Optimism rules as Murrayfield men target more ice success

MARTIN Cingel starts his seventh straight season with Edinburgh Capitals on Saturday with an extra spring in his step.

The 32-year-old hitman has been training with rising National Hockey League (NHL) star Andrej Meszaros in his native Slovakia.

Loyal servant Cingel worked out on the ice and in the gym with 22-year-old Meszaros, who has already clocked up 246 NHL games.

Meszaros has moved from Ottawa Senators to Tampa Bay and it was a fantastic bonus for Cingel, who has known the highly-rated, 6ft 2in player's father for many years.

And last season's Capitals skipper relished the opportunity to train with his highly-rated compatriot. He said: "Those were three great weeks."

Cingel has arrived back in Edinburgh after a two-day drive across Europe and he is optimistic about the season ahead despite knowing little about the large majority of his new team-mates.

New-look Capitals take to the ice for the first time competitively at Sheffield Steelers on Saturday.

But the collapse of budget airline Zoom has been a massive blow as the pre-season training schedule has been thrown up in the air as team bosses have struggled to arrange alternative flights for their North American-based imports.

At least comeback man Andrej Rajcak has arrived. He jetted in on Saturday from Slovakia and Cingel believes that the evergreen 36-year-old could be a key man for the club this season.

Rajcak was joint seventh in the Danish scoring charts last season when he played on the wing, his natural position.

During his first season at Murrayfield he was press-ganged into playing at centre and ended up topping the points charts.

Doug Christiansen, Capitals director of hockey, will eventually decide where the skilful Slovakian will play. But Cingel is confident his countryman can adapt quickly to the new set-up and prosper. And he is pleased to see new home-based talent come to the club in the shape of Tayside-based sniper John Dolan.

Cingel said: "I've played against John last year in the Scottish Premier League and everybody knows he was a top player for Dundee Stars. I am sure he will do the business in the Elite League as well but he needs to adapt to the faster pace. If he can then he will be an asset to the club."

And Cingel believes Mark Garside will also be a major player. "Mark is fit, strong and he has experience from last season," said the popular forward. "He has experience of domestic and international hockey with the Great Britain under-20 side and he played a lot of games for us last season.

"I expect him to step up and I also expect Ross Dalgleish to progress. Everybody knows he works really hard for the team and I think he can achieve a lot more this time now that he has more experience.

"Neil Hay was our top British points scorer last season and he is the most experienced home-based player in our team. He knows what is expected of him and he can be one of our better players this time. Iain Bowie is another local guy with real talent. He proved that by top scoring with the British under-18 side last season and we're looking for him to score a few more points.

"Kyle Horne did a steady job for us last season as a stay-at-home defenceman and he'll be looking to do the same again and possibly score a few points."

Midlothian-based young forward Jordan Steel and back-up goaltender Mark McGill from Broxburn, West Lothian, also join the squad to develop their talent along with former Fife Flyers blue-liner Craig Mitchell.

Among the newcomers is hot-stop Michel Robinson, a former All-Star goalie who also topped the percentage charts in Serie A in Italy. He is a feisty character who acts as a third defenceman when called upon and ahead of him will be Montreal-born Mark Hurtubise, who has paraded his talent in the tough East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) for the last two seasons.

Alongside him in defence will be Taylor Christie, who has five seasons' experience in the ECHL, Shawn Germain, who iced in 66 games last term for Reading Royals, and Joe Dustin, a former University of Wisconsin star who has also seen service in the ECHL.

Of course, Christiansen has an option with iron-man Adam Stefishen. He filled in wherever he was needed last season and is happy to do so again.

Stefishen, from North Vancouver, played 64 games in his first season with the Caps, scoring five goals and setting-up ten others. He certainly came up trumps for the then rookie playcaller.

Cingel, who has now played in nearly 250 games for Capitals, said: "I'm optimistic about the season. I'd love to win one of the major cups, and Doug (Christiansen) has good contacts in North America.

"He looks to have put together a good side which can progress."

Last season was Capitals' best in the Elite League with an eighth-place finish and a maiden play-off berth. They also made the semi-final of the Knockout Cup, their first appearance in a national semi-final.

Cingel said: "That was progress and we can hopefully do better this time. I don't know much about some of the new guys, but it will be difficult to replace Colin Hemingway, who was an exceptional talent, and Mike Stutzel.

"Colin scored 41 goals for us last season and that was a huge total. It speaks for itself. Mike had tremendous talent.

"Doug (Christiansen) came in as a first year coach last season. He has a year under his belt now. He knows the city, he knows the other teams and the players, and he can concentrate on coaching.

"He doesn't have to get used to being in Scotland and Edinburgh. I hope we can make the play-offs again and this time make a bigger impact. I'd love to win a cup with this team and that really would be something for us and the fans.

"However, Belfast, Coventry, Nottingham and Sheffield have beefed up their line-ups and it is easy to see where the money is in this league. They have all signed some big players and I believe those four teams will challenge for the league championship.

"That leaves the rest of us and we have to do the best we can in what will be a highly-competitive league. The Zoom airlines crash has hurt us. Andrej came in on Saturday but some of the other guys are in North America.

"Basingstoke and Hull are also missing players but the other teams have guys in. Some of them have played games so we are a bit behind but it has been like that before and we've managed."

Cingel, a fans favourite, added: "I'm looking forward to the new season and so should the fans. OK, it will be hard for us again, but we are optimistic."

Edinburgh Capitals scheduleYour guide to the fixtures for the Edinburgh CapitalsSEPTEMBERSaturday 6: Sheffield (a), Elite League, 7.00pmSunday 7: v Belfast, Challenge Cup Group A, 7.00pmSaturday 13: Nottingham (a), EL, 7.00pmSunday 14: v Sheffield, CC, 7.00pmSaturday 20: Manchester (a), EL, 6.30pmSunday 21: v Hull, EL, 6.00pmSaturday 27: Belfast (a), EL, 7.00pmSunday 28: v Newcastle, EL, 6.00pmOCTOBERSaturday 4: v Nottingham, EL, 6.00pmSunday 5: v Nottingham, EL, 6.00pmSaturday 11: v Coventry, EL, 6.00pmSunday 12: Newcastle (a), CC, 5.30Thursday 16: Manchester (a), CC, 7.15pmSunday 19: v Manchester, EL, 6.00pmTuesday 21: v Basingstoke, EL, tbcSaturday 25: Basingstoke (a), EL, tbcSunday 26: Cardiff (a), EL, 6.00pmWednesday 29: Coventry (a), EL, 7.45pmThursday 30: Newcastle (a), EL, 7.15pmNOVEMBERSaturday 1: Sheffield (a), EL, 7.00pmSunday 2: v Newcastle, EL, 6.00pmSaturday 8: Hull (a), EL, 5.30pmSunday 9: v Cardiff, EL, 6.00pmSunday 16: v Hull, EL, 6.00pmWednesday 19: Hull (a), EL, 7.30pmSaturday 22: Belfast (a), EL, 7.00pmSunday 23: v Manchester, EL, 6.00pmSaturday 29: v Cardiff, EL, 6.00pmDECEMBERSunday 7: v Sheffield, EL, 6.00pmThursday 11: Manchester (a), EL, 7.15pmSunday 14: v Hull, EL, 6.00pmSaturday 20: v Belfast, EL, 6.00pmSunday 21: v Belfast, EL, 6.00pmSaturday 27: Belfast (a), EL, 7.00pmTuesday 30: v Basingstoke, EL, tbcJANUARY 2009Saturday 3: v Newcastle, Knockout Cup, 6.00pmSunday 4: Newcastle (a), KO Cup, 5.30pmSaturday 10: Basingstoke (a), EL, tbcSunday 11: v Nottingham, EL, 6.00pmSunday 18: Edinburgh v Coventry, EL, 6.00pmSaturday 24: v Sheffield, EL, 6.00pmSunday 25: v Sheffield, EL, 6.00pmSaturday 31: Sheffield (a), EL, 7.00pmFEBRUARYSunday 1: v Basingstoke, EL, 6.00pmSaturday 7: Nottingham (a), EL, 7.00pmSunday 15: v Cardiff, EL, 6.00pmWednesday 18: Cardiff (a), EL, 7.30pmSaturday 21: v Coventry, EL, 6.00pmSunday 22: Coventry (a), EL, 6.00pmSaturday 28: Manchester (a), EL, 6.30pmMARCHSunday 1: v Newcastle, EL, 6.00pmSunday 8: v Belfast, EL, 6.00pmWednesday 11: Basingstoke (a), EL, tbcThursday 12: Cardiff (a), EL, 7.30pmSaturday 14: Nottingham (a), EL, 7.00pmSunday 15: Coventry (a), EL, 6.00pmSaturday 21: v Manchester, EL, 6.00pmSunday 22: Hull (a), EL, 6.00pm