| Carl Graham | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 6 January 1984 Reading, England, U.K. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 203 lb (92 kg; 14 st 7 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| EPIHL team Former teams | Basingstoke Bison Slough Jets Bracknell Hornets Wightlink Raiders Bracknell Bees Manchester Phoenix | ||
| Playing career | 2000–present | ||
Carl Graham (born 6 January 1984 in Reading) is an English professional Ice Hockey player, currently playing for the Bracknell Bees in the EPIHL. Graham began his career with his local team in Slough in the year 2000. He initially played at U-19 level with the Slough Comets, but also made ten senior ENHL appearances for the Slough Harrier Hawks.
Reading is a large, historic university and minster town in Berkshire, England, of which it is now the county town. It is in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway. Reading is 70 miles (110 km) east of Bristol, 24 miles (39 km) south of Oxford, 40 miles (64 km) west of London, 14 miles (23 km) north of Basingstoke, 12 miles (19 km) south-west of Maidenhead and 15 miles (24 km) east of Newbury as the crow flies.
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north. The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
The Bracknell Bees are an ice hockey team from Bracknell, Berkshire, UK. They compete in the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) National League, the second tier of English Ice Hockey.
Graham would stay within the Slough system, and again switched between the U-19 Comets team and the ENHL Harrier Hawks team during the 2001/02 season. This season was an important one for Graham as he made his first international appearance for the England U-20 team as well as graduating to BNL level, playing three games for the Slough Jets. Graham again showed loyalty to the Slough clubs, and again played for the U-19 Comets as well as becoming a regular for the senior Slough Jets, now in the EPL.
The British National League (BNL) was the second tier of the professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom between 1996 and 2005. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have been a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague and above that of the English National Ice Hockey League and the Scottish National League. Fife Flyers and Guildford Flames were the only two teams to consistently feature in the BNL during every season of the league's history.
Slough Jets are an ice hockey team from Slough, Berkshire, England playing in the NIHL South Division 1. The team was founded in 1986 after the construction of the Slough Ice Arena in Montem Lane in Slough. With the help of Gary Stefan who had previously been with Streatham Redskins, the Slough Jets were formed.
The English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL) was an ice hockey league of 10 teams, all of which were based in England. Headquartered in Blackpool, the EPIHL was one of two professional ice hockey leagues in the United Kingdom. A total of 27 teams played in the league at one time or another. Swindon Wildcats were the only team to have consistently featured in the EPIHL since its inaugural season in 1997-98. In 2017, the league was disbanded, with its teams either joining the top-tier Elite Ice Hockey League or the second-tier National Ice Hockey League.
Graham's 2003/04 season was again spent in Slough, now alternating between the Harrier Hawks and Jets teams. A change would come the following term, when he would move to sign for the Bracknell Hornets at the lower ENHL standard. Graham shone, and the following season (2004/05) was again playing at the higher EPL standard, now with the Wightlink Raiders.
The Wightlink Raiders was an ice hockey team based in Ryde on the Isle of Wight, England. The team were known for their small ice rink, Ryde Arena, which prevented them competing at a higher level. In 2016, following the closure of the rink by AEW UK, the building's landlord over a rent dispute with the community group which ran the ice rink , the team withdrew from the league and competitive play.
In the summer of 2007, Graham was to again change teams, and was signed for the Manchester Phoenix, a team icing in the EIHL, the highest standard of ice hockey in Britain. Graham signed for the Phoenix along with Davey Graham (no relation) who had been brought into the club to act as bench coach due to head coach Tony Hand's decision to continue playing as well as coaching.
Manchester Phoenix were a semi professional ice hockey team from Greater Manchester, England. The club was formed in 2003 as a result of the efforts of supporters group Friends of Manchester Ice Hockey to bring top-level ice hockey back to Manchester after Manchester Storm folded in 2002.
Anthony Hand MBE is a Scottish former ice hockey player and coach. He was the first British player to be drafted by an NHL team when he was picked by the Edmonton Oilers in 1986.
The younger Graham has proved to be a hard working defenseman for the Phoenix, but is mainly employed as a backup player, although he featured in 59 regular season fixtures. Graham's play throughout the 2007/08 season impressed Hand, and he was the first player to be re-signed for the Phoenix for the 2008/09 term. Graham again proved his ability at EIHL level, and iced in 67 games for the Phoenix, managing to score his first Elite League goal against Manchester's close rivals, the Sheffield Steelers. Graham's growth as a player again encouraged Tony Hand to re-sign him for the 2009/10 season, in which the Phoenix will ice in the EPL.
The Sheffield Steelers are a professional ice hockey team located in Sheffield, England. They were formed in 1991 and play their home games at the FlyDSA Arena. They are currently a member of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The club's main (title) sponsor is Sheffield Window Centre.
Despite a positive start for the Phoenix, with three wins from their first three games, Graham chose to move mid-season and signed for the Bracknell Bees, EPL rivals of the Phoenix.
