Guildford Flames

The Guildford Flames are an ice hockey team based in Guildford, Surrey and they play their home games in the Guildford Spectrum. They compete in the top-tier of hockey in the United Kingdom, the Elite Ice Hockey League.

Guildford Flames
2020–21 Guildford Flames season
CityGuildford, Surrey
LeagueElite Ice Hockey League
Founded1992
Home arenaGuildford Spectrum
ColorsMaroon blue
Owner(s)Sportfact Ltd
Head coach Paul Dixon
Captain Jesse Craige
AffiliatesGuildford Phoenix
Championships
Regular season titles6 (97/98, 00/01, 05/06, 07/08, 11/12 & 12/13)
Challenge Cups5 (06/07, 09/10, 11/12, 12/13 & 15/16)

Founded in October 1992, the Flames originally played in the second tier leagues of British hockey, first the British National League until 2004, and subsequently the English Premier Ice Hockey League until 2017. On February 24, 2017, it was announced that the Flames would become the 12th Elite Ice Hockey League team, joining from the 2017–18 season.

The team's head coach is Paul Dixon, who took over after Stan Marple retired in 2007.

Formation

Barry Dow, an American who sponsored and owned the basketball team Guildford Kings and Bill Hurley established and owned the team as management – the two were new to the sport of ice hockey, and brought in Mike Urquhart as coach and Darrin Zinger as captain.

Key players signed for the first season included Canadians Sean Murphy and Dave McGahan due to their high scoring at Solent Vikings. In addition a number of British players including goaltender, Mike Kellond; forward, Danny O'Hanlon and defender, Gary Shearer.

The Flames' inaugural season began in October 1992; they began, unseeded, in the English League Division One. With the Guildford Spectrum not yet completed, the team had to train at Slough's facility. The Flames played their home games at Alexandra Palace until their new home ice was ready and played there for the first time on 23 January 1993.

When 23 January 1993 finally arrived and the Guildford Spectrum opened, the event was a big one. The area's paid-for newspaper The Surrey Advertiser described the local council's £28 million arena as "awesome". Guildford's first game at their new home showed a convincing win with Andy Sparks scoring the first goal at the Spectrum. The team went to the top of the Conference due to that game, a position they held onto for the whole season.

Elite League

The Guildford Flames were confirmed as an Elite League expansion team in February 2017, stepping up from the English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL), and began play in the UK's top division at the start of the 2017–18 EIHL season.[1]

The Flames finished in sixth in their first season (2017–18), followed by a fifth placed finish in 2018–19 - a campaign in which they finished runners-up to the Belfast Giants in the Challenge Cup final.[2]

Guildford were again in sixth when the 2019–20 EIHL season's remaining matches were cancelled in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The play-offs were cancelled with only the Challenge Cup seeing a winner (the Sheffield Steelers) crowned.[3]

Then, the 2020–21 Elite League season - originally scheduled for a revised start date of December 5 - was suspended on September 15, 2020, because of ongoing coronavirus pandemic restrictions. The EIHL board determined that the season was non-viable without supporters being permitted to attend matches and unanimously agreed to a suspension.[4]

Club honours
  • Season 2018/19
    • Patton Conference Champions
    • 2018–19 EIHL All-Stars Second Team: Calle Ackered, Jesse Craige
  • Season 2017/18
    • 2017–18 EIHL All-Stars First Team: Jesse Craige
    • 2017–18 EIHL All-Stars Second Team: Calle Ackered, John Dunbar
  • Season 2015/16
    • English Premier Cup
    • English Premier League Playoff Winners
  • Season 2012/13
    • English Premier League Champions
    • English Premier Cup
  • Season 2011/12
    • English Premier League Champions
    • English Premier Cup
  • Season 2010/11
    • English Premier League Playoff Winners
  • Season 2009/10
    • English Premier Cup
  • Season 2007/08
    • English Premier League Champions
  • Season 2006/07
    • English Premier Cup
  • Season 2005/06
    • English Premier League Champions
  • Season 2003/04
  • Season 2000/01
  • Season 1998/99
    • Benson & Hedges Plate Winners
  • Season 1997/98
  • Season 1996/97
    • Benson & Hedges Plate Winners

Team logo and jersey
The current team jerseys, for both away and home.

The team logo is very similar to that of the Calgary Flames of the NHL. The team jerseys mirror those used by a former NHL team, Atlanta Thrashers from 1999 to 2006 (with logos replaced and advertisements added).

Current squad

2020-21 Elite League season squad[5]

Netminders
No. Player Catches Acquired Place of Birth Joined from Press Release
Defencemen
No. Player Shoots Acquired Place of Birth Joined from Press Release
24 Alex Yuill L 2020 Wellington, Ontario, Canada UOIT Ridgebacks, U Sports [6]
Forwards
No. Player Position Acquired Place of Birth Joined from Press Release
18 Brett Ferguson LW/C 2017 Vibank, Saskatchewan, Canada Rapaces de Gap, Ligue Magnus [7]
27 Ian Watters LW 2017 Pickering, Ontario, Canada Reading Royals, ECHL [8]
On Loan
No. Player Position Acquired Place of Birth Playing For Press Release
Team Staff
No. Name Position Place of Birth Joined from Press Release
N/A Paul Dixon Head coach/GM Sunderland, England Appointed in 2007
20/21 Outgoing
No. Player Position Acquired Leaving For Press Release
1 Wouter Peeters G 2019 Haukat, Suomi-sarja [9]
5 Ben Davies C 2017 Swindon Wildcats, NIHL [10]
8 Calle Ackered D 2017 HK Dukla Trenčín, Slovak Extraliga [11]
17 Braylon Shmyr LW 2020 Allen Americans, ECHL [12]
23 Corbin Baldwin D 2018 Kansas City Mavericks, ECHL [13]
29 Erik Lindhagen C/D 2018 Grüner Ishockey, GET-ligaen [14]
33 Michael Will G 2016 Retired [15]
45 Stephen Lee D 2019 HC Pustertal Wölfe, AlpsHL [16]
47 Kevin Lindskoug G 2020 Bodens HF, Hockeyettan [17]
51 Kruise Reddick C/RW 2017 HK Dukla Trenčín, Slovak Extraliga [18]
62 Joshua Waller F 2018 Nittorps IK, Hockeytvåan [19]
77 Owen Griffiths C 2019 IK Guts, Hockeytvåan [20]
82 Jeremy Lundin D 2009 Retired [21]
90 John Dunbar F 2017 Rostock Piranhas, Oberliga [22]

Retired numbers

The retired numbers at the Guildford Flames are:

Team captains
  • 1992–94 – Darren Zinger
  • 1994–99 – Paul Thompson
  • 1999-00 – Karry Biette
  • 2000–01 – Wayne Crawford
  • 2001–07 – Paul Dixon
  • 2007–09 – Ricky Plant
  • 2009–10 – Rob Lamey
  • 2010–15 – David Longstaff
  • 2015–17 – Jeremy Lundin
  • 2017– Jesse Craige

References
  1. https://www.coventryblaze.co.uk/news/guildford-flames-to-join-elite-league-20170224#:~:text=Guildford%20Flames%20will%20become%20the,Keynes%20Lightning%20as%20new%20additions.
  2. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/ice-hockey/47517874#:~:text=Belfast%20Giants%20have%20retained%20the,successes%20for%20Adam%20Keefe's%20men.
  3. https://www.eliteleague.co.uk/article/731-eihl-cancels-all-matches-for-rest-of-season#:~:text=Bosses%20at%20the%20ten%20Elite,all%20matches%20with%20immediate%20effect.&text=League%20bosses%20staged%20an%20emergency,announcement%20on%20the%20coronavirus%20outbreak.
  4. https://www.eliteleague.co.uk/article/927-eihl-board-suspend-2020-21-season
  5. "Guildford Flames at eliteprospects.com". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  6. "Guildford Flames Ice Hockey Club - Yuill Added to Roster". www.guildfordflames.com. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  7. "Ferguson Signs Up for 4th Term". Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  8. "Watters Back". Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  9. "Wouter Peeters - Elite Prospects". Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  10. "STREAMING SIGNING - Swindon Wildcats Twitter". Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  11. "Calle Ackered - Elite Prospects". Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  12. "Americans sign free agent forward Braylon Shmyr". Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  13. "Mavericks ink defenseman Corbin Baldwin". Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  14. "Erik Lindhagen - Elite Prospects". Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  15. "Mike Will retires". Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  16. "Lee HC Pustertal". Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  17. "Boden Hockey recruits top goalkeeper". Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  18. "Kruise Reddick - Elite Prospects". Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  19. "Two new acquisitions from the UK". Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  20. "New acquisition - we welcome Guildford Flames player Owen Griffiths". Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  21. "Lundin Retires after 11 Seasons". Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  22. "John Dunbar - Elite Prospects". Retrieved 25 September 2020.
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