Manchester Storm

The returning core

Manchester finished 6th last season and reached the semifinals before being knocked out, and head coach Cameron Critchlow returns with arguably the most settled roster of any Elite League club this summer. The move back to the AO Arena is a huge bonus for the Storm, if they garner some success it can allow them to grow their fanbase exponentially.

The list of returning, extended players is extensive: Brendon Clavelle, Chase Harrison and Bradley Jenion all re-sign on the blue line, while Brandon Cutler, Rais Francis, Brady Gilmour, Stephen Johnson, J.D. Dudek, Joseph Nardi and Loren Ulett are all back up front. Goaltenders Drew DeRidder and Evan Weninger have both extended too.

Summer reinforcements

The new additions are modest but sensible. Swedish forward Anton Karlsson joins after a brief spell with Fife Flyers earlier in the year and a stint back in Sweden, while Kyle Maksimovich, Tim McGauley and Lewis Hook, who joins from fellow Elite League side Guildford Flames, add further forward depth. Drydn Dow, Bailey Thomas and Patrick Kudla arrive on defence, the latter two from Milton Keynes Lightning and HC Innsbruck respectively.

Departures & outlook

The most notable departure is Zach Sullivan, a longstanding fixture of the club and a listed fan favourite, who moves on to Leeds Knights in the NIHL. Dante Hannoun, Gary Haden and Nicholas Welsh, the latter moving to Cardiff Devils, have also moved on, along with forwards Kaleb Ergang, Harrison Caines and Tyler Hinam.

With this much of the roster returning intact, Manchester look like a team betting on continuity and internal improvement rather than a summer of change, a reasonable approach after a semifinal run last season.