The Excel Hull Stingrays today further strengthened their British corps for the 09/10 Elite League season with the signing of Great Britain U20 international and Hull born forward Matty Davies.Davies left the Kingston Jets and his hometown, Hull, after former Stingrays coach Rick Strachan failed to sign the young prospect in 2006 and instead went searching for a regular slot in the second tier English Premier League.
There, he was signed by cellar dwellers Solihull Barons and he stood out in a tough final season for the team, recording 35 points in 43 games, before his first call up to the Great Britain junior setup with the U18's.
From Solihull the, then, 17 year old, moved to the Swindon Wildcats and in two seasons in Wiltshire he continued to show his worth as an up and coming British player, recording 72 points in 80 games whilst also marking his first appearances for the GB U20 side, scoring nine points in five junior World Championship Division Two games this year.
Last season he was drafted into a low strength Excel Hull Stingrays and made his debut for the club alongside Adam Elliot in a Knockout Cup match against the Manchester Phoenix, impressing most with his individual play.
It was that performance that has now seen coach Sylvain Cloutier sign up the 5'6 forward, following a conversation with co-owner Sue Pack,and he revealed that he is now relishing the return to Hull after a taste of the top flight last year.
"I am coming home! I had to move away to play at a higher level but now I am excited about coming back and I can’t wait to play for the Stingrays. When I got the call I was always going to say yes."Cloutier said that the Brits desire to ice for his hometown side was a large part of his decision to make the move, after Sue Pack had engaged in initial conversations with the former Kingston Jet.
"When I played the one game last season, I knew I wanted to taste that again. It’s going to be a big challenge but that’s what I want."
"Matt wanted to be part of the Stingrays. He is a local player, which is always nice to have on our team . I expect him to bring a lot of energy every night and compete.Davies, who has been described as a forward that works hard in both ends and has bundles of talent , joins Lee Mitchell, Lee Esders and Shaun Thompson as the Stingrays British forwards for next season."He is a very young talented British player and I'm very happy to have him on board."
But the signing marks the end for either Slava Koulikov or James Cooke, who are now doubtful to return to the Hull Arena under Cloutier.
With few places on the roster available, and with the Stingrays loaded with young, hungry British offensive talent, Sylvain Cloutier is unlikely to re-sign both of the forwards, who last season recorded 30 and 7 point seasons respectively.
Meanwhile Matt Reynolds future as a Stingray has been questioned with the Rays failure to announce his signing today.
The 29 year old Canadian has signed for an, as yet, unannounced Elite League club, and although the Stingrays seem frontrunners for his signature, Newcastle, Sheffield and Nottingham have all been mentioned in relation to a move.
Photo courtesy Swindon Wildcats
