- author, nigel ringland
- role, BBC Sport Northern Ireland
Belfast Giants' re-signing of Grand Slam winner Scott Conway is further evidence that there are too many trophy-less seasons.
The announcement comes after the Giants brought back former Elite League MVP JJ Picnic last week.
Since 2018, the Giants have won three Elite League championships, four Challenge Cup championships, and a playoff championship that culminated with the 2023 Grand Slam, and lost those three trophies to the Sheffield Steelers last season. Surrendered to Z.
Third place in the league and runners-up in the play-offs would be classed as a successful season for many clubs, but that was not the case for Belfast.
Just two weeks into the offseason, the Giants showed they mean business by signing Conway and Picnic.
Conway first joined the Giants in the 2021/22 season, during which he scored an astonishing 101 points in 69 games across all competitions, helping the Giants win the Elite League and Challenge Cup double.
Conway's performance was even better the following season, scoring 116 points in 72 games in all competitions, being named the EIHL's Forward of the Year, and playing a key role in leading the Giants to their first-ever Triple Crown. .
Last season, Conway played for HK Dukla Trenčín in Slovakia and continued his scoring spree, scoring 42 points in 47 games, helping the three-time Slovakian champions reach the domestic playoffs.
During his first period with the Giants, Picnic totaled 97 points in 65 games, and his contributions earned him the most assists, goals and total points in a season, making him the 2021/22 Elite League Player of the Year. was selected. He helped the Giants win their sixth EIHL league title and fourth Challenge Cup championship.
Both players are popular with fans, but the big contracts of the two players alone won't bring excitement to the summer. The next challenge for Keefe and general manager Steve Thornton will be finding complementary players to play with Conway and Picnic.
However, this is a pretty amazing start to their recruiting efforts and should only further energize the Giants' fan base, which averages over 6,500 fans per home game.
Suddenly, last season feels like a distant memory.
September and new campaigns can't come soon enough.
