Carl Graham (born 6 January 1984) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

professional Ice Hockey player, currently playing for the

Bracknell Bees The Bees Ice Hockey Club are an ice hockey team from Slough, Berkshire, UK. They compete in the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) National League, the second tier of English Ice Hockey. History Early years The Bracknell Bees were formed in ...

in the

EPIHL The English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL) was an ice hockey league of 10 teams, all of which were based in England. Headquartered in Blackpool, the EPIHL was one of two professional ice hockey leagues in the United Kingdom (the other being t ...

. Graham began his career with his local team in

Slough Slough () is a town and unparished area in the unitary authority of the same name in Berkshire, England, bordering west London. It lies in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4, ...

in the year 2000. He initially played at U-19 level with the Slough Comets, but also made ten senior

ENHL The National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) is a set of professional ice hockey leagues administered by the English Ice Hockey Association. It is currently the second tier of British ice hockey, below the Elite Ice Hockey League. Formerly called t ...

appearances for the Slough Harrier Hawks. Graham would stay within the Slough system, and again switched between the U-19 Comets team and the ENHL Harrier Hawks team during the 2001/02 season. This season was an important one for Graham as he made his first international appearance for the

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

U-20 team as well as graduating to BNL level, playing three games for the

Slough Jets Slough Jets are an ice hockey team from Slough, Berkshire, England playing in the NIHL South Division 1. The team was founded in 1986 after the construction of the Slough Ice Arena in Montem Lane in Slough and joined the first division of the Br ...

. Graham again showed loyalty to the Slough clubs, and again played for the U-19 Comets as well as becoming a regular for the senior Slough Jets, now in the EPL. Graham's 2003/04 season was again spent in Slough, now alternating between the Harrier Hawks and Jets teams. A change would come the following term, when he would move to sign for the Bracknell Hornets at the lower

standard. Graham shone, and the following season (2004/05) was again playing at the higher EPL standard, now with the Wightlink Raiders. In the summer of 2007, Graham was to again change teams, and was signed for the

Manchester Phoenix Manchester Phoenix was a semi professional ice hockey team from Greater Manchester, England. The club was formed in 2003 as a result of the efforts of supporters group ''Friends of Manchester Ice Hockey'' to bring top-level ice hockey back to Ma ...

, a team icing in the

EIHL The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to as the British Elite League or, for sponsorship reasons, the Viaplay Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hocke ...

, the highest standard of ice hockey in Britain. Graham signed for the Phoenix along with Davey Graham (no relation) who had been brought into the club to act as bench coach due to head coach Tony Hand's decision to continue playing as well as coaching. The younger Graham has proved to be a hard working defenseman for the Phoenix, but is mainly employed as a backup player, although he featured in 59 regular season fixtures. Graham's play throughout the 2007/08 season impressed Hand, and he was the first player to be re-signed for the Phoenix for the 2008/09 term. Graham again proved his ability at EIHL level, and iced in 67 games for the Phoenix, managing to score his first Elite League goal against Manchester's close rivals, the

Sheffield Steelers The Sheffield Steelers are a professional ice hockey team located in Sheffield, England. They were formed in 1991 (see 1991 in sport) and play their home games at the Utilita Arena. They are currently a member of the Elite Ice Hockey League. ...

. Graham's growth as a player again encouraged Tony Hand to re-sign him for the 2009/10 season, in which the Phoenix will ice in the EPL. Despite a positive start for the Phoenix, with three wins from their first three games, Graham chose to move mid-season and signed for the

, EPL rivals of the Phoenix.

Career stats

External links

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"Graham Chuffed To Resign For Phoenix"
Manchester Phoenix Official Website, 02/05/08 {{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Carl 1984 births Basingstoke Bison players Bracknell Bees players English ice hockey defencemen Living people Manchester Phoenix players Slough Jets players Wightlink Raiders players