Bracknell Bees - Standout Players

Standout Players

Bees have had several stand-out players, a few of whom are listed below:

• Jamie Crapper was the Bees first coach, he was recruited by Mr John Nike OBE. with the task of creating the Bracknell Bees ice hockey team which entered the British Heineken League in 1987. Jamie played for the Bees for five consecutive seasons. During his time with the Bees he scored 744 points in 153 matches (4.86 points per game).
• Darin Fridgen was recruited to the Bracknell Bees as a 23 year old from Ferris state university in 1988. In his first season he won over the fans by scoring 207 points in 21 matches (9.85 points per game). His skating skills included speed and strength and, as his scoring record demonstrates, he was able to score with great precision.
• Matt Coté was the longest serving member of the Bracknell Bees, serving club for ten years (1990–2000). Coté's game play involved throwing his body in the way of slap shots. He is held in high esteem by players and fans alike and for this, the club honoured him by retiring his number 8 shirt following his retirement in 2005.
• Chris Brant was recruited to the Bracknell Bees in 1995 from their local rivals, the Basingstoke Beavers (although Chris Brant did play the first part of the 1994 / 1995 season with the Bracknell Bees). In his first full season Chris Brant accumulated 203 points in 51 league games (3.98 points per game). This native North American, nicknamed The Chief, became known at the Hive for his war-dance, performed at centre-ice after every hat-trick that season. Alongside his scoring record he accumulated 166 penalty minutes (mostly attributed to ice hockey fights). Brant stayed with the Bees for six seasons and was a member of the 1999–2000 Sekonda Superleague championship winning team.
• Dave Whistle was a Canadian that had played in the British Leagues since 1991. He joined the Bracknell Bees in 1995 and although he was a talented forward, who finished in the top ten scorers in Division 1 on 3 occasions (Source – The Hockey Database), Whistle will be remembered by the fans at Bracknell for his coaching success. In 1998 Whistle was appointed a head coach. In only his second season he built a team that became the Sekonda Super league champions 1999–2000. 2009/10 Sekonda Superleague final table
• Lukas Smital a player from the Czech republic joined the Bees in 2004. He played at Bracknell for three seasons. In 2006–07 Smital led the team to win the English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL), becoming the second highest points scorer in the league with 109 points League stats at hockeydb.com In the same season the Bracknell Bees went on to win the Playoff finals to win the double. After a spell with the Guildford Flames, Lukas returned to the Bees in 2011 as assistant coach, as well as head coach of the Bracknell Hornets