Posted on Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Towering defender Tim Cook and flashy forward Brandon Benedict become the Belfast Giants latest two signings for the 2009/10 season. Cook and Benedict played together last season for Totempo HVIK in Denmark before the team withdrew from the league due to financial constraints. Both players are expected to be impact players, albeit at different ends of the rink, for Steve Thornton’s Belfast Giants.
The 6’4” Cook was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Last season, he posted 14 points in 36 games with Totempo before moving to Florida to play for the Everblades, where he played a further 21 games. Cook has plenty of experience of lifting trophies, winning the East Coast Hockey League Championship in two consecutive years, first with the Texas Wildcatters and then with the Florida Everblades last season. The 25 year old comes from the famous University of Michigan Wolverines hockey programme, spending four seasons from 2003-2007 in one of the most successful University Programmes in the United States.
Tim Cook, speaking from his home in the USA, “I am extremely honored and excited to be joining a winning organization like the Belfast Giants. I have heard nothing but great things about the players, coaches, management, and city. I hope that I can help bring a championship to Northern Ireland in 2010.”
Benedict, a 5’9” centerman with plenty of offensive ability played for the ECHL’s Texas Wildcatters in 2007/08,where he first linked up with Cook, averaging over a point per game with 69 points in 61 games played. The 27 year old is no stranger to being a team leader, having either been captain or assistant captain with three of his last four teams. Last season, ‘Benny’ helped the Texas Brahmas to the CHL Championship, scoring 34 points in 32 games. He played his university hockey for Acadia University averaging over a point a game for all four seasons with one of Canada’s premier Univeristy programmes.
Brandon Benedict, speaking from his home in Nova Scotia, Canada, “I’m really excited for the opportunity of playing for the Giants. I heard great things about the organization and am just looking forward to the start of the season. I know the Giants had a ton of success last year and we will be looking to build on that this year.”
Coach Thornton on Cook:
“I felt that we were missing a big defensive dman last season. Tim skates very well and is punishing in his own zone which was the main reason he was drafted by the Senators. He played for the top teams in the ECHL and won the league his last two seasons over there. Last year he played in Denmark and showed some offensive upside in a league that is better than ours. He will be a shutdown player for us and fits the bill as the type of player that I was looking for; a big, physical, mobile dman who makes a good first pass, an excellent skater that takes pride in his defense. Like Bobby Robins last season, two of the coaches that I spoke to in the ECHL for references actually tried to trade for Tim which is a great indicator of what he brings to the table. We are excited to have another piece of our puzzle.”
Coach Thornton on Benedict:
“Benny is a legit first liner who has some big skates to fill in that of the departing Denny. He plays with grit, skates very well and is very creative. He was a high end offensive player in Denmark putting up a point a game which were similar numbers to Peter Campbell. He scored 77 points in 64 games in the ECHL and was a star over there. He won a championship last season in Texas and is hungry for more. He will be an impact player for us and will play big minutes in all situations. I may have spoken to ten different people in North America and Europe looking for references on Benny and they all came back glowing in regards to him as a player and a person. We feel that Brandon and Pierre-Luc Faubert will have a similar impact to our league that Deniset and Martin did last year.”
Tim Cook’s profile at Hockeydb.com
Brandon Benedict’s profile at Hockeydb.com
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