The vastly experienced blueliner joined the Rays in 2011 and recorded seven goals and 17 assists in 45 games last season - helping the club to their first ever Elite Ice Hockey League Playoff Semi-Final berth.
Player-coach Sylvain Cloutier was keen to retain the Estonian national team captain last summer, however, he did not return due to the uncertainty surrounding the Stingrays immediate future and left for pastures new.
Rodin joined the Steeldogs alongside fellow former Stingray Derek Campbell but - after a poor start to the season for the South Yorkshire side - both were eventually released, Rodin having recorded a goal, three assists and 32 penalty minutes in 22 games.
While Campbell has temporarily re-joined the Manchester Phoenix - the club that brought him to the UK - Rodin was signed by Tom Watkins' Telford Tigers side.
Having earlier in the year scored a goal and three points as Estonia failed to progress to the next stage of qualifying for the Olympics, Rodin added just an assist in four games in Shropshire.
He requested his release from Telford and worked his two-week's notice before completing his move back to Hull today having been training with the side for the last four weeks.
He joins a Rays defensive corps that has already shed Tomas Valecko this season, with Rodin's teammate from last season Martin Ondrej replacing his fellow Slovakian.
Rodin's signature is expected to shore up a blueline that has recently lost Canadian Jeff Smith to injury. Smith's injury saw a line re-shuffle with enforcer Ryan Hand had reverted to defence - admirably filling in temporarily during the club's last two games - and young Brit Sam Towner receive regular ice-time as a forward.
The Estonian's addition now crucially boosts the club's numbers somewhat as the season passes the halfway mark with the Stingrays trailing in tenth place in the Elite League but mid-table in third in the Gardiner Conference.
Of Rodin re-joining, Cloutier said:
"We have been playing short for a while with Jeff Smith out injured and I felt we needed some help. I am really pleased to have Dmitri back. We have been in contact all season and he has been training with us for the last month. He is an experienced guy, he is a leader, he has been around and we know what he can do – he was our Defenceman of the Year last season. He will do a good job.
In the summer he had an offer from the Steeldogs and also an off-ice job and at that stage there were no guarantees about the team so he had to put his family first and do what was best for him and his family and I respect that. But things did not work out for him and I am excited to have him back with us. He will solidify our defence and he will also improve our powerplay. He has a great pass, is patient on the puck and has a good shot on him.”Provided his registration is complete and goes through on-time, Rodin will make his season debut for the Stingrays in Cardiff on Saturday before a return to competitive action at the Hull Arena on Sunday as the Sheffield Steelers return.
