.

Despite the newly improved playing facility, the club struggled to survive in the English Premier Ice Hockey League and ultimately dissolved again just two years later in 2002. They were initially replaced by the Milton Keynes Kings, who moved to Solihull from their own hometown due to a dispute with the owners of their arena, and who re-branded themselves the "Solihull MK Kings" to demonstrate the fact that they were now representing both Solihull and Milton Keynes in ice hockey. Once again, however, the team quickly dissolved, playing just a single season of hockey in the British National League before folding.[3] Following the closure of the Solihull MK Kings, a new "Solihull Kings" team was created and placed back in the EPIHL, but yet again this team folded, collapsing after two seasons in 2007.

Current team

The current Solihull Barons team was formed in 2005, and played their first two seasons in the EPIHL. At the end of the 2006–07 season they were relegated to the English National Ice Hockey League (ENIHL). The Barons currently compete in Northern Division One, known as the "Moralee Conference". The team hold charity games for Birmingham Children's Hospital.

Club roster 2022–23

(*) Denotes a Non-British Trained player (Import)

Netminders
No. Nat. Player Catches Date of birth Place of birth Acquired Contract
31 England Sam Hewitt L (1991-02-15) 15 February 1991 Coleshill, England 2018 from Telford Tigers 22/23
33 England Benjamin Lee 2002 (age 20) England 2019 Two-Way
35 England Graham Laverick L (1994-12-27) 27 December 1994 Nuneaton, England 2021 from MK Thunder 22/23
Defencemen
No. Nat. Player Shoots Date of birth Place of birth Acquired Contract
3 England Marcus Maynard R (1987-03-13) 13 March 1987 Nottingham, England 2017 from Hull Pirates 22/23
5 England Jordan Stokes R (1998-11-16) 16 November 1998 Warwick, England 2021 from MK Lightning 22/23
6 England Richard Crowe R (1995-06-06) 6 June 1995 Solihull, England 2010 from Solihull U16 22/23
27 England Kieran Papps R (1989-02-14) 14 February 1989 Coventry, England 2022 from Coventry Blaze NIHL 22/23
55 England Bailey Challans R (2002-05-17) 17 May 2002 Nottingham, England 2021 from Nottingham Lions 22/23
77 England Andrew Hayward R (2000-02-14) 14 February 2000 England 2018 from Coventry Blaze NIHL 22/23
81 England James Moeller 1998 (age 24) England 2015 from Solihull U18 22/23
97 England Max Soden (2003-07-11) 11 July 2003 England 2022 from Coventry Blaze NIHL Two-Way
Forwards
No. Nat. Player Shoots Date of birth Place of birth Acquired Contract
7 England Sam Chandler L (1992-07-16) 16 July 1992 Slough, England 2021 from MK Thunder 22/23
8 England Paul Stanley (1983-08-22) 22 August 1983 Solihull, England 2018 from Nottingham Lions 22/23
15 England Matthew Maurice L (1998-05-05) 5 May 1998 Kenilworth, England 2015 from Coventry U18 22/23
16 England Andrew Whitehouse R (1993-10-19) 19 October 1993 Birmingham, England 2011 from Solihull U18 22/23
17 England Richard Slater R (1991-12-31) 31 December 1991 Solihull, England 2019 22/23
20 Finland Filip Byfält* L (1989-02-22) 22 February 1989 Helsinki, Finland 2022 22/23
24 England Philip Mulcahy R (1997-02-13) 13 February 1997 Solihull, England 2019 from Coventry Blaze NIHL 22/23
59 England Jordan Jolly L (1999-04-30) 30 April 1999 England 2021 from Telford Tigers 22/23
83 England Brandon Anderton R (1998-03-08) 8 March 1998 Birmingham, England 2022 from Telford Tigers 2 22/23
91 Sweden Niklas Ottosson* L (1991-10-14) 14 October 1991 Norrköping, Sweden 2015 from Solihull Barons 22/23
93 England Sam Prosser R (1993-01-29) 29 January 1993 England 2022 from MK Thunder 22/23
Team Staff
No. Nat. Name Acquired Role Place of birth Joined From
England Phil Lee 22/23 Head Coach Durham, England

2021/22 Outgoing

Outgoing
No. Nat. Player Shoots Date of birth Place of birth Leaving For
10 England Daniel Harrison R (1992-07-04) 4 July 1992 Stafford, England Telford Tigers 2, NIHL 2
23 England Daniel Mulcahy R (2000-12-01) 1 December 2000 Solihull, England Telford Tigers, NIHL National
79 England Tom Soar R (1993-01-02) 2 January 1993 Nottingham, England Invicta Dynamos, NIHL 1
94 Scotland James Smith R (1994-06-29) 29 June 1994 Dundee, Scotland Telford Tigers 2, NIHL 2

Honours

References

  1. "A-Z Encyclopaedia of Ice Hockey". azhockey.com. Retrieved 1 November 2007.
  2. "Rick Fera Stats and Profile". hockeydb.com.
  3. "A-Z Encyclopaedia of Ice Hockey". azhockey.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 1 November 2007.
  4. TC Cars Solihull Barons – Blackburn Hawks, solihull-barons.net, 16 February 2020
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