McCluskey and Harper latest to leave Hull

Lost amongst the chaos of yet more ownership and league structure fluidity within Hull and the Elite League, the Hull Stingrays yesterday lost two more British players from their 11/12 roster with the news that Sam McCluskey and Tristan Harper have returned to Scotland to sign for Northern conference rivals Dundee Stars.

The pair - who were signed in a move that coincidentally saw Craig and Lee Mitchell move in the other direction - return for a second stint north of the border with their hometown club after contrasting years in Hull with the Stingrays.

21 year old McCluskey was the club's standout Brit and one of the most improved players over the course of the season, receiving top four minutes on the blueline - having ousted teammate Dan Scott - while icing in all situations in just his second full season in the EIHL. Having notched two goals and five assists in 54 games in his debut top flight season in 10/11, the Scottish defenceman hit one goal and five assists as an everpresent in all 64 games this term.

A likely future Great Britain international - similarly to former Stingrays prospects Dave Phillips and Stevie Lee - McCluskey's cool head and on-ice confidence belied his age as he stood above most defensively on a blueline and team defence that generally struggled in that area.

Speaking of the defenceman, new Dundee Stars player-coach Jeff Hutchins - who today also added Harper and fellow Dundee native Vince Connon - said:

"Sam is a kid with a lot of potential and he had a steady year at Hull, he had a lot of opportunity to play in key situations and I'm sure that helped develop his defensive skills."

Harper meanwhile struggled during a 40 game stint with the Stingrays which was decimated by poor form and then injury.

Starting the year mixed in with the team's top lines, he found it difficult to gain the kind of momentum which saw him rated highly and net eight goals and 16 points in 38 games with Dundee two years ago.

As a result of that lack of form the 23 year old was dropped down to the third line alongside Jack Watkins, Andy McKinney and occasionally Bobby Chamberlain. A shoulder injury then put paid to the large majority of the rest of his season as he admirably attempted a comeback playing with a shoulder brace before admitting defeat and undergoing shoulder surgery late in the post-season.

By his own admission, Harper - who was the only permanent Stingray not to score during 11/12 - will have been disappointed with his 40 game spell in Hull. Despite a tough year, it is believed he was initially interested in returning to put to bed the unfinished business he had from last season.

Indeed, the Hull Daily Mail revealed earlier in the week that Harper had spoken to Cloutier and was willing to listen to talk of a return:

"I last spoke to coach Sylvain Cloutier about a fortnight ago. He asked about my shoulder and how the summer is going. I think it was just about the time when they officially announced everything about the management team, but I haven't heard anything since then. I've been talking to two or three teams, but if Hull asked me to come back, I would be interested. I am not closing any doors. I don't want to make any official decision until my shoulder is up and running."

However, despite this statement, the Stars today announced that Harper will return to the club alongside friend McCluskey.

Upon signing Harper, Hutchins said his latest signing will play a big part in the Stars 12/13 campaign - which will see them pit against the Stingrays eight times in the regular season over the course of the year:

"I've told Tristan that he's going to be a guy that we will count on a lot. He'll get an opportunity to play alongside two imports and be a big part of what we do. I want to see the Tristan that I saw playing for Dundee two years ago."

The departure of two more British players - following Scott's decision last week to join the English Premier League's Slough Jets - leaves the Stingrays searching for a number of new British players for next season.

With Andy McKinney also set to leave, the club may be looking for as many as three replacement homegrown players -  and that's depending on the club signing their maximum 11 imports, which may seem unlikely to some at this point given the frailty of the ownership.

Forwards Bobby Chamberlain and Matty Davies look like the two Brits most likely to return - though even that is uncertain - while British netminder Ben Bowns - who, if signed, would replace Christian Boucher between the pipes - is widely rumoured to have joined the club.

BREAKING: Harper and McCluskey latest to leave Hull

Tristan Harper and Sam McCluskey - who joined the Hull Stingrays a year ago - have become the third and fourth players to depart the club this summer ahead of the 12/13 Elite League campaign, rejoining hometown club and the Stingrays EIHL Northern conference rivals the Dundee Stars.

More soon...

Hull Stingrays 11/12 Season Review: Up Front

Forwards

#37 Derek Campbell

58GP 12+43 264PIM (3GP 5+2 6PIM)

Grade: B

Dismissed the large majority of doubters during his first, and likely only year in Hull, impressing in dual enforcer/offensive role thanks to combination of physicality, strength, willingness to drop the gloves, creativity, stickhandling and playmaking abilities. Crafted a brilliant partnership with Jason Silverthorn, Campbell played a massive part in getting the Rays to their first ever EIHL Playoff Semi-Final - scoring four goals in the Quarter Final including a hat-trick in the second leg. Despite this, it seems unlikely Campbell will re-sign for a second season following his admission that he has yet to hear from Cloutier regarding a return - it is believed he has offers from both EIHL and EPL sides, including the Sheffield Steeldogs.

#90 Bobby Chamberlain

58GP 1+3 93PIM (1GP 0+0 0PIM)

Grade: C+

The emergence of 16 year old Chamberlain was one of the big positives to the 11/12 campaign as he established himself as a huge prospcet for the future. Capped as a GB U18 international, enthusiasm - while very well intended - got the better of the youngster at times in the early part of the year, however, while it will likely always be a huge part of how he plays the game, he rebounded in the second half - despite limited ice-time - to show a new maturity, which was capped off with a well deserved first professional goal against the Nottingham Panthers. It seems likely Chamberlain will return for at least one more year in his hometown before following in the footsteps of other previous Hull prospects Stevie Lee and David and Kevin Phillips, in moving elsewhere - possibly the EPL for more ice-time - and in order to further his hockey career.

#83 Sylvain Cloutier

55GP 11+21 (91PIM)

Grade: C

Remarkably icing in his 17th professional season, player-coach Cloutier hit a Stingrays personal high of 11 goals this season - up from 7 in 09/10 and 9 in 10/11 - though his points production diminished to from 44 last season to 32 this. While his figures aren't quite where they used to be, he continues to play a role in the Elite League - even if that role should be on the third line with the team probably over reliant on his abilities as a second liner at 38. A return for a fourth consecutive season looks all but certain with just official confirmation to follow.

#62 Matty Davies

51GP 5+12 33PIM (3GP 1+0 0PIM)

Grade: C

Diminutive forward Davies re-signed to the Stingrays to play a top two line role having sensationally quit the club mid-game in 10/11. Starting the year in good form, he failed to have the desired impact on the Elite League as the season progressed in a disappointing year, he then suffered a season changing concussion on a hit from Dundee's Jeff Hutchins. A switch back to the EPL - possibly to Slough where former Stingray Slava Koulikov is head coach - has been rumoured, however, a return to Hull for a second chance at second line EIHL play also isn't completely out of the question.

#26 Tristan Harper

40GP 0+5 43PIM (N/A)

Grade: C-

Harper, even by his own admission, will be disappointed with his season in Hull having signed with great hopes from Dundee - where he scored 16 points in 38 games during 10/11. The only full-time Stingray not to hit the twine in 11/12, his year was ruined by injuries, particularly a shoulder injury which saw him require a brace before surgery eventually ended his season prematurely. Harper has unfinished business and a point to prove in Hull after a poor season, however, whether he will be asked to return by Cloutier or whether he would want to return should a move back to his hometown of Dundee come to fruition, remains to be seen.

#12 Andy McKinney

42GP 4+5 107PIM (3GP 0+0 2PIM)

Grade: C+

A fiesty, agitating British forward, McKinney joined part-way through the year from the EPL and was generally a solid third line presence in his first taste of top flight hockey. The 21 year old provided a spark to the Stingrays lineup, however, he was generally the first person to suffer when the lineup shortened. That said, he was always deservedly the first choice to step up from the third line to second line when required. McKinney has allegedly accepted an offer from an unknown team for 12/13 and, although the Stingrays were believed to want to re-sign the Brit, he may be set to make a quick return to the EPL with a top five side.

#9 Dominic Osman

61GP 26+16 77PIM (3GP 1+1 4PIM)

Grade: B-

Osman - signed in the summer to provide secondary scoring - initially showed only glimpses of what he could do early on and so was an early candidate for release after early season struggles. Luckily, those brief glimpses were enough to see that he remained and Frantisek Bakrlik was released, which in the end proved to be a good decision on Cloutier's part, as Osman - an everpresent for the Stingrays - eventually provided the speed and scoring edge he was brought in for. A fan favourite in Hull for his direct, powerful style, Osman would be a welcome returnee though it is uncertain as to whether he will be offered a return deal.

#21 Jason Silverthorn

59GP 30+44 60PIM (3GP 2+1 6PIM)

Grade: A

Alternate captain Silverthorn shifted his performance level and scoring consistency up a notch this season, producing a career best 30 goals, 44 assists and 74 points - good for 10th in EIHL pointscoring. A constant threat alongside linemate Campbell, Silverthorn used his maturity, professionalism and experience to lead the Stingrays from the front all season long. Cloutier has made no secret of his admiration of Silverthorn and, should the player-coach be confirmed for a fourth season, 'Silver' would surely be top of his list of players to re-sign even if other EIHL sides are circling.

#27 Jereme Tendler

53GP 36+25 10PIM (3GP 0+4 2PIM)

Grade: B

10/11 50 goal scorer Tendler was always going to struggle to hit the half-century again, however, he had another good year - despite missing eight games having tested positive for a banned substance in late December. Notching 36 goals to take his EIHL tally to 82 goals in 105 games, the 28 year old solidified his place as one of the Stingrays most dangerous and constant goalscoring threats. Given his scoring exploits, Tendler will surely be contacted regarding a return for a third year, however, he is another that will certainly have been approached by other sides - EIHL, European and North American.

#93 Jack Watkins

50GP 3+8 6PIM (3GP 0+0 0PIM)

Grade: C-

GB U20 international forward Watkins showed visible signs of development and improvement throughout his first season in Hull, registering his first EIHL goal and assist before eventually hitting eight points in 50 games. Another that understandably saw reduced ice-time in certain situations, the 19 year old's size was a big advantage to a third line, and team, that generally lacked it. Another year under the tutelage of Cloutier is not out of the question, while a return to the EPL for added responsibility and ice-time is another distinct possibility.

MIA: #55 Frantisek Bakrlik (D - Unstoppable pre-season, disappeared regular season)
Also dressed: Craig Thurston, Sam Towner, Andy Ward, Ryan Lake

Trade-off complete as Rays switch Mitchell for Cameron-Harper

Sylvain Cloutier has today completed the signing of former Dundee Stars forward Tristan Cameron-Harper for the Excel Hull Stingrays 11/12 Elite League campaign with the Scot effectively replacing the recently departed Lee Mitchell in a like-for-like trade-off that last week saw Lee Mitchell return to Scotland with Dundee.

22 year old Cameron-Harper becomes the Stingrays fourth summer signing, joining Sylvain Cloutier, Jereme Tendler and Daniel Scott on the Hull roster following the conclusion of his first full season in the British top flight, in which he registered eight goals and nine assists in 39 regular season games with Dan Ceman's first year Stars.

Prior to joining his hometown side for the first time in 09/10 the 6'2 winger opened his professional career in the Netherlands at the age of 17, icing for Nijmegen in both the senior and under-20 league. While he dominated the Dutch junior league, netting 13 goals and 7 assists in 7 games, his professional career began with a bang as he lifted the Dutch championship alongside former Stingrays defenceman Kevin Young, picking up four goals and six assists along the way.

Following his lone season in Holland, the rangy power forward made the switch to North America in 06/07 and spent time in both the junior North American Hockey League, with St. Louis Bandits and Alpena Ice Diggers, and the Maritime Junior A Hockey League in Eastern Canada with the Yarmouth Mariners.

Upon returning to the UK in 2009, Cameron-Harper made his debut in the Elite League against Cardiff while on a trial with the Nottingham Panthers before heading home to record four goals and two assists in eight games in the Northern League with the Stars.

He made the step up to the Elite League alongside Dundee last summer and largely impressed thanks to his size, physical presence, fearless play and effective forechecking as the Stars ended memories of an awful start to the season by qualifying for the playoffs.

Although the only particularly memorable event that occurred to Cameron-Harper in Hull was his high-stick on captain Kurtis Dulle, he certainly caught the eye of Rays player-coach Cloutier, who believes both his size and style of play will make a difference to the Rays next season:

"Tristan is another up-and-coming kid who plays the game with an edge, which I like. He has size and plays physical, he scored eight goals in 41 games last season but I think he can get around 15 for us next year. Tristan players hard every night and pays the price. He brings a physical element which we lacked last year, we were a small team."

It is believed Cloutier was keen on snagging the Scot as soon as it became evident Mitchell was leaving and, while the two are statistically incomparable based on last season, Cameron-Harper appears to have more to his game than putting up points.

Having dropped the gloves with Nottingham Panthers tough guys Alex Penner and Guillaume Lepine in the last year, Cameron-Harper clearly plays the game with a fearless attitude and his added size may be the first in a line of big signings in a change of tactic by Cloutier

With the rush on British players now in full flow following Colin Shields departure from Belfast, it was important the Stingrays player-coach quickly moved to sign a replacement for Mitchell, particularly given demand for quality Brits is at an all-time high following the Elite League's drop in import limit from 12 to 10 for next season.

His signature as well as Daniel Scott's signing from Telford nullifies the departure of both Mitchell brothers, leaving Cloutier searching for at two new Brits to make up for the decrease in non-British players.

One player rumoured to be joining the Stingrays also from Dundee is 20 year old defenceman Sam McCluskey. A fellow Dundee native and a friend of Cameron-Harper, McCluskey is on the verge of the GB squad and is thought to have a bright future in the game, however, demand for him is high with a number of other Elite League sides rumoured to be chasing his signature.

Elsewhere, Cloutier also confirmed that, contrary to popular belief, British forward James Archer, who joined the club last summer only to leave amid the club's collapse, would not be joining the club on a full-time basis next year, instead suggesting he would return on a two-way contract with another English Premier League side.