Rays swap Muncy for Lauzon in late switch

The Hull Stingrays have been forced to make a late switch to their roster ahead of the 2013/14 Elite League season with import Sean Muncy being replaced by Carl Lauzon.

The reasons for the switch are as yet unknown, however, it is believed that 28 year old forward Muncy informed the club he would not be joining them for the upcoming 13/14 season - which begins in two days with a pre-season fixture against the Edinburgh Capitals.

Nevertheless, the Rays have moved quickly to fill the void left by Muncy's departure with the signature of, arguably, a better player in 26 year old Lauzon from Chamonix of the French Ligue Magnus.

Of course, whether that is the case remains to be seen but what is true is that Canadian forward Lauzon will move to the UK from a more reputable league (three years in France v 1 in CHL, German fourth tier and Holland), with a better goalscoring record and with more professional experience - despite being two years younger - than the player he is replacing.

In fact, the only area whereby the Rays may lose out in this switch is the club's perceived lack of height with Muncy standing at 6'0 and Lauzon at 5'9.

Lauzon's pointscoring pedigree is by far the biggest bonus in the switch though. In both his junior and professional career, the Montreal, Quebec native has never failed to drop below point-a-game form .

As a junior Lauzon racked up 325 points in 183 games in the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League, although, admittedly, the QJAAAHL in the second tier of junior hockey in Quebec, one below the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Regardless of the level, Lauzon dominated with closing in on two points a game.

In his first two seasons as a professional, Lauzon went above and beyond that two-point-a-game level recording an astounding 72 goals and 126 points in 52 games, albeit in the second tier in France with Avignon - where he unsurprisingly topped the league's points scoring chart in 08/09 with 71 points and was named league All-Star during both seasons.

His impressive scoring rate in the French second division earned him a contract with French top flight side Chamonix in 2010 and he went on to continue that form in league, cup and playoff competition.

During his first year in the French Alps, Lauzon hit 21 goals - a three year high and fifth most in the league - and 39 points from 26 games as his side finished eighth of 14 sides in Ligue Magnus. He re-signed for a second season in 11/12 and added a further 14 goals and 33 points as Chamonix finished third in the league before losing out to Grenoble in the playoff semi-finals - with Lauzon recording five goals and seven points in eight games.

In what would turn out to be his fifth and final season in France, the French-Canadian played alongside fellow new Stingray Omar Pacha, scoring 11 goals - a three year low - while also hitting a three year high in points (45), ending the year as fourth highest pointscorer in the country. Chamonix again progressed to the playoffs having finished fourth but - despite Lauzon recording nine points in seven games -  were shocked in the Quarter Finals losing their five game series 3-2 to 12th seed Epinal.

He ended a very productive spell in the French top flight and indeed France with 46 goals and 117 points in 78 games, giving him an outstanding points-per-game ratio of 1.5 in a league of similar stature to the Elite League albeit significantly shorter in length at 26 games.

An undoubted scoring force at every level he has played at so far, Lauzon's agent, 9 Hockey Management, describes notes his strengths:

"Carl Lauzon is good smooth skating forward who has very good open ice awareness which allows him to bring his team-mates into the game. With a natural touch around the net, Carl has excelled in every league he has played in. A finesse type player, Carl also is fast and uses his quick foot speed to accelerate away from opposition players."

On what will hopefully be his final signing for the 13/14 season, Stingrays player-coach Sylvain Cloutier said:

"I am really pleased to be able to pick up Carl. He played on the same team as Omar Pacha last year and he is a skilled player who will add a lot of offence to the line-up. He also played against Guillaume Doucet last season and both players had nothing but good things to say about Carl. He is someone who competes every night and I'm delighted he is joining us."

There are no doubts that Lauzon has been brought in to provide the Stingrays with additional offensive punch. The only questions around his signing will no doubt be how will he compare to Muncy, where in the line-up he will fit in and, indeed, how the side will line-up?

Jason Silverthorn, Derek Campbell and, to a lesser extent, Jereme Tendler all perfectly linked up during the 11/12 campaign, so the inclination may be for Cloutier to reunite them for the upcoming season.

That would leave Lauzon, fellow signing from France Guilllaume Doucet and last season's British revelation Matty Davies at 5'9, 5'9 and 5'6 respectively. That lack of height may dissuade any such line-up and force Cloutier to break up the Silverthorn-Campbell-Tendler partnership. Although it will surely be difficult to break up Silverthorn and Campbell after their chemistry last time around, that may be required in order to spread the club's offence throughout the line-up.

It seems unlikely that the answers to those questions will come and also that Lauzon will make his debut in Wednesday's first pre-season fixture against the Edinburgh Capitals given the timing of his signing announcement. Nevertheless, he should play a part in pre-season prior to the Stingrays 13/14 Elite League season facing off on Saturday 7th September against the Nottingham Panthers and those questions will, no doubt, also be answered in due course.

CARL LAUZON by kikinou84

Smith and Pacha bolster Stingrays blueline

The Hull Stingrays bolstered their defensive corps for 2013/2014 Elite League campaign at tonight's fans forum with the confirmation of Jeff Smith's re-signing and addition of fellow defenceman Omar Pacha.

32 year old former ECHL defenceman Smith - who joined the club last summer from HYS Den Haag - re-signs for his second consecutive term in Hull and third season in the Elite League having totaled three goals and 12 assists along with 104 penalty minutes during 12/13.

While the rangy, 6'6 defenceman was sometimes criticised for his lack of pace in his first season in East Yorkshire, he was, and is, a well liked member of the squad and was clearly well respected and highly thought by fans, coach and teammates alike.

Smith undoubtedly took time to settle in Hull, however, the signing of Martin Ondrej mid-season saw a turnaround in form for the Canadian and the Rays defence as a whole. He went from strength to strength in the second half of the year and capped his season by being named Coaches Player of the Year at the club's end of season awards night and his return was never truly in doubt once he picked up the award.

His calming, friendly veteran influence, reliability, perseverance - having played through injury last season - and physical presence make him a valuable asset to the Stingrays. Crucially - given Cloutier's plans to sign five import defencemen - he is also versatile enough to be able to fill in as forward if and when required having spent time up front throughout his career.

Meanwhile 26 year old offensive blueliner Pacha signs for the Stingrays for his first spell in the UK from French Ligue Magnus side Chamonix - where he led the club and league in points by a defenceman with 30 from 26 games.

The Canadian has been a relatively consistent pointscorer right throughout his career, recording 112 points  in the Quebec based junior leagues QMAA and QJAAHL early in his career before heading to college.

He moved to Castleton State College, based in Vermont, to study marketing between 2008 and 2013 adding 16 goals and 49 points in 67 goals in the second tier of NCAA hockey prior to turning pro in the Southern Professional Hockey League with Huntsville Havoc.

After 70 games and 45 points, spanning just over a season in the SPHL - where he was named in the SPHL All-Rookie and All-SPHL First Team - Pacha was loaned to the Bloomington Blaze of the Central Hockey League in 11/12 - tallying respectable figures of eight goals, 19 assists for 27 points in 51 games.

Pacha had perhaps the best campaign of his career last term during his first year in Europe, hitting seven goals and 30 points to lead all defencemen in points in Ligue Magnus. Chamonix ended the year fourth in the French top flight but were shocked by 12th ranked side Epinal in the playoff quarter finals - losing out by three games to two - with Pacha adding further a goal and five assists.

He becomes the Stingrays second signing from France following the signing of Canadian forward Guillaume Doucet from fellow French Alps based side Morzine-Avoriaz earlier in the off-season.

With the future of captain Kurtis Dulle uncertain - after Cloutier told the Hull Daily Mail earlier this week that "although I'd love to have him back...he couldn't make up his mind what to do " - Pacha's CV and mooted style of play suggests he could potentially end up replacing the Rays captain as the their primary offensive threat from defence if required.

Were Dulle to also return, the Rays would potentially possess one of their strongest bluelines on paper with the defence undergoing a noticeable upgrade from 12/13 offering - which, although relatively solid at times, was particularly tame offensively and on the man advantage following the early season disappointment of Tomas Valecko.

The addition of a fifth blueliner - which is the route Cloutier has confirmed he will likely take, as opposed to an extra import forward - will further strengthen that area of the roster which has clearly been identified for improvement.

Pacha and Smith become the Stingrays eighth and ninth import signings for 13/14.

(Quotes to follow...)

Rays Read-y for new season

Sylvain Cloutier today completed his squad for the 10/11 Elite League season with the signing of former Basingstoke defenceman Trevor Read, who becomes the clubs tenth and final import and signs from French side HC Gap.

The blueliner, who stands at 6'1ft tall, has four years in the ECHL, three years in the CHL, a year in the EIHL and a year in France to his name and will line up on opening weekend alongside new captain Joshua Mizerek, Brit Craig Mitchell, tough guy Matt Suderman and returnee Stephen Burns.

During his time in the ECHL between 02/03 and 04/05 Read, now 29, appeared for Toldeo Storm, Peoria Rivermen and Long Beach Ice Dogs, accumulating 47 points in 172 games before he transferred to the CHL.

The defenceman settled in the CHL with the now defunct Amarillo Gorillas in 05/06, after initially being let go by the Austin Ice Bats. He went on to spend the best part of three seasons with the Texas club, not missing a regular season game in the final two years, hitting a total of eight goals, 51 assists for 59 points in 174 games.

The Calgary, Alberta native then came to the UK to test the Elite League in Basingstoke's last year in the top flight. In a season played under extremely tough circumstances, in which the Bison finished rock bottom, Read, boosted by huge amounts of ice time, hit career bests in goals (5), assists (25) and points (30).

He returned to Europe last season, this time opting to play in France with HC Gap, but failed to significantly challenge the scorers, registering only four assists in 23 games before hitting two assists in two playoff games.

Cloutier will be hoping that he returns to his Bison point scoring form, particularly as the Rays have been without a true offensive set up defenceman, discounting Pavel Gomneyuk's 38 point effort in 08/09, since Craig Minard and Kevin Young departed. Last season aside, it appears as though he will be capable of being the go-to guy offensively from defence.

However, Cloutier admits he would prefer his blueline to be more solid defensively than they were last year:

"Our back end is much stronger, that's been my focus. If we want to compete with the big clubs with their firepower we need to be strong at the back...Trevor comptetes, he picks up points and accepts any role you put him in...You want those guys who will accept a role and do a job for you."

The time he has spent researching and rebuilding his defence appears to have paid off with the two weakest links from last season, Halkidis and Gomenyuk, replaced with more experienced and, arguably, better players.

Nevertheless, with just five defencemen, each and every one of those signed to defend Christian Boucher between the pipes will have to play to their strengths all of the time, particularly with numbers and finances running so low.

Read's signing completes the Stingrays roster at a somewhat fragile 17 players, with the make up of that lineup ten imports and seven Brits, two netminders, five defencemen and ten forwards.

The Stingrays, and their seven new signings, will open their season with a visit to Cardiff Bay to face the Devils on Saturday 4 September (7pm) before they return home to take on early title favourites the Belfast Giants on Sunday (6pm) at the Hull Arena.

Suderman adds size and strength to Stingrays

Sylvain Cloutier has today added considerable size and toughness to the Hull Stingrays lineup for the 10/11 season with the addition of 27 year old defenceman Matt Suderman from French Elite League side Morzine-Avoriaz Penguines.

Suderman, who stands at 6'3ft tall and is a former draft pick of the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers (1999), joins returnees Craig Mitchell and Stephen Burns, and new captain Joshua Mizerek on the blueline for the Rays next season.

The native of Winkler, Manitoba, will be a six year pro with the Stingrays next season after spells in North American league's the CHL, SPHL and UHL and with a single year France.

It was in his junior years in the renowned Western Hockey League (WHL) primarily with the Saskatoon Blades that Suderman became best known for his physical play, hitting the 350 minute mark in penalties during a 190 game, four year spell in the juniors.

Undoubtedly, those 350 minutes and physical prowess helped him become part of the Atlanta Thrashers organisation, albeit briefly, in 2001 as the the Thrashers saw enough to draft him in the seventh round, 199th overall. He went on to make just one appearance in pre-season for the Thrashers, taking a five minute major for a fight with Jevon Desautels.

In his rookie season in 04/05 Suderman bounced between the SPHL with Knoxville, CHL with Rio Grande and UHL with both the Richmond Riverdogs and Kansas City Outlaws netting just one goal and adding four assists, a poor return for anyone but particularly for a former draft pick looking to establish himself.

He finally added some stability to his career in 05/06, spending the whole year with the Missouri River Otters, hitting a goal and three assists. Two goals, 16 assists, 258 penalty minutes and a CHL championship with the Arizona Sundogs followed in the next two years before he opted to end his stay in the States and move to Europe, where last season he hit a goal and two assists in 21 games with Morzine-Avoriaz of the French top flight.

While admittedly he has scored just five goals and added 25 assists in five years of professional hockey, coach Sylvain Cloutier is adamant that the massive defenceman, who is another new signing to have previously won a championshop, will add more to the side than most will expect of him.

"He's big and strong and I think we lack that last year. He will clear players from in front of our net. Last season we lacked the transition game, with Pavel Gomenyuk our best defencemen in that respect. This year we'll have four guys who can help us."

Initially it looks as though the enforcer, who has 55 career fights to his name, is stepping in to replace the considerable size of Pavel Gomenyuk, who was not offered a deal to return to Hull and has instead ended up in Manchester. The Ukrainian was consistently inconsistent season-on-season for the Rays, a solid defenceman with a big slapshot and a good outlet pass one minute, a slow liability defensively the next.

Naturally, while it will be a bonus if Suderman chips in with anything offensive, he will play a big role in protecting the likes of Konstantin Kalmikov, Jason Silverthorn and, to a lesser extent, Chris Korchinski, who will carry the brunt of the offensive thrust and will be a target for the more physical opposition players.

The more you analyse it the more the signing of Suderman appears to be a two for the price of one type deal for Cloutier, as he looks to mix the outlet pass and defensive solidity of Gomenyuk with the tough, no fear role of departed tough guy Adam Knight.

Although Cloutier has spoken of team toughness, with himself, Stephen Burns and Chris Korchinski all able to drop the mitts, there is no doubt that Suderman will be the go to guy with the fists.

His signing leaves the Stingrays searching for just one import, a defenceman, thought to be former Basingstoke Bison Trevor Read, ahead of their fifth EIHL campaign, just their second under coach Cloutier.