Having moved to Belfast mid way through last season from ESV Kaufbeuren in Germany, Saurette made an instant impact in the Elite League tallying 18 goals and 21 assists for a total of 39 points in 34 games. The 6 foot 200lbs power forward brings an ideal mix of size and skill to the Giants lineup and will be expecting to carry on the form that made him one of the most sought after players in the Elite League this off-season.

Saurette is a player that can log a lot of ice time and last season featured significantly on the powerplay, netting 6 goals to finish the season tied for second on the team in powerplay goals.

Giants Head Coach Paul Adey commented on the signing of Saurette:

“I watched the Giants at the Playoff Finals Weekend in Nottingham and Kevin was a player that really stood out to me. He has good size and is a tremendous skater, with great individual skill and a fantastic shot.

“Kevin has produced offensively everywhere he has played and last season he demonstrated his ability to score in the Elite League. Having Saurette back with the Giants will contribute greatly to our offensive output.”

General Manager Todd Kelman was very pleased to get Saurette back for another year.

“Kevin changed our team when he arrived last season. He is a handful for opposing defencemen in front of the net and he scored some big goals for us. He is one of the best power forwards in this league and next season I expect even bigger things from him when we have him for the entire season.

“I know that Nottingham and Sheffield were both after him but he wanted to be in Belfast. I am glad we were able to make that happen and I know our fans will be pleased to see him back in Belfast next season.”

@belfastgiants Glad to be back and looking forward to a great season #seeyouinAugust #tealarmy

— Kevin Saurette (@22sauce22) May 23, 2013

Elfring comes to Belfast after 7 seasons in the highly respected DEL, the top league in Germany, where he captained the Straubing Tigers last season. Elfring has a reputation as an all-round defenceman and a great leader.  His signing adds to an already impressive defensive core on the Giants blueline.

37 year old Elfring from Lethbridge, Alberta was a student athlete at Colorado College, playing NCAA hockey for 4 years before staring his professional career in 1998 with the Pee Dee Pride of the East Coast Hockey League.

After 3 seasons in the ECHL, having received numerous AHL call ups, Elfring made the move to Europe in 2001 signing with EHC Bad Aibling in the German 3rd Division. With impressive statistics in his first season Calvin then moved up a division playing with SC Bietigheim-Bissingen where he tallied upwards of 60 points in each of his 2 seasons in the Bundesliga.

Elfring then moved to the Straubing Tigers in 2004 where he has played for the past 9 seasons. In 2011/12 Calvin was named as an assistant captain and last year captained the Tigers whilst contributing 17 points in 40 games in the German DEL.

Giants Head Coach Paul Adey is confident that Elfring will be a standout player in the Elite League and commented: “Calvin is a dedicated pro and a great leader who can play at both ends of the rink. His experience will be a great asset to our team next season.”

General Manager Todd Kelman is pleased to get such a sought after player to agree to terms in Belfast and expects big things from Elfring. “Calvin has been one of the best defencemen on a German DEL team for the last number of years and we expect him to make a big impact here in Belfast.  He will definitely be a leader for us.  He skates well and jumps into the play but is defensively strong.  The reports we have got on him are excellent as a player and as a teammate.  I am really looking forward to having Calvin in a Giants jersey come September.”

Calvin was approached by a handful of Elite League teams but from the start of the negotiations, he stated that he wanted to play in Belfast.

Elfring is a left shot defenceman, something the Giants were particularly looking for after signing four right shots already (Sandrock, Mason, Kevin and Davey Phillips).  Elfring will add another element to the Giants powerplay and is expected to log a lot of ice time in every situation next season on the Giants blueline.

“We needed to add experience and size to our D-corp,” said Kelman, “and this is a huge step in the right direction.”

View Calvin’s Statistics On Elite Prospects

Belfast here I come! #belfastgiants

— Calvin Elfring (@cbelfring) May 21, 2013

“Most of all, I want to sign guys who are good team players, that is my priority. After that I’m looking for players who are able to put the puck in the back of the net, simple as that.”

“Another priority has to be signing guys who are both hard working and who will be dedicated to the Belfast Giants.”

When asked if his knowledge of the Elite League had been affected following an eight year absence while coaching in Italy and Switzerland, Adey replied, “That isn’t an issue. I always kept in touch with the Elite League and travelled back for games including the Playoff Finals Weekend.”

“I have a good idea of what we need and what other teams have. Over the past few years I know that the Belfast Giants have been pretty consistent and always contended for trophies. Winning trophies in the Elite League is not easy and that has shown, with the organisation winning one in the past three years.”

“It is now my job to improve that and i’m excited to pick the right pieces for the puzzle”

Catch this great @utv interview with our new Head Coach, Paul Adey and General Manager, Todd Kelman! #giantsnewera u.tv/Sport/Belfast-…

— Belfast Giants (@BelfastGiants) May 10, 2013

Do not miss another great interview as @nigelringland speaks with new Head Coach Paul Adey thanks to @bbcsportni! bbc.co.uk/sport/0/ice-ho…

— Belfast Giants (@BelfastGiants) May 10, 2013

Belfast Giants General Manager, Todd Kelman, gave his thoughts on the departure of Peacock:

“I remember when Steve Thornton and I flew over to London to watch him play a game when he was still with Peterborough.  We knew right away we had to sign him before someone else did.  It turned out to be one of the smartest signings we ever made.”

“Craig has been a big part of the success in Belfast over the last 4 years.  He has been a great player for us and has won a playoff title and a league championship as a Giant.  He has improved every year as a player and as good as he is on the ice, he is a great person off the ice as well.”

“Peaks is one of my favourite Giants of all time, and it has been a pleasure working with him in Belfast.  He is entertaining to watch and he scored some big goals for this team over the years.  I wish him well in Denmark and I hope for his sake that he continues to progress and further his career on the Continent.”

When asked if Kelman thought Peacock would ever be back, he said:

“One day I am sure he will come back to the Elite League and when he does, I am sure he will want to be a Giant again.”

Thank you all for your kind messages of support. Looking forward to a new challenge!

— Craig Peacock (@peaks71) May 18, 2013

Also thank you to everyone @belfastgiants for 4 great seasons.. And all the fans for all the support! #classorganisation

— Craig Peacock (@peaks71) May 18, 2013

We also released the following video at the event, dedicated to our fans, which has had over 16,000 views online already! Click here to view

The new Season Ticket prices are as follows:
Adult – £360
Concession – £270
Child – £195
Family (2 Adult, 2 Child) – £1050

The Belfast Giants Season Ticket is the BEST value ticket all season long as this year’s season ticket will include ALL HOME GAMES at the Odyssey Arena regardless of how many we play in League, Challenge Cup, Pre-Season and the Playoffs.  We are anticipating 30 home games with the possibility of even more to add to the value of the season ticket offer.

In addition, each month throughout the season, there will be a season ticket draw for 2 free tickets to a concert at the Odyssey Arena that month.

AND in partnership with W5, all season ticket holders will be given 25% off entry into W5 throughout the season. Terms & Conditions Apply.

Finally, the Odyssey Arena are working with Ticketmaster to set up their online season ticket management system that will allow you to manage your account online.  Your season ticket seat will never go to waste because even if you cannot attend, you will be able to transfer your seat electronically through this system and allow a friend or colleague to print their own ticket and sit in your seat for that game.

The Odyssey and the Belfast Giants are committed to making a GIANT SEASON TICKET the best value available to Giants fans next season and we promise that the season ticket will be the lowest price available to any fan throughout the season. There will be no FREE TICKET promotions like the KIDS GO FREE promotion this season and there will not be heavily discounted prices through online discount companies that devalue the season ticket. We want our season ticket holders to know they are getting the best value for their commitment to us and in return we plan to give them plenty to cheer about throughout the season.

Walkup Prices Prices for 2013/14 season will be:
Adult – £15
Concession – £10
Child – £8
Family (2 Adult, 2 Child) – £40

Flexi Ticket Prices for 2013/14 season will be:
Adult – £15
Concession – £10
Child – £8

Explanation of Terms
Adult = Over 16 as of Sept 1st, 2013
Concession = Full time Students, Senior Citizens and those registered disabled
Child = 16 or under as of Sept 1st, 2013
Family = 2 Adults and 2 Children who are immediate family members living in the same household
Flexi Ticket = a ticket that can be purchased in advance and exchanged for ANY Giants Home Game throughout the season.

Copy of relevant photographic ID is required for all applications

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT YOUR APPLICATION

Please return your completed applications to:
Belfast Giants Season Ticket Applications
Odyssey Arena, 2 Queens Quay
Belfast BT3 9QQ

If you are paying by cheque, please make the cheque payable to ‘Odyssey Millennium Limited’.

“I want us to be creative, we will play to a system, which may be different from the other teams. I prefer to edge to the offensive side rather than the defensive side. If we play well, play an exciting brand of hockey and win games people will be happy.”

“I coached in Italy last season with Val Pusteria, Brunico and the fans said it was probably the most entertaining team that they had ever watched,” said Adey.

When asked about what next season has in store for the Giants, Adey said, “Nottingham have set a very high standard and are obviously the team to beat. We have to do our best to change that, it’s not going to be easy and it’s going to be a big challenge. Wherever you go everybody wants to win, everybody wants trophies. It’s part of the job and I’m happy to take it on here in Belfast”

The value for money offered with this years season ticket has meant phenomenal demand for tickets, and already we have sold more season tickets than any other season during the Elite League era.

Please note that season ticket payments are taken in equal monthly instalments over 10 months.

In the coming weeks season ticket holders who have provided us with a contact email address will have access to an online Ticketmaster account manager. This will allow you to login and view the status of your application, make any changes to your personal details and keep track of your payments.

His playing days saw him spend the majority of his professional career with the Nottingham Panthers.  Adey is the all-time leading scorer in Panthers history with 869 goals and an amazing 1609 points in 11 seasons in Nottingham.  His number 22 has been officially retired by the Panthers, and it was in Nottingham where his coaching career began in 2001. Paul, inducted into the British Ice Hockey’s Hall of Fame, was behind the Panthers bench for the final two seasons of the Ice Hockey Superleague and the first two of the Elite Ice Hockey League before moving onto coach in Italy.

General Manager Todd Kelman has been consumed with finding the right man for the job for the past 4 weeks and as expected interviewed a number of candidates before deciding on Adey.

“I started with a list of about 30 potential coaches and narrowed it down to 8 people that I thought were worth interviewing.  I interviewed some people over Skype, some over the phone and some in person if they were available to fly in.  Paul came over last week to speak with me and after meeting with him, I was certain he was a perfect fit for us.”

“I then called all his references, and found some of my own contacts that I knew had played for Paul or worked with him.  All the reports on him came back very positive.”

“He has a reputation amongst his players as being very diligent and ensuring his teams are always well prepared.  Guys love playing for Paul and the players I spoke to had excellent feedback for me on their experience playing for him.”

“I also spoke to team owners, presidents and general managers that he worked with who also had excellent things to say about him.  The one thing that kept coming up was that he is a very hard worker and will always make sure his teams are well prepared.”

“He understands the game very well and the system he has outlined to me that he wants to play is a high tempo, exciting brand of hockey that I know our fans are going to love watching.”

Adey is excited to be joining the Giants, an organisation that he played against in his final year in the Superleague when he was with the Sheffield Steelers.

“Belfast is a first class organisation and they have a tradition of winning that I am excited to be a part of.  I am looking forward to the pressure of coaching in Belfast and I believe we will build a team to compete for every trophy up for grabs this season.”

Adey becomes the 7^th Head Coach in franchise history and takes over the reigns from the recently departed Doug Christiansen who actually played under Adey in Italy back in 2007.

Murphy, 31, has been with the Belfast Giants since 2009 and his outstanding performances in backstopping the Giants to two championships have secured Murphy as a fans favourite amongst the Giants fan base. Murphy’s greatest hour as a Giant undoubtedly came when he won his first Elite League Championship in 2012 and he carried his form into the 2012/13 Season, posting a .914 save percentage and finished the season on a high with an amazing display in the Playoff Final.

Colin Shields is currently in his third spell as a Giant following his mid-season return to Belfast in 2012. In his years in Belfast, Colin has won four championships with the Giants including captaining his team to the Playoff Championship in 2010. A regular for the Great Britain national team, Colin is the leading scorer in franchise history.

Robby Sandrock, who returned for his second term in Belfast in 2012 following a ten year gap, will ice in the 2013/14 Season for his third season overall as a Giant. Last season Robby was selected in the Elite League’s Second All Star team following 16 goals and 27 assists in 47 games played for the Giants. His rocket of a shot makes him one of the most dangerous defencemen on the powerplay in the league.

“We have the nucleus of our team back next season and tonight was about giving our season ticket holders some exclusive news that we new they would be very excited about.” explained General Manager Todd Kelman.