Inferno Interview - Neil Francis

16th May 2013 | Posted by The INferno

Former player and now Bench Coach Neil Francis, works closely with Gerad Adams in all team matters including player recruitment. We caught up with Franny and spoke to him on how his off season is shaping up, how the Devils work the recruitment process, his time as a player with the Devils and how the team is shaping up for next season.

Inferno - We've seen the announcement regarding the re-signing Adams, but nothing for you! You Will be here in Cardiff again next season right?

Franny - I have had a positive discussion with the Club about returning for next year but I haven't officially signed. I am continuing as normal on the basis I will be back and I’m as busy as ever on the recruitment. Hopefully we can formally agree something soon.

Inferno - If there was one player you could bring back to Cardiff, who would it be and why?

Franny - With the exception of Tyson Teplitsky, bringing players back never seems to work out as well as it did the first time so we are very wary of doing so. That’s not to say we wouldn't do it again but it is something we think very hard over.

But just to answer the question, Jon Pelle as natural goal scorers are hard to find, Tyson Teplisky as he was the best 2 way d-man in the league, Craig Weller for what he added to the team on and off the ice and of course Brad Voth as he is irreplaceable. Before anyone gets too excited none of these are happening!

Inferno - Will it be possible to bring the team in a week earlier next season and give them more time to practice together?

Franny - It would be nice to do that but realistically, while we're are playing in such a limited facility, it isn't feasible to pay the extra weeks wages, accommodation etc. We really have to make the most of every penny in order to punch above our weight against the arena teams.

So it’s probably fair to say we will spend the maximum possible on putting together a competitive team for the season rather than spend that little bit less to bring in guys a week earlier. That extra weeks wages/accommodation would have a big impact on the quality of our last signing. Hopefully in the near future we can do this sort of thing.

Inferno - Instead of the usual preseason games against the Blaze, would it be possible or even beneficial to play games against some of the stronger EPL teams?

Franny - The EPL teams don't start until a week or so later than us so those teams aren't together when we need to play them. We would like to play against someone different, maybe someone from a good European league and this is something we are looking at, but coming to an agreement over who pays for travel, accommodation etc is difficult. Especially when you factor in my above point about making best use of every penny.

Inferno - If we could play preseason against any team from around the world, who would be your choice and why?

Franny - If I could include teams that no longer exist it would be former ECHL team 'Macon Whoopee' as i'd love to watch Sully try to announce 'Whoopee' goals and 'Whoopee' penalties!

If it had to be a current team it would be the Coventry Blaze!

Inferno - With the recruitment process, how many players do you and G tend to look at across the off-season and when does the recruitment drive really begin?

Franny - The recruitment process never stops. There are some guys that we have come close to signing before that we stay in touch with and others that approach us mid-season to enquire about next year.

The serious stuff starts the Monday after the play-off weekend when we start to plan for the next season and make decisions on who we want to keep or not and where we need to improve for the next season.

Inferno - Is it a case that players tend to get in touch with you, or do you and G go to the agents with what you're looking for?

Franny - It's a bit of both. We have built up lots of good relationships with agents over the years who sort of know what we are looking for but we also approach players directly if we think they can improve us.

I have been known to go to stupid lengths to get in contact with a player we want. If I know someone, who knows someone, who knows someone who once played with a guy i'll start the chain of emails!

Current/former player recommendations also plays a big part too as we have good relationships with those players and trust their word.

Inferno - Some players have mentioned that they've been speaking to you for a number of years prior to signing, is that the exception rather than the norm?

Franny - It has happened a fair bit and its rewarding when 3 years’ worth of contact pays off especially with some kind comments from the players on how the relationship was a factor in their decision to play for us instead of someone else in the league. Mac Faulkner, Chris Blight and now Andrew Lord are examples of where G and I have spoken to players for over 3 years before signing them.

Inferno - It's been mentioned before that Tylor Michel was first spotted when you came across his website ( http://www.grittyhockey.com/). Is that actually true?

Franny - Yes this is true, I was having a look around for an energy guy and I came across a website that a friend had built for him. I could see he was a great skater and had bags of energy which is what we were looking for. One bizarre thing though is that his website didn't show one clip of him scoring a goal! It's fair to say that Tylor exceeded our expectations.

Inferno - What have been your most memorable moments as a Devil?  As both a player and a coach?

Franny - As a Devils player it was being part of the first UK team to qualify for the next stage of the Europa cup in Holland. We won a lot of trophies in my early years and while winning trophies was great and probably taken for granted, growing up playing on such great teams I never felt a huge contributor to them as John Lawless would all too often cut back to 2 lines at the earliest opportunity.

When we beat the 2 ex-Soviet teams in Tilburg we had to go with 3 lines so the 'posse' of me Keating, Townsend, Manson and Carson were thrown out on a regular shift against some seriously good hockey players and we held our own which enabled the other 2 lines to get the goals that took us through. It was an amazing achievement and one I felt fully part of.

As a coach I'd say that although the season where we finished tied on points with Sheffield was the most compelling, making this year’s playoff finals against all odds was my proudest moment as a coach. We had every reason to quit with all the bad luck we'd had but we kept our focus, with the experienced players carrying a hell of a lot of the work load and the young Brits stepping up superbly.

The year we tied on points there was a lot of personal satisfaction for me and G as we actually know what we spent in comparison to other teams, instead of some people trying to discredit us by claiming we spent heavily. We got some absolute bargains that year and spent considerably less than people make out. The fact it ended so sourly with the crazy suspension of Tylor and us losing out on the basis of regulation wins just stops it being the best moment for me.

Inferno - Of all the players you've played with/against, who would make it into a Franny dream team?

Franny - Such a tough question as I’m old and played with and against so many good players so I’ve narrowed it down to guys I’ve played with pre and post Elite League.

I've probably forgotten someone but off the top of my head it would be:

Pre-Elite League:
Forwards: Doug Smail - Rick Brebant - Randy Smith
Defense: Mike Ware - Stephen Cooper
Netminder: Stevie Lyle

Post-Elite League:
Forwards: Jeff Ulmer - Mark Smith (06-07 version!) - Brad Voth
Defense: Tyson Teplitsky - Wes Jarvis
Netminder: Phil Osaer

We will have more from Franny tomorrow in Part 2