Excel Hull Stingrays 10/11 Season Review: Up Front

Forwards

Sylvain Cloutier (58GP 11+36 64PIM)

Grade: B-

Return: Yes

Bounced back from a particularly disappointing first year in Hull on-ice and, although he may not have been the threat he once was going forward, he was for the second year in a row the heart beat of the team emotionally. For a 38 year old he was all too often the only physical threat up front. After more than 1000 professional games, next season could well be the final chapter in a lengthy and memorable career.

Lee Esders (53GP 7+6 32PIM)

Grade: C

Return: Yes

A slightly disappointing year in which both his production and performance dropped off somewhat. Still, he was named East Yorkshire Sports Personality of the Year, which is an incredible achievement given who he was up against, and he still provided that constant source of energy that has seen him become a fan favourite on the Rays third line. It looks quite likely that he has reached his plateau in Hull and he may well depart this summer.

Jason Silverthorn (55GP 20+31 30PIM)

Grade: C+

Return: Yes

Silverthorn started the year on fire - recording more than a point a game in October - before that great start to the year was brought to a shuddering halt by a massive hit from Nottingham defenceman Guillaume Lepine. The resulting concussion killed an semblance of form he had, affecting the rest of his season, although to his credit he still came very close to maintaining his record as a point-per-game forward in the Elite League.

Lee Mitchell (27GP 11+13 23PIM)

Grade: B+

Return: Yes

Another injury hit year for the Scottish born forward as his season and progression was once again scuppered by a knee injury. Had it not been for his troublesome knee injury he would likely be one of the most sought after British forwards at this point, and a Great Britain regular to boot. However, after coming on leaps and bounds during his time in Hull, he has yet to reach that full potential, leaving many thinking what could have been had the Scot been fit.

Konstantin Kalmikov (59GP 18+24 6PIM)

Grade: C-

Return: No

The award for biggest disappointment of the season undoubtedly has to go to Kalmikov. Previously the go-to 36 goal forward for the club, 'Kalmi' looked a different player from the off this past season. For whatever reason the Ukrainian failed to hit the form that saw him so highly rated previously and he went on to register just 18 goals, half of his previous total. A return to Hull looks very unlikely, although he would be welcome after three years as a fan favourite, however, it seems more than likely that another EIHL club may roll the dice on the 32 year old.

Andrew Coburn (61GP 20+42 68PIM)

Grade: A

Return: Yes

Arguably the signing of the season for the Stingrays. Coburn signed straight from college for his rookie season and, after taking time to acclimatise to the British and professional game in the seasons first few months, outperformed all expectations leading the team in assists but more often than not leading with consistent performances game-in, game-out. A truly brilliant all-around player and one the club will do well to hold on to in the summer.

Jereme Tendler (59GP 50+31 22PIM)

Grade: A

Return: Yes

While many expected Tendler to score goals for the Rays, never in a million years did they expect him to hit the half century mark and end the year as the leagues second top scorer. In a truly remarkable season, he comfortably broke the Stingrays single season goalscoring record by a mere 14 goals and set a benchmark for all future goalscorers brought to the club. Okay, so his all around game may not be quite as good as his finishing abilities but that's fair enough when you hit the twine 50 times in 56 games, while adding 31 assists. Next up? The difficult second season.

Ben Lowe (57GP 2+0 18PIM)

Grade: C

Return: Yes

Lowe received his first meaningful ice-time this season, a year after riding the pine, and made steady progress. His first two professional goals will undoubtedly be a highlight, even if they did come against an understrength Edinburgh, but where he goes from here in order to aid his improvement and potential is the question. Whether there will be room on the Rays roster for him to receive more ice-time remains to be seen but the decrease in import limit may work to his advantage.

Matti Uusivirta (54GP 16+21 66PIM)

Grade: C-

Return: No

Brought in hoping kick a reputation that had seen him pigeonholed as a defensive forward in his homeland, the Finn did little to prove he much else in his locker in his first year in the UK. Injury played its part in restricting him to 16 goals and 37 points as, to his credit, he battled on through the pain for large portions of the season. A good defensive forward but, unfortunately, that role is a luxury British clubs probably cannot afford at present.

Ryan Lake (44GP 5+5 50PIM)

Grade: B-

Return: Yes

After a number of seasons away from the sport Lake proved his worth on the Rays roster this past year, returning alongside his all too familiar, and very entertaining, pinball style of play. A huge fan favourite with a fearless attitude, he also chipped in with a useful five goals and ten points. 

Jozef Sladok (61GP 2+8 193PIM)

Grade: C

Return: No

Brought in as a D-man, Sladok was shifted up front upon the release of Grundmanis, signalling the end of Cloutier's 'twin towers' experiment. Regardless of where he was playing, the Slovak worked as hard as anyone on the roster. Nevertheless, while his work rate and fighting abilities are unquestioned - with 14 fights to his name last season, including bouts with heavyweights Guillaume Lepine and Brad Voth - his efficiency as a forward is questionable, particularly in a reduced import EIHL.

Andy Hirst (19GP 2+2 2PIM)

Grade: C

Return: Yes

Signed in mid-season from the EPL following the departure of Matty Davies, Hirst impressively fired home in his debut for the Rays, again albeit against lowly Edinburgh. Immediately stepping in above Lowe on the depth chart, his contributions early on were positive, however, his ice-time soon diminished as the Rays returned to full-strength.

MIA

Matty Davies (36GP 4+16 11PIM)

Grade: C-

Return: No

Quit on the club mid-way through an important game win Dundee, after being dropped to the third line, before signing in the EPL with Peterborough, where he registered over a point a game.

Also iced: James Archer (EPL Manchester Phoenix), Craig Elliot and Christopher Sykes (EPL Sheffield Steeldogs), Kieran Beach (ENL Kingston Jets), Dean Tonks (ENL Solihull Barons) and Callum Rawson (ENL Sheffield Spartans)