Fan favourite Lake returns

Energetic, fan favourite Ryan Lake has today become the only British returnee from the Excel Hull Stingrays 10/11 EIHL campaign, joining Sylvain Cloutier's side for another year following the departure of no fewer than six British players.

27 year old Lake - who last season netted a valuable five goals and five assists on his return to the sport following four years away - becomes the sole homegrown returnee after Craig and Lee Mitchell, Andy Hirst, Lee Esders, Ben Lowe and Andy Jaszczyk all left the club this summer.

Those six have been replaced by five new recruits in Andy Brummitt (Chelmsford), Sam McCluskey, Tristan Cameron-Harper (Dundee), Jack Watkins (Telford) and Bobby Chamberlain (North America) with at most two more British players and a couple of players on two-way contracts likely to join up with the squad ahead of the Elite League September start.

Lake, having fallen out of love with the sport in 05/06 after recording ten goals and 16 points in 31 games during the Rays torrid season in the EPL, returned to the ice last summer and took no time to settle back in at Hull Arena, netting in the club's opening two games against Cardiff and Braehead.

With a fearless attitude, the speedy winger once again proved a hit, eventually growing into his familiar role as a third line pocket rocket after initially being used somewhat sparingly in the season's opening weeks.

Despite rumours earlier in the summer that he was looking to play a bigger role at this, or if it came to it another club, Cloutier was today excited to confirm the signature of the Hull favourite, saying:

"He's a spark plug. He brings energy to the team, and he'll get better this year having got last season under his belt. He's one of our veteran Brits, and I'm just excited to have him back. He comes to play every night, and does anything you ask him to."

Named British Player of the Season by fans last year, he is clearly highly thought of by both fans and management, and while popular, he is also mightily effective in the physical, agitator role thanks to his fearless, gung-ho style of play. Size and stature wise he may not be the most intimidating of players, but that style of play was invaulable for a timid Stingrays side that lacked physicality all too often last season. Admittedly that is an area Cloutier has looked to address this summer.

A 20 plus goal target may be unrealistic, however, provided he is made available more regularly and is given more ice-time and responsibility by the Rays coach, double figures are certainly not out of the question for the former Great Britain international.

Fan favourite Lake returns

Energetic, fan favourite Ryan Lake has today become the only British returnee from the Excel Hull Stingrays 10/11 campaign, returning to Sylvain Cloutier's side for another year following the departure of no fewer than six British players.

The 27 year old forward - who last season netted a valuable five goals and five assists on his return to the sport following four years away - becomes the sole homegrown returnee after Craig and Lee Mitchell, Andy Hirst, Lee Esders, Ben Lowe and Andy Jaszczyk all left the club this summer.

More soon...

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)

Tendler nets final hat-trick of the year with awards treble

Jereme Tendler the Excel Hull Stingrays record goal and points scorer in one season has capped off a magnificent year by claiming an awards treble at the club's End of Season Awards night at Holiday Inn Marina in Hull.

The Canadian forward, whom the Rays have re-signed for next season, deservedly picked up the fans awarded Forward of the Year and Player of the Year before his teammates voted him Players' Player of the Year after a outstanding season in which he has scored a record 50 goals, 81 points, 16 powerplay goals and 11 shorthanded goals.

Elsewhere, in his first year in professional hockey after signing from NCAA Division I college University of Alabama - Huntsville rookie forward Andrew Coburn picked up the Most Improved Player, award from fans. Naturally, it took the 24 year old time to adapt to both the British and professional game, however, once he did he became one of the Stingrays standout performers and signings of the season.

Forward Ryan Lake picked up British Player of the Year for his, at times, short but sweet and energetic performances in a comeback season in which he scored five goals and added five assists in 44 games.

Player-assistant coach Drew Bannister was deservedly awarded Defenceman of the Year for turning around the Rays rearguard upon signing in November while captain Kurtis Dulle won the Clubman of the Year award.

Finally, and perhaps somewhat surprisingly to many, Jason Silverthorn won Sylvain Cloutier's Coaches Player of the Year for his professional attitude.

Brits the target of latest injury curse

The dreaded injury curse that will likely strangle every Elite League side over the course of the 56 game schedule has struck Sylvain Cloutier's Excel Hull Stingrays side hard and early.

Cloutier, who was last season deprived of mainly defencemen early in the year, has this season lost four British players less than a month into the campaign.

19 year old defenceman Craig Mitchell was the first victim, breaking his arm blocking a shot in Braehead, before older brother Lee followed less than a  week later suffering an unspecified injury that later turned out to be a reoccurance of the knee injury that has so far plagued his career.

Forward Ryan Lake, who has started off the season where he left the sport four years ago, then broke a bone in his thumb having taken a tumble into the boards against Newcastle on Sunday, before Lee Esders injured his knee in an innocuous challenge in Belfast last night, potentially ruling him out for two months.

With the exception of Lee Mitchell, who may return in a shorter time frame depending of the severity of his injury, the foursome are all likely to sit out at least four weeks leaving Cloutier's side short for a minimum of 13 games.

The injuries might not have been so bad had they been to imports, given availability of replacement Europeans and North Americans in comparison to the scarcity of available British trained players, all of whom are already signed up and playing.

Realistically, unless he is looking for a long term replacement for one of the four, Cloutier will have to scavenge for two-way contracts with English Premier League or English National League sides, like he did last year with James Archer.

Despite quitting on the team after originally signing in the summer, Archer may be one of the players Cloutier approaches, having hit four goals and four assists in ten games with the EPL Manchester Phoenix

Indeed, there may be other options at the Phoenix, or nearby EPL sides Sheffield and Peterborough, but with the club down to just 12 outskaters, including just two Brits, Matty Davies and the inexperienced Ben Lowe, it is important the right players are signed and available to ice for the Rays as regularly and as soon as possible.

Time is not something Cloutier has in abundance though, with a home and away double header against Cardiff quickly approaching this weekend before a game in Nottingham next Wednesday.

Rays complete roster with Uusivirta and Lake

The Hull Stingrays can today finally look forward to the first game of a season that could easily have never been following the completion of Sylvain Cloutier's 19 man squad with the signing of forwards Matti Uusivirta and Ryan Lake.

25 year old centre Uusivirta joins the club for a second pro season away from his native Finland after spending the majority of his career with Espoo Blues of the SM-Liga, the top table of Finnish ice hockey and one of the best leagues in the world.

Used as a solid defensive forward in the top tier of Finland, he is another player that has experience of North America, having spent 30 games at Northeastern University in 05/06 where he registered nine points.

With that experience under his belt he returned to Finland, icing in 19 games with Espoo before being loaned to second tier Mestis side HC Salamat. With Salamat he went on to record career best numbers of 13 goals and four assists in 26 games, figures which compare fairly well with former Stingray Paul Cabana, who last year scored seven goals and 13 assists in 39 games.

A brief return to Salamat and a short stint with Kiekko-Vantaa aside, he went on to make 21 more appearances for Espoo before moving to SM-Liga rivals Ilves in 08/09, where he scored twice and added two assists in 41 games, continuing his role as a lower line defensive centre.

Last year the then 24 year old tried his luck with HKM Zvolen of Slovakia's top flight but went scoreless before finishing the year with seven game, one assist return to Espoo and he now joins the Stingrays once again looking to make a name for himself going forward.

Although the 6'3 centreman has just eight points in 88 SM-Liga games, he had a defined role as a defensive, shutdown centre and as such a notable offensive return was not expected. Another aspect that should be taken into account is the undeniable quality of the Finnish top flight and the lack of opportunity for first line minutes with such quality players available.

While it will undoubtedly be a challenge to put up real numbers in his first year in the UK as a relied upon import forward is expected to the in the UK, the drop in quality and increase in ice time should see him become a decent two-way centre at EIHL level with his defensive responsibilities likely to remain.

Cloutier told the Hull Daily Mail of his expectations of Helsinki native, particularly having played in the one of the worlds best leagues.

"Matti will be a big part of why our team will succeed this season. The Finnish Elite League is a very high standard and he's played very much a defensive forward's role when he's played at that level. When he's played games in the Second Division Mestis League he's had much more of an offensive role and he has put up some respectable numbers. I'm expecting him to make a really strong all-round contribution to the team."

Meanwhile, 27 year old Lake returns to the fold having previously iced for Hull Thunder in 02/03 and the Rays in his last season and the clubs single season in the EPL in 05/06.

A fans favourite previously with a fearless mindset, his career was brought to a premature halt after just one season with the Stingrays, primarily because the Brit was rightly unwilling to risk further injury to his troublesome back and with the club in the EPL.

He has totals of 17 goals and 12 assists in 61 games in Hull, sandwiched between which he spent two years in the Elite League with Sheffield, and he becomes to clubs 11th British forward for the upcoming season.

Cloutier believes that the fans favourite will bring that required depth and extra energy to the Rays lineup for the coming season.

"Ryan will bring a lot of grit and energy to our hockey club and his tenacious style will really frustrate the opposition. I want him to be a pest on the ice. He is fresh and ready and very excited to play in front of his hometown fans."

The Rays roster is now set at 19 players, consisting of 12 imports, seven Brits and two netminders, six defencemen and a healthy looking 11 forwards, ahead of the clubs opening night on 3 October in a Challenge Cup fixture against the Cardiff Devils.

It's never Dulle in Hull as three sign up

The Hull Stingrays today revealed the capture of imports Kurtis Dulle and Jereme Tendler, and the return of young British forward Ben Lowe for the 10/11 Elite League campaign, set to get underway in exactly four weeks time.

30 year old defenceman Dulle and 26 year old forward Tendler join from the Central Hockey League, where last season the pair iced for coach Sylvain Cloutier's former side Corpus Christi Ice Rayz. Indeed, it was during Cloutier's difficult time in the CHL that he first witnessed the pair.

Dulle iced alongside new Rays keeper Christian Boucher and former defenceman Stephen Burns with the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees in 08/09 and iced against Cloutier's Ice Rayz in a year he was named an CHL All Star after notching career bests in goals (7), assists (28) and points (35). Last year Dulle found himself on the Ice Rayz roster with Tendler after starting the year once again in Rio Grande before moving on to Colorado and Allen along the way, he finished the regular season with six goals and 21 assists.

Tendler also experienced playing against the Rays current player-coach with the Tulsa Oilers before impressing Cloutier enough to earn a trade to his Corpus Christi side, going on to hit nine goals and 13 points in 17 games in Texas

Well versed in the ways of the CHL having played there for at least part of the last five seasons, Dulle looks to have replaced the experienced hole left by Joshua Mizerek's defection to his former side HYS Den Haag. Although he is unlikely to take the place of Jeff Glowa as club captain, as Mizerek was expected to do, his stats going forward look ever so slightly more impressive than Mizerek's, with 33 goals and 98 assists in five CHL years, even if his leadership skills may not be enough for him to be handed the C.

Meanwhile, forward Tendler, who totaled 49 goals and 48 assists in 126 games in Springfield, Massachusetts at NCAA college side American International College is a boost to the Stingrays offensive line. He moved on to professional hockey in 08/09, after his stint in the NCAA, as he split the year between CHL sides Tulsa and Corpus Christi, and IHL side Kalamazoo. Between the three clubs he netted 18 times in 58 games, after starting the year with just four goals in 36 games, and he returned to Corpus Christi last year hitting career best figures.

However, he was left without a club this summer following the Ice Rayz reformation in the junior North American Hockey League (NAHL). With the club opting to for the junior league ahead of the merged CHL and IHL offering his much mooted move to the UK finally materialised.

The Saskatchewan native comes to the UK as a goalscorer rather than playmaker, with goals outnumbering assists at each of the five clubs he has graced in the last three years and with hat-tricks in both the CHL and IHL. With ice time guaranteed in the three line Elite League, it is fair to say goals are expected from the Canadian with hopes of another career year not beyond reasonable doubt.

And while a definite goal getter, on first glance he appears to be the 'extra' and 11th import promised by the new owners after Brit James Archer departed, as opposed a high spec replacement for star man Chris Korchinski, whose replacement is rumoured to be 40 point ECHL man Sean Berkstresser.

Meanwhile, 19-year old Beverley born forward Ben Lowe returns to the club having signed his first professional deal with the club last year. Seldom used until the result was beyond doubt, Lowe failed to register a point in 20 games with the club but will enter the season as a young prospect on the fringes of the squad.

There he may be joined by energetic 27 year old forward Ryan Lake, who has begun training with a mixture of players currently based in Hull after a few years out of the professional game. The former fan favourite has only just resumed training, however, an appearance later in the season is not completely out of the question.

The club now requires a minimum of two defencemen and one forward, all likely to be imports, taking Cloutier's roster to 17 players and 11 imports, ahead of an opening day Challenge Cup clash with Cardiff on Sunday 3 October.