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.
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.
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. 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) NetmindersNo.Nat.PlayerCatchesDate of birthPlace of birth AcquiredContract31 Sam Hewitt L Coleshill, England 2018 from Telford Tigers22/2333 Benjamin Lee 2002 (age 20)England 2019Two-Way35 Graham Laverick L Nuneaton, England 2021 from MK Thunder22/23
DefencemenNo.Nat.PlayerShootsDate of birthPlace of birthAcquiredContract3 Marcus Maynard R Nottingham, England 2017 from Hull Pirates22/235 Jordan Stokes R Warwick, England 2021 from MK Lightning22/236 Richard Crowe R Solihull, England 2010 from Solihull U1622/2327 Kieran Papps R Coventry, England 2022 from Coventry Blaze NIHL22/2355 Bailey Challans R Nottingham, England 2021 from Nottingham Lions22/2377 Andrew Hayward R England 2018 from Coventry Blaze NIHL22/2381 James Moeller 1998 (age 24)England 2015 from Solihull U1822/2397 Max Soden England 2022 from Coventry Blaze NIHLTwo-Way
ForwardsNo.Nat.PlayerShootsDate of birthPlace of birthAcquiredContract7 Sam Chandler L Slough, England 2021 from MK Thunder22/238 Paul Stanley Solihull, England 2018 from Nottingham Lions22/2315 Matthew Maurice L Kenilworth, England 2015 from Coventry U1822/2316 Andrew Whitehouse R Birmingham, England 2011 from Solihull U1822/2317 Richard Slater R Solihull, England 201922/2320 Filip Byfält* L Helsinki, Finland 202222/2324 Philip Mulcahy R Solihull, England 2019 from Coventry Blaze NIHL22/2359 Jordan Jolly L England 2021 from Telford Tigers22/2383 Brandon Anderton R Birmingham, England 2022 from Telford Tigers 222/2391 Niklas Ottosson* L Norrköping, Sweden 2015 from Solihull Barons22/2393 Sam Prosser R England 2022 from MK Thunder22/23
Team StaffNo.Nat.NameAcquiredRolePlace of birthJoined from Phil Lee 22/23 Head coach Durham, England
2021/22 Outgoing +OutgoingNo.Nat.PlayerShootsDate of birthPlace of birthLeaving For10 Daniel Harrison R Stafford, England Telford Tigers 2, NIHL 223 Daniel Mulcahy R Solihull, England Telford Tigers, NIHL National79 Tom Soar R Nottingham, England Invicta Dynamos, NIHL 194 James Smith R Dundee, Scotland Telford Tigers 2, NIHL 2
Honours English National Ice Hockey League North Division 2 champions: 2010–2011 English National Ice Hockey League Laidler Division champions: 2013–2014 English National Ice Hockey League Laidler Division champions: 2014–2015 English National Ice Hockey League Laidler Play-Off champions: 2014–2015 English National Ice Hockey League Midland Cup: 2019-2020TC Cars Solihull Barons – Blackburn Hawks, solihull-barons.net, 16 February 2020
References