An offensive blueliner, Dulle rejoins for a third term in East Yorkshire having racked up 65 points over two seasons and 95 games after joining the club late in the summer of 2010.
The 5'11, 194lbs blueliner had a career year during his first season in Hull in 10/11 - setting a Stingrays single season high in points by a defenceman (39) - in the process becoming the club's first true attack minded D man since 06/07 and fellow Canadian Kevin Young.
The University of Regina graduate has since go on to rank second in all-time assists (51) and points (65) amongst Stingrays defencemen in the Elite League trailing only Ukrainian Pavel Gomenyuk - who has played 108 more games than the Canadian.
In an official press release Stingrays coach Sylvain Cloutier said he was "really glad" to have the Saskatchewan native defenceman back for the third year, going on to add:
"...it just shows you that Hull is a great place to play. He has been our captain for the last two years and will be again. He brings leadership on and off the ice. He has been our most consistent D man for the last two years, he comes to play every night and that's what I need from him. He is one of the better offensive 'D' men in the league and with him, [Tomas] Valecko and [Shane] Lovdahl, I really like what we have at the back end so far."Having contemplated retirement and life after hockey last summer following a spell in the Australian Ice Hockey League, he made a surprise return in October with the club struggling defensively but provided an immediate spark, helping the team to a win 9-4 over the Braehead Clan on his return.
Joshua Mizerek - who started the season as captain but was generally viewed as the weak link in the Rays D last term - was later released and replaced by his predecessor for the remainder of the year with the Stingrays going on to finish seventh before reaching the EIHL Semi-Finals and Final Four for the first ever time.
Over the season Dulle tallied three goals - something he may want to improve on from the get-go this season - and 26 points last season, 13 less than in 10/11 though having played 13 fewer games. Nevertheless, his first pass from defence and occasional tendency to rush the puck was a pivotal part of the Rays and their transitional game as were his puck moving abilities on the man advantage.
Critics may point to his 218 penalty minutes in two years and 95 games and state he takes too many cheap and unnecessary - something that can't be argued with given the only players to receive more penalty minutes in the last two season's have been Jozef Sladok, Derek Campbell and Andy McKinney, who all play the game with an aggressive edge.
He joins a Rays defensive corps which currently consists of new signings Shane Lovdahl, Tomas Valecko and, likely, utility enforcer and fifth defenceman Ryan Hand with one defenceman left to sign.
That final defensive option is highly likely to be former Coventry Blaze blueliner Jeff Smith - who last season played in Holland with HYS The Hague. That speculation and rumour ties in perfectly with Cloutier's comment in today's press release stating the last signing on D would be "a big stay-at-home 'D' man, not flashy, just doing the job and keeping it simple."
31 year old Smith is a 6'6 former ECHLer who recorded three goals and one assist for the Blaze in 14 games before injury cut short his 10/11 season.
