Hull Stingrays 12/13 Season Review: At The Back

Netminders

#33 Ben Bowns

54GP 3.35GAA 90.5sv.%

Grade: A

Next season: Hull Stingrays (Confirmed)

A solid rookie campaign for the Great Britain number two who made his national team debut and Elite League debut this season at the age of just 22. Completely aside from the fact his addition allows the Rays an vital extra outskating import, Bowns was impressive behind a blueline that, particularly early in the season, had a tenancy to go MIA.

#30 Greg Blais 

8GP 3.72GAA 90.0sv.%

Grade: C+

Next season: Not returning; unknown (Rumour)

The Canadian ably filled the Bowns shaped hole between the pipes on two occasions when the Stingrays this season clashed with GB Olympic Qualifiers and, as a result, he ended the year with two wins from five games. He won't be returning next term but in his first season in the Elite League, after recent stays in Belgium, the EPL, France and Norway, he did his reputation no harm whatsoever with a series of competent performances.


Also dressed: Liam Jackson, Jack Dalby, Samuel Tolley, Brandon Stones, Andy Brummitt, Warren Gilfoyle, Zack Brown.

Defencemen

#20 Shane Lovdahl

55GP 3+12 90PIM

Grade: B-

Next season: Retired (Confirmed)

The now retired former CHL defenceman made a slow start to life in the Elite League but came good as the season wore on. His two goal and a fight performance in the 3-1 win against Fife in March was a season highlight for the American - who proved to be a reliable defensive addition to the club in 13/14.

#44 Ryan Hand

54GP 2+15 266PIM

Grade: C

Next season: Not returning; EIHL/CHL (Rumour)

Put in simple terms the 28 year old enforcer was brought in to protect his teammates and entertain fans. Based on those two short and sweet objectives Hand's single season in Hull was a complete and roaring success. Unfortunately, with the Rays in the physically tame and ultra competitive Gardiner Conference, they lacked not the physicality and protection which Hand provided but the goals and offence which he did not. It is for this reason then that fearless fan favourite Hand - one of the toughest players in the EIHL last season - split opinion down the middle and, ultimately, won't return for a second year in Hull.

#08 Kurtis Dulle

GP56 12+29 180PIM

Grade: C+ (11/12: B-)

Next season: Hull Stingrays/retirement (Rumour)

The Rays captain had something of a Jekyll and Hyde third season in Hull. Below par and penalty prone in the first half of the year but outstanding and largely penalty-less in the second half. His frustrations saw him take a career high 180 penalty minutes this season but with just 26 coming in February and March combined. From January onwards Dulle was a one-man wrecking ball - the perfect embodiment of what a captain should be, leading his team by example. Though he'll admit that his career is winding down, and has been for the last few years, 'second-half Dulle', like '10/11 Dulle' and '12/13 Dulle' would again be a positive re-signing for Cloutier and the Stingrays - should he not hang up the skates

#05 Jeff Smith

GP55 3+12 104PIM

Grade: C

Next season: Hull Stingrays (Rumour)

Like many of the Rays defensive corps, Smith took time to get going with the Stingrays and was criticised by some for poor positioning and a lack of speed. The addition of Martin Ondrej seemed to shore up the Rays D though and Smith's form improved in turn. Clearly highly thought of in the dressing room by coach and teammates alike - having received Stingrays Coaches Player of the Year from Cloutier at the end of season awards - the well liked defenceman may yet return for a second season in Hull.

#11 Scott Robson

37GP 0+0 4PIM

Grade: B+

Next season: Hull Stingrays (Confirmed)

The youngster only received regular ice-time in a handful of the 37 games in which he dressed during his rookie campaign. However, on the few occasions he did receive a regular shift - most notably against Coventry Blaze on the final day of the season - the 17 year old belied his age with some seriously impressive performances for someone so young.

#06 Martin Ondrej

43GP 2+13 60PIM

Grade: A- (11/12: C-) 

Next season: Hull Stingrays (Confirmed)

Criticised for his poor positional play early in his first season with the club, Ondrej's dramatic turn in form last year played a big part in the Rays progressing to the EIHL Playoffs Semi-Finals. Upon rejoining the team in in October the 29 year old carried on where he left off, going from strength-to-strength this season to become the club's standout defenceman. Physically punishing, gritty and defensively solid, he was deservedly awarded with a contract for a third season in the city

#07 Dmitri Rodin

26GP 1+7 36PIM

Grade: C (11/12: B)

Next season: Retired (Confirmed)

After struggling to notch the goals and points in the EPL with Sheffield and Telford, Rodin also returned to the club midway through 12/13 but initially struggled to make an impact. His form - most importantly his transition from defence to offence - and huge hits eventually returned somewhat, albeit not to the levels of his first year in Hull. Now retired from the sport at 38, the abiding memory of the Estonian for most Stingrays fans will surely be his trademark hip-check which he performed with alarming success on Steve Birnstill on 14th April - flipping the Canadian with such force he very nearly performed a full-length flip.


MIA: #55 Tomas Valecko (D- - Poor defensively, ineffective offensively, writing was on the wall when he was moved to forward)

Also dressed: Brett Chapman

Lovdahl and Rodin retirement confirmed; Doucet set to sign?

In an interview with the Hull Daily Mail, Hull Stingrays player-coach Sylvain Cloutier confirmed on Thursday that defencemen Shane Lovdahl and Dmitri Rodin would not be returning to the club next season and will likely be retiring from the sport this summer.

38 year old Rodin re-joined the Stingrays in January after starting the year in the English Premier League between the Sheffield Steeldogs and Telford Tigers - where he notched just one goal and four assists in 27 games in the second tier.

The offensive defenceman - who possesses a big slapshot and even bigger hip check, which typically made him a favourite with home fans - added a goal and seven assists this season to his first season totals of nine goals and 18 assists.

Indeed, it was the Estonian's offensive abilities from defence which undoubtedly played a huge part in the Stingrays record 11/12 campaign as they reached the EIHL Playoff Semi-Finals in his first season at the club.

While he was undoubtedly in the twilight of a career which saw him ice in the IHL and AHL in North America and Russian, Slovakian, Czech, Polish and Hungarian top flights, and he had obviously lost a step or two over 23 seasons and 900 games, Rodin's quality with the puck on his stick remained.

Though he has aspirations to become a coach in the future, it is thought he will retire from the sport and move to London this summer after captaining Estonia at the IIHF World Championships Div I Group B in Ukraine this week, ending a 23 career that began with Narva HK PSK in Estonia in 1990.

In contrast, Alaskan native Lovdahl has confirmed his retirement at the age of 28 after four seasons and 275 games of professional hockey.

An alumni of the USHL - where he spent three seasons as a junior with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders - and the University of Alaska-Anchorage - where he hit eight goals and 25 assists in four years and 110 games - he made his professional debut with the Quad City Mallards of the IHL in 09/10.

He went on to spend two further seasons with Quad City in the CHL and a summer in Australia with the Adelaide Adrenaline before a move to Hull and the Elite League materialised last summer ahead of what would turn out to be his swansong in the sport

A quiet, unassuming but effective blueliner, the highlight of his season came on 3 March as he led the club offensively and physically with two goals and a fight in a a crucial 3-1 win over conference rivals the Fife Flyers.

It is often said of defensive defenceman in general that the more inconspicuous they are on a game-by-game basis the better they are performing and that was certainly the case with the solid American - who very rarely  stepped out of place.

He confirmed his intention to retire to the Hull Daily Mail earlier in the season and will return to Alaska from Europe.

Meanwhile in other news, it is believed the club are close to announcing the signing of 26 year old French-Canadian forward Guillaume Doucet as their first new addition for 13/14.

His agent, 37 Hockey, confirmed last week that he has signed a contract to play in the Elite League in 13/14 and it was later revealed by BritishIceHockey.co.uk that Hull is likely destination.

After graduating from Canadian college McGill University in 2011 with 53 goals and 108 points in 112 games, the diminutive winger has gone on to spend the last two seasons in the French top flight Ligue Magnus with Morzine-Avoriaz Penguines accumulating 21 goals and 19 assists for 40 points in 46 games.

Photos copyright Dean Woolley

Silverthorn two-year deal revealed

The Hull Daily Mail has today revealed that Hull Stingrays forward Jason Silverthorn signed a two-year contract with the club last summer and will therefore return next season for his fifth Elite League campaign in the city.

The 33 year old has been a key part of the Rays offence in each of the last four seasons after replacing the departing forward Matt Reynolds early in the 09/10 season, accumulating 91 goals and 230 points in 210 games along the way.

One of the most consistent and experienced performers, his confirmed second season will see him join fellow returnees Ben Bowns and line-mate Jereme Tendler on Stingrays 2013/2014 roster so far, again under the tutelage of player-coach Sylvain Cloutier.

Despite speculation linking the Stingrays coach to the vacant role at former club Coventry Blaze, the 38 year old is committed to the second year of his two year deal - which was confirmed in late February - and he has already begun building his squad for next season:

"No one from Coventry has contact me. I am under contract to coach here. My home is in Hull. As far as I am concerned, I've already started to build the Stingrays for next season and that's what I'm doing right now."

Cloutier also revealed to the Mail that defenceman Shane Lovdahl is likely to retire from the sport in the off-season, possibly alongside Dmitri Rodin - who it is believed would like to take up a position coaching - and that Martin Ondrej could be set for a third season in Hull next year.

Stingrays add first defenceman Lovdahl

American defenceman Shane Lovdahl has today become the Hull Stingrays first defensive signing ahead of the 12/13 Elite Ice Hockey League campaign.

The 28 year old, left shooting blueliner joins the club after spending all three professional season's with the Illinois based Quad City Mallards - one in the International Hockey League and the last two in the Central Hockey League, where he iced alongside former Rays agitator Jason Kostadine.

A former junior champion and top goalscoring and pointscoring defenceman in the United States Hockey League - where he spent three years with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders between 2002 and 2005, lifting the Clark Cup in 04/05 - the Alaska native notched three goals, ten assists and just 22 penalty minutes in 59 games in the CHL last term.

After starting his junior career in the USHL, he returned to Alaska and his hometown of Anchorage in the summer of 2005 - icing in NCAA Div I while studying Management at the University of Alaska - Anchorage. Following four years in the NCAA, the 6ft blueliner ended his hometown stint with eight goals and 33 points in 110 games.

Additionally, Lovdahl also spent the summer of 2010 in the Australia Ice Hockey League with the Adelaide Adrenaline scoring 13 goals and 29 points in 25 games 'Down Under'.

Stingrays coach Sylvain Cloutier calls Lovdahl an "all-around defenceman", adding:

"Shane is a solid defenceman who is a competitor and works extremely hard. He had three great years in Quad City and put up some decent numbers for a defenceman. He is extremely good in his own zone, he battles, he competes every shift and that it what I was looking for."

One thing Lovdahl admits he is not, is an out and out fighter - stating in a 2009 interview to the Quad City Times that "if it's for the team or sticking up for a guy then I'll fight" - having having dropped the gloves on only 16 occasions in more than 450 career game.

Nevertheless, just a couple of months after the interview it is perhaps worth noting he fought Muskegon Lumberjacks right wing John DiPace in a heat-of-the-moment bout:

Given his previous numbers it's highly unlikely Lovdahl - who has become the Rays fifth import signing of the summer - is being brought to the table to provide offence or, despite the above clip, toughness. Much more likely is that his constant and solid presence in his own defensive end will provide Stingrays rookie EIHL netminder Ben Bowns the kind of support that Christian Boucher was not afforded at times last season.

His addition appears to come very much in the mold of former defenceman Stephen Burns - who, himself, impressed during his cut-short season long stay in Hull during 09/10 after a similarly low scoring season in the CHL.

Burns - who, it is thought, came close to agreeing to a return to Hull last season - hit two goals, six assists and 94 penalty minutes in 55 games during his sole season in CHL at Rio Grande after four years in the NCAA and - on paper - Lovdahl compares very well with the former defenceman - who recorded four goals and 16 points in 62 games in the EIHL.

The confirmed departures of standout defencemen Dmitri Rodin and Sam McCluskey and all but confirmed departure of Martin Ondrej mean Lovdahl may be the first of a number of new defensive signings with only captain Kurtis Dulle rumoured to be returning.

Two former EIHL defencemen linked to the club in recent weeks are Jeff Smith and Tomas Valecko. Smith - a former ECHL and AHLer - spent last season in The Hague in Holland, a year after his time at the Coventry Blaze was cut short to just 11 games through injury, meanwhile Slovakian Valecko hit eight goals and 31 assists with the Edinburgh Capitals last season.

It is believed further announcements are imminent with Cloutier confirming to the Hull Daily Mail that he has already all but completed his squad for the 12/13 campaign.