30 year old defenceman Matt Suderman has been named the Hull Stingrays club captain for the 13/14 Elite League campaign - their 8th in the British top flight.
The Manitoba native - who joined the club this summer following nearly a year and a half out of the sport through illness - takes the 'C' from three-year captain Kurtis Dulle and will be assisted by alternate captains and fellow Canadians Jason Silverthorn and Jeff Smith.
Suderman - who originally joined the Stingrays in 2010 before opting out of joining due to the club's financial issues - has already made quite the impact on the roster according to player-coach Cloutier having been voted to become captain by his fellow teammates:
The Manitoba native - who joined the club this summer following nearly a year and a half out of the sport through illness - takes the 'C' from three-year captain Kurtis Dulle and will be assisted by alternate captains and fellow Canadians Jason Silverthorn and Jeff Smith.
Suderman - who originally joined the Stingrays in 2010 before opting out of joining due to the club's financial issues - has already made quite the impact on the roster according to player-coach Cloutier having been voted to become captain by his fellow teammates:
"This season I felt the guys should pick the captain and the vote went to Matt. You want your captain to lead by example and he will do that. He is a player who comes to work every night, he is a competitor and he battles all night. In the dressing room the guys are already listening when he talks, he has been around for a while and he has a lot of respect. Matt is a character and he is that hard hat-type of player and that is exactly what I want my team to be like. The Hull Stingrays need to have a team full of leaders who compete and battle - if we do that it will give us a chance.On Smith and Silverthorn's re-appointment as alternate captains, Cloutier added:
"Silver and Smitty have been around a while too. They are experienced guys who come to work every night and also lead by example. I am very happy with the choices."The Rays open the 13/14 season with an away fixture against the league, playoff and cup champions the Nottingham Panthers. Their first home fixture of the season comes on Sunday against reigning Gardiner Cup champions the Braehead Clan.
