Thompson: Tough Call

It wasn't easy picking the All Star teams.

If Paul Thompson just had to pick the best players it would probably have been more straightforward, but since he had to fit in 4 players from each team there was always going to be someone left out in the cold.

Thompson had to perform a balancing act to fill the roster spots, and in an interview with skysports.com, he revealed that the competition for places was so great that he could have picked an entirely different team.

“I could have picked a team of different guys and I suppose Dave Matsos could have done the same,” Thompson said.

“It’s tough picking two imports and two imports from each team because there maybe better players, but you’re trying to pick so many defencemen so many forwards.”

The notable absentees from Thompson's squad include Sylvain Deschatelets (23+44, fourth overall in scoring), Dan Tessier (17+44, ninth overall in scoring) and Mike Prpich (24+21, leads Cardiff in points).

Still, it's difficult to argue that any of the imports in their place don't deserve to be there.

Thompson picked from five teams representing the South – Coventry, Cardiff, Hull, Basingstoke and Nottingham – and tried to base his decisions not just on points, but on players’ all round contributions.

“Take a guy like Bruce Richardson from Nottingham (who’s been selected),” Thompson added.

“He’s a guy who I think has been their heartbeat, but he may not be their best player. You try and pick guys who have performed steadily throughout the season for their team and not just in the scoring department."