Sting-Blais - Rays add netminder?

The Hull Stingrays look to have completed the signing of Canadian netminder Greg Blais from the English Premier League's Telford Tigers.

Though the surprise addition has yet to be officially confirmed, it is believed that the 32 year old - who appeared in 14 games with the Tigers last season and also doubled up as assistant coach to Tom Watkins - has joined the club to provide injury cover and experience as back-up to starting netminder Ben Bowns.

The Stingrays were in desperate need of an experienced back-up to Bowns. 17 year old Warren Gilfoyle and 18 year old Liam Jackson - both members of the Stingrays NIHL squad - looked to be the only available options heading into the season following the departure of Andy Brummitt this summer, causing concern over the impact of any potential injury to the Stingrays number one.

While Blais may not be of the quality of Christian Boucher or many of the Stingrays starters before him - having iced in the French second and third division, Norwegian second division and EPL - the experience he can offer will be invaluable for both Bowns and the Stingrays

The signing brings the Rays - limited to 11 imports on any given match night - to 12 imports. Blais will therefore likely sit out the majority of games - with Gilfoyle or Jackson filling in - unless injury, suspension or otherwise rules out another of the 11 imports, or if Bowns himself picks up an injury.

Ben Bowns

Had the club not signed Blais, a Bowns injury would see the inexperienced Gilfoyle or Jackson thrown into the fray as starter or an outskating import cut and an import netminder brought in at great expense.

But with Blais on the roster, the Rays now have a reliable and relatively cheap but experienced import netminder that can not only help Bowns develop but can also fill in the Brits skates should the unthinkable happen, while retaining 11 other imports

The absence of Shane Lovdahl this weekend due to a delay in the VISA application process means Blais is set to debut as back-up in the Stingrays season opener against the Nottingham Panthers this evening in the Challenge Cup.

Ten years of the Hull Stingrays

Two logos, two coaches, three owners and a brownie

It has been nine long years since the Hull Stingrays were formed in the spring of 2003 by founders Mike and Sue Pack - who were backed by local company Excel Laminating - with the belief that the city still deserved professional ice hockey after the messy collapse of the Hull Thunder before it.

At the time many believed ice hockey in the city had had it's day with the long gone Humberside Hawks and that the predicament the Thunder found itself in was testament to that.

Nine years later and despite the many doubters and pessimists, the Stingrays - thanks to the persistence, determination and hard work of many, many people - are about to enter their tenth season of competitive, professional ice hockey - and seventh in the UK's top flight.

Not that there haven't been bumps along the way.

Often a labour of love, the Packs were forced to withdraw their support of the club in 2010, financially and emotionally drained from the strains of running a professional team for seven years from their Milton Keynes base with limited resources. They left with the club with nothing but thanks, respect and admiration from the Stingrays faithful.

Off-ice, the next two season's under the Coventry Blaze ownership were turbulent with criticism raining down on them almost immediately from most quarters for their dual-ownership of two EIHL clubs.

After the initial euphoria and gratitude at being saved at the very last second died down, doubts that the owners had the Stingrays best interests at heart began to surface - none more so than when the Blaze struggled financially last season.

Nevertheless, on-ice the club has never been in such good health.

A record year in wins, goals and points during 10/11 saw the club finish an EIHL high seventh before a second consecutive seventh place finish last season enabled the club to qualify for their first ever EIHL Playoff Semi-Final and Final Four Weekend.

That came thanks to undoubtedly the club's greatest on-ice achievement to date - a two-legged victory over Yorkshire rivals the Sheffield Steelers in the Playoff Quarter Final - two fixtures that will live-long in the memory of all associated with the club.

Like any club, the Stingrays have gone from the sublime to the ridiculous as far as players are concerned.

The early Ukrianian trend - set by first coach Rick Strachan - came with promise but eventually ended in failure in the physical Elite League with Andrei Nikolaev, Slava Timchenko, Sergiy Kharchenko, Nikolai Ladygin and early fans favourite Evgeny Alipov all standing out at various points, with Dru Burgress the Canadian that stapled it all together for the first three seasons.

Craig Minard and Scott Wray came as two of the club's marquee signings in 04/05, and proved their value to the club before sensationally quitting prior to Christmas. Kevin Young - one of the best offensive defenceman to ice for the club - was surprisingly released in 2007 after sustaining an injury. Paul Cabana on the other hand was signed as a key forward in 07/08, on the condition he could use the club as a stepping stone should a European club come in for him. The German Bundesliga and Finnish Metsis eventually came calling, though in Rob Rankin's single season in gave the club a genuine former ECHLer speed demon and scorer during the same campaign.

Konstantin Kalmikov had two sensational years in Stingrays colours - scoring 54 goals - before momentum on his career petered out. The end of his career in Hull after three seasons, coincided with the signing of the club's latest goalscoring hero Jereme Tendler - who bagged a record 50 in his first season and a further 36 last season to well and truly endear himself to the fanbase.

In the same season rookie sensation Andrew Coburn established himself as one of the best one-season wonders the club has seen, closely followed by Derek Campbell - who departed this summer after scrapping and scoring in equal measure and to equal effect last season. Another of last season's top performers, Jason Silverthorn, is fast becoming one of the club's most professional, reliable and consistent players. Defensive, Kurtis Dulle - who is the offensive threat from the blueline that the Rays have missed since the departures of Minard and Young - is as likable as they come and will surely soon be pushing the Rays recorded for seasons as captain.

In stature, the club's biggest ever signing was undoubtedly that of 36 year old former NHL defenceman Drew Bannister - who played a year in the city before leaving to become player-coach of the Braehead Clan - having played 164 games in 'The Show' between 1996 and 2001.

While Bannister's signing was huge for the club, were there an award for the Hull Stingrays Clubman of the last decade, then it would surely go to Jeff Glowa - who holds the club record in games (298), goals (137), assists (172) and points (309) set between 2004 and 2010. A dedicated professional, Glowa's loyalty, commitment and consistent performances week-in, week-out at such a high level are unchallenged at this point in Stingrays history

Controversy has never been in short supply either, be it Rick Kozak receiving a lengthy ban for his antics in Nottingham before a mysterious release (07/08), James Demone flying home to interview for a job in the Canadian police before being axed by Rick Strachan (08/09) or Marlon Joseph being unceremoniously released after withholding a hand injury from the club having been signed to drop the gloves (08/09). More recently, Curtis Huppe received a ban for launching his stick into the Cardiff Devils bench like a javelin (09/10) and Jereme Tendler was briefly banned last season for inadvertently disgesting a banned substance (11/12).  

The club has had its fair share of dud signings along the way too; Garry Luini, Jonathan Bernier and Simon Rizk some of the names that instantly come to the fore - though there are, without doubt, more.

The tenth installation of the Stingrays will see the club's first ever local owner, Bobby McEwan.

A passionate Scot, who has lived in the city for more than 20 years having twice signed for the Hull based sides, McEwan - Stingrays assistant coach for the last two seasons - has been up against it from the off after only taking control of the club in late July - less than two months ahead of the new season.

It's a cliche but McEwan and player-coach Sylvain Cloutier - who became just the club's second head coach in 2009 - are almost guaranteed a rollercoaster ride, on and off-ice this season. The club's very history is proof enough of that.

With a complete new set of British players on the roster - which includes surefire future Great Britain senior netminder Ben Bowns - a new batch of imports and a smattering of returning ones, the club's aim this season should be a stabilise - on and off ice.

Playoff qualification will be the minimum aim but in an Gardiner Conference that is, for each of the five squads, every bit as tough as the southerly Erhardt Conference even that isn't guaranteed. At this stage, all of the five positions in the Gardiner Conference are up for grabs including that of top spot - despite Braehead Clan being installed as clear favourites.

Whatever the result this season and this weekend - when the Stingrays emerge for the first game of their 10th Anniversary Season against the Nottingham Panthers - after the highs and considerable lows of the last ten years, it seems ice hockey in Hull may have finally found a club to last.

#thisisourhouse

Match Highlights: Stingrays 3-4 Sheffield Steeldogs (Bradfield Brewery Cup - 1st Leg)

Stingrays bounce back to defeat Steeldogs in pre-season

The Hull Stingrays bounced back from a 4-3 first leg home defeat against the Sheffield Steeldogs on Sunday night to lift their second pre-season trophy in two years, claiming the Bradfield Brewery Cup with a 4-1 (7-5 on aggregate) victory over the English Premier League side at Ice Sheffield last night.

Once again, Sylvain Cloutier's side came out strongly, Jereme Tendler scoring six minutes in after a deking the Steeldogs final defenceman to slot home past Russian born Bri Dmitri Zimozdra.

With Kurtis Dulle and Jeff Smith bolstering the Rays D to six strong - as opposed to the four of Sunday night - defensively the Rays looked solid and were breached only once. Edgars Berbris wheeling in and neatly netting past former teammate Ben Bowns following a giveaway from Tomas Valecko to level the scores just two minutes later.

In a fairly scrappy game Cale Tanaka then gave the visitors their second lead of the evening guiding the puck home after a Janis Ozolins shot failed to find the net. Jason Silverthorn then extended the Elite League sides lead to 3-1 with an assist going to youngster Kieran Strangeway - who took a big hit from Steeldogs player-coach Andre Payette for his troubles.

The final scoring of the night came after 24 minutes when 17 year old Sam Towner - who recorded a hat-trick on Saturday night against the Stingrays NIHL side - showed composure to slot home on a Tendler pass  to record his second point of the night.

The main talking point of the final 36 minutes as far as the Stingrays were concerned came early in the third period as Tendler received a slash across the wrist from former Stingrays Pavel Gomenyuk while on an unsuccessful breakaway attempt.

The Stingrays goalscorer sat out the remainder of the game and visited hospital to ensure the slash - which was not penalised by referee Jonny Liptrott - hadn't done any serious damage. Test results, however, revealed that the Canadian's wrist was badly bruised and not broken as first feared.

As far as the game was concerned, the Rays weren't as polished as they likely will be later in the season, however, defensively they looked more assured and offensively clinical with the chances presented to them than perhaps their 11/12 - though it is still pre-season.

Of the win player-coach Cloutier said:

"We were delighted to win as the Steeldogs gave us two very good games. But we're under no illusions. Realistically, pre-season friendlies don't mean anything. After all, we won the P & O Cup last year and everyone suddenly thought we were going to win the league. We just wanted to work on a few things, stay healthy and get ready for Nottingham on Saturday."

Once again, the levels of performance from the young Brits including Strangeway, Towner and Robson was impressive.

While Towner was on a line with Silverthorn and Tendler and put in a man of the match worthy showing, the performances of Strangeway and Scott Robson as a relatively inexperienced defensive pairing will have again been pleasing for Cloutier.

Whether they are ready for a full-shift against the Nottingham Panthers in the Challenge Cup on Saturday remains to be seen and, presumably, depends largely on whether Shane Lovdahl receives his VISA and arrives in time.

The Rays now face an important week of training - with forward Dominic Osman due to fly into the country in the next few days - before they kick off their 10th Anniversary season this weekend.

Mixed fortunes as under strength Stingrays open up pre-season

The Rapid Solicitors Hull Stingrays kicked off their three game pre-season schedule this weekend with mixed but somewhat predictable fortunes - beating their National League 2 affiliate 14-1 on Saturday night before going down 4-3 to English Premier League side Sheffield Steeldogs on Sunday night in the first leg of the Bradfield Brewery Cup.

Without imports Dominic Osman, Shane Lovdahl, Kurtis Dulle, Jeff Smith and Jereme Tendler on Saturday night, Stingrays coach Sylvain Cloutier handed debuts to Ben Bowns, Warren Guilfoyle, Scott Robson, Tomas Valecko, Ryan Hand, Cale Tanaka, Chris Sykes and Janis Ozolins.

The Stingrays led 7-0 after the first period - in what quickly became a training exercise for both sides - thanks in part to an early double from Brit Andy Ward. The EIHL side went on to only net two further goals in the second stanza as Bowns switched his allegiances to backstop the NIHL side for one period in search of a regular test between the pipes.

He returned to the EIHL sides pipes in the final period as Ozolins and Ward helped themselves to hat-tricks and Hand and Tanaka added first and second goals for the club respectively, with the NIHL club notching a deserved goal of their own through Chris Hogarth.

The following night - buoyed by the return of topscorer Jereme Tendler but still minus four imports - the Rays were downed by a skillful, well-drilled Sheffield Steeldogs side that has title aspirations in the EPL and included former Stingrays Derek Campbell, Dmitri Rodin, Andy Hirst and Pavel Gomenyuk.

Having picked off two of the Steeldogs biggest weapons in the summer in netminder Bowns and scoring forward Ozolins as well as Brit Sykes - the Stingrays, who brought in young defenceman Kieran Strangeway, started well. Predictably Latvian Ozolins - who bagged 55 goals in 52 games last season - opened the scoring before Sykes - who will have a big role to play on this season's Stingrays side - doubled the home sides lead minutes into the second period with his first as a Stingray.

The Steeldogs, who have been together for a good part of the summer and were at full strength, then went on to show their superior fitness and familiarity with one another, scoring four unanswered second period goals through Ashley Calvert, Tom Squires (2) and Lloyd Gibson.

Two goals down, the Stingrays replied with a solitary third period goal from Jason Silverthorn but could not level the scores - giving the Steeldogs a 4-3 lead heading into the second leg at Ice Sheffield tomorrow (7.45pm).

While disappointed, the Stingrays shouldn't be too downhearted with the loss to a very strong and well versed Steeldogs side - particularly on the British front.

Down four imports and having had just one full training session, it's a well established fact that the Stingrays British corps this season may not necessarily individually match-up with their opponents and that the Steeldogs are considerably stonger and deeper in this area. Added to that, is the fact that the Rays were missing four keys imports, plus Jereme Tendler - who played having stepped straight off a flight.

Cloutier said he was "happy" at what he called a "warm-up" for the new season:

"It was a great work-out, which I knew it would be. We skated a lot better than we did on Saturday. We have only been together three days and had one practice with eight guys while the Steeldogs have been together all summer. I was really pleased with the two young kids we had on 'D' - I thought Scott Robson and Kieran Strangeway did a great job."

Positives came mainly in through the Stingrays latest additions, with Ozolins showing off his lethal finish and acceleration while recording three points on Sunday, Tanaka showing speed and promise going forward, young Brit Robson performing above expectations and Bowns as solid as expected in net.

The Stingrays will take on the Steeldogs tomorrow night with a revitalised, though not full strength, defence with Jeff Smith set to make his club debut and captain Kurtis Dulle returning for this third season in Stingrays colours - having both arrived in the country today. Cloutier said:

"It will be great to have those two guys in the line-up. They will make our ‘D’ stronger and give us more strength. It will also be good to give Tomas Valecko and Ryan Hand some support. Valecko didn’t even have his own skates this weekend, he borrowed some! That just showed what character he has. Sheffield gave us a good work-out on Sunday and it will be another good test for us at iceSheffield."

American's Dominic Osman and Shane Lovdahl continue to await their VISA clearance though Cloutier is confident they will arrive in time for this weekend's Elite League opener against Nottingham.

Davies re-signs to bring Stingrays to 17

The Hull Stingrays have today announced the long-awaited re-signing of British forward Matty Davies - who returns for his fourth season with the club.

The diminutive 22 year old forward becomes the 17th player to commit to Sylvain Cloutier's side ahead of the 12/13 EIHL campaign and will undoubtedly become a key Brit for the club following the departures of fellow British forwards Tristan Harper, Jack Watkins and Andy McKinney.

Davies hit a goal and ten points during his first full season of top flight hockey in 09/10 and went on to improve to 16 points in 26 games in 10/11 - only to controversially quit the club mid-game and mid-season in a disagreement over playing time.

He and Cloutier ironed out their issues last summer and he returned with the promise that he would play a prominent role in the Rays offence. The former Great Britain junior international was given top two line minutes last term, however, the offensive output failed to materialise as he hit just 17 points in 51 games.

A concussion sustained on a hit from Dundee's Jeff Hutchins in February at Hull Arena then brought his season to a halt. However, he made a surprise swift recovery in time to help the Stingrays to their first ever EIHL Semi-Final and Final Four weekend - scoring a fortuitous, but key goal in the Playoff Quarter Final Second Leg victory over the Sheffield Steelers with help from the stick of the Steelers Jason Hewitt.

With 132 games and 43 points at EIHL level, Davies' return is a welcome relief for the Stingrays - who are devoid of any real top flight British experience. While Ben Bowns made a brief Elite League debut last term and Andy Ward and Sam Towner were brought in as back-up last season, neither 17 year old Scott Robson nor 20 year old Chris Sykes have any EIHL experience. Bowns' addition and the allowance of an extra import throughout the EIHL this season has, however, in effect allowed the club to add experience through two further outskating imports - though a lot rests on his highly thought of abilities between the pipes.

Either way, as ice hockey in Hull has seen in the past with Stevie Lee, Dave Phillips, Kevin Phillips and, to an extent, Lee Esders, the experienced gained by young Brits at such a young age will likely provide a huge learning curve and one that will stand the debutants in good stead moving forward.

At just 22 Davies isn't exactly a veteran himself, however, Cloutier admits his skill, experience and passion for the club could be key in the season ahead.

"It is excellent to have Matty back, he is a big part of our team. He is still young himself but he has a lot of experience. Matty wants to play for Stingrays, he cares a lot about his hometown club and he wants the team to be successful. Matty has the skills to put up points in this league. He had a bit of a rough time last year but I believe he can do it."

Speculation early in the off-season suggested that Davies was initially looking to return to the EPL and a lack of news in the meantime appeared to give the rumour further credibility.

However, despite the doubts, Davies has returned and admits he always favoured a return to his hometown:

"I always wanted to come back. It was a great end to last season which saw us reach the play-off finals weekend. It gave the fans something to cheer about and that is something we want to do again this year. I like the new league format, it will mean us playing a lot more competitive and meaningful games. It was tough for me last season and I didn’t do as well as I wanted to. I want to prove I can produce in this league. I am itching to get out there and get going now. I am really excited about the season ahead and hopefully we can have a good one."

With 17 players now on the roster including one netminder, six defenceman (five full-time) and ten forwards (eight full-time), Cloutier is now in the closing stages of putting his roster together.

Theoretically - with the import quota complete - the Rays require just a British back-up netminder to complete the squad with last season's capable back-up Andy Brummitt favourite to return.

However, given the three two-way contacts given out to defenceman Robson and forwards Ward and Towner - who will also play for the Stingrays NIHL affiliate - it may be that there is another British signing or two to follow to round out the roster.

Stingrays confirm Smith signing; complete import quota

The long awaited signing confirmation of 6'6 defenceman Jeff Smith has today completed the Hull Stingrays import quota for the 2012/2013 Elite Ice Hockey League campaign.

The rangy, physical blueliner returns to the UK for a second shot after sitting out the majority of the 10/11 season with the Coventry Blaze thanks to a knee injury - notching three goals and an assist as well as 25 penalty minutes along the way.

Smith - who has lifted the Canadian Hockey League (00/01), ECHL Kelly Cup (02/03), American Hockey League Calder Cup (04/05), Dutch Eredivisie (09/10) and Dutch Beker Cup (08/09 and 11/12) - moves across the North Sea for the second time having completed a second spell in Holland last season with HYS Den Haag - where he notched a goal and 12 assists in 37 games.

Having notched the championship winning goal for the Red Deer Rebels in the CHL Memorial Cup in 2001 - Smith became part of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers organisation in 2002 signing a three-year, two-way deal. Though he never made the NHL, he iced in 57 AHL games and 96 ECHL games with the Flyers minor league affiliates the Philadelphina Phantoms and Trenton Titans respectively.

The next three seasons saw the Canadian spend a season apiece with Columbia Inferno - where he iced with former Stingray Derek Campbell - Alaska Aces and Phoenix Roadrunners in the ECHL before he made the move across the Atlantic to Holland.

He lifted the Dutch Cup for Nijmegen Devils in his first year abroad during 08/09, teaming up with another former Stingray in Christian Boucher in 09/10 to captain the Devils to the Dutch Eredivisie title before moving on to his short spell at the Skydome two seasons ago.

At a lofty 6'6, the 31 year old becomes the club's joint tallest ever player with James Demone and joins an almost brand new defensive corps - with Kurtis Dulle the only returning player alongside Smith's fellow new additions Shane Lovdahl, Tomas Valecko and enforcer turned utility man Ryan Hand.

While the club's undoubted enforcer will be Hand, Smith is no slouch when it comes to toughness and physicality - with more than 120 career fights to his name, including a career high 19 in his final year as a junior in 2001/2002. In an Elite League that appears to get tougher and more physical by the day, the extra force of Smith is by no means a bad thing - particularly given that this has frequently been the club's weakness in the past.

His abilities will likely reach much further than that however, and it seems probable that his solid, no-nonsense brand of play will be the backbone to a defensive corps that also appears to possess offensive qualities in Dulle and a shot from the point in Valecko as well as all-around ability in Lovdahl.

Speaking of his final import signing Cloutier said:

"Jeff is a big stay-at-home defenceman. He is not flashy but he will bring a physical presence at the back and make people pay the price in front of the net. If he has to send a message I know he is not afraid to. He has won everywhere, he is an experienced guy and he is a leader. We will need that from him and he will accept any role we give him. He wanted to come back to the UK, he is excited to be joining us and I am excited to have him on board."

Smith becomes the Stingrays 11th and final import signing of the 2012 off-season and, on-paper, his addition has strengthened the club's roster against opening night import quotas of the past.

With Brit Ben Bowns between the pipes the Rays are afforded the luxury of 11 outskating imports. Defensively, they appear stronger and deeper than ever with four (five if you include utility player Hand) at the back and the possibility of another British player as sixth defenceman.

While up front they may not compare quite so favourably given the loss of Campbell (11/12) and Coburn (10/11), and the addition of unknown quantities Ozolins and Tanaka at EIHL level. However, the retention of last season's scoring brunt in Jereme Tendler, Jason Silverthorn and Dominic Osman - who will be looking to continue his scintillating end to last season - is reassuring and bodes well for the club's offence going forward.

Undoubtedly the biggest question now is the strength of the club's Brits given the detraction of Sam McCluskey, Dan Scott, Andy McKinney, Tristan Harper and Jack Watkins this summer, and apparent lack of quality available at this time of year.

How the Stingrays opening night import quota shapes up (2008-2012)

08/09	09/10	10/11	11/12	12/13
Cruickshank	Sandahl	Boucher	Boucher	-
Neumeier	Burns	Dulle	Mizerek	Dulle
Gomenyuk	Gomenyuk	Read	Ondrej	Lovdahl
Kerr	Jorde	Grundmanis	Rodin	Valecko
Bernier	Halkidis	Sladok	-	Smith
-	-	-	-	Hand
Kozak	Cloutier	Cloutier	Cloutier	Cloutier
Glowa	Glowa	Silverthorn	Silverthorn	Silverthorn
Riddle	Huppe	Tendler	Tendler	Tendler
Reynolds	Reynolds	Coburn	Osman	Osman
Kalmikov	Kalmikov	Kalmikov	Bakrlik	Ozolins
Kostadine	Knight	Uusivirta	Campbell	Tanaka
11	11	11	10	11

One import to go as Stingrays add Tanaka

Photo © Geoff Foster

The Rapid Solicitors Hull Stingrays will begin the build up to their 2012/2013 Elite Ice Hockey League campaign - their tenth anniversary season - in little over a month and they today edged closer to completing their roster with the signing of their tenth and penultimate import, Canadian forward Cale Tanaka.

The Ontario native comes to the club recommended by former Stingray and rookie success story Andrew Coburn - with whom he played with between 2007 and 2010 in the NCAA at the University of Alabama Huntsville.

While Coburn - who put in a tremendous season long stint with the Rays in 10/11 scoring 18 goals and 56 points in 54 games - recorded 54 points in 94 college games over three seasons, Tanaka hit just 24 in 112 games and four seasons.

A 26 year old winger, Tanaka began his career with big numbers in the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League hitting 62 goals and 141 points in 183 games between both Stouffville Spirit and Aurora Tigers - peaking with 24 goals and 58 points in 49 games.

The points failed to materialise in the NCAA as they had in junior for the Canadian - who has British ancestry - as he was utilised primarily as a defensive, shut down forward at the top level of college hockey in North America with UAH Chargers - who claimed the College Hockey America Conference in 2006 and 2010.

Having graduated with a Bachelor's in Science in Business Administration, Marketing Management following four years at college, Tanaka crossed the Atlantic and joined French second tier side Montpelier for his rookie professional season as a 24 year old.

He ended up playing just nine games in France and during 10/11 on his senior debit, scoring two goals and two assists before re-surfacing last season in Ontario Hockey Association's senior Allan Cup Hockey league.

In a league laden with former EIHLers, Tanaka registered four goals and 9 assists for 13 points in 13 games last season, as 26 year old teammate Cam Watson lead the five team league with 34 goals and 63 points in 27 games.

Glowing references from Coburn look to have been a sizable factor in the signing of Tanaka, and of his latest signing coach Sylvain Cloutier said:

"Andrew said he comes to play every night and is a real professional on and off the ice and that's the type of team we want to put together in Hull. He will fit right in with our group of forwards and he will play a big role up front with our special teams. I am really looking forward to playing alongside him and coaching him."

There will undoubtedly be concerns raised over Tanaka's lack of points during the last six years - with just 41 points in 134 games - particularly as EIHL imports are generally expected to notch up the goals and points.

However, with Cloutier referring to the 5'9 forwards special teams abilities, it looks likely his newest addition will play a largely defensive role and will not necessarily be expected to regularly produce offensively.

This is more understandable given the Rays situation on and off-ice and the fact that they will this season be permitted 11 non-British born players - up from ten - meaning he is more likely replacing a British forward from last season.

Added to the rule change the club will actually possess another extra outskating import in comparison to last season after Brit Ben Bowns replaced Canadian Christian Boucher between the pipes - freeing up a further spot.

More concerning may be that Tanaka has iced in just 22 professional games over two season.

He becomes the Stingrays 12th signing and 9th import signing of the summer leaving Cloutier just a handful players short of a squad for the upcoming season.

Import wise it is still thought the club's final roster spot will go to either NCAA graduate forward Colin McIntosh or rangy, physical defenceman Jeff Smith - with it now looking like one will miss out. Confirmation of that final signing is expected within the next couple of weeks though according to the Hull Daily Mail it is looking increasingly likely it will be Smith after the Stingrays allegedly missed out on McIntosh due to paperwork issues.

The situation on the remaining couple of Brits remains less clear - with few experienced players available for next season the club may be forced to look to the junior ranks to fill out its roster.

Rays roster as it stands

Netminder

Ben Bowns

Brit

Defencemen

Lovdahl - Dulle

Valecko - Import (Smith?)

Hand - Brit

Forwards

Ozolins - Tendler - Silverthorn

Osman - Cloutier - Tanaka 

Towner - Sykes - Ward

Brit - Brit - 

Stingrays announce key sponsorship deals

The Hull Stingrays have received a number of big off-ice boosts in last couple of weeks with Rapid Solicitors. Henderson Insurance Brokers and long-term sponsor Excel Laminating all committing to sponsoring the club for the forthcoming 2012/2013 Elite Ice Hockey League campaign.

Rapid Solicitors - who specialise in accident compensation nationwide - have committed what is believed to be a considerable figure to take over from Excel Laminating as the club's main and title sponsor having last season sponsored the Elite Ice Hockey League and previously sponsored the club in other areas. The deal will see the Stingrays officially become known as the Rapid Solicitors Hull Stingrays.

Martin Ward, Commercial Manager of Rapid Solictors said:

"Extending our relationship with the Stingrays in Hull is something we particularly wanted to do because our firm is based in Hull and staffed by local people. Many of us are ice hockey fans so we appreciate the passion and loyalty of Stingrays fans and hope they will support the firm which supports the team."

The move brings to an end Excel Laminating's main sponsorship of the club - which dates back nine years to the first day of the club's existence and was previously believed to be one of the longest title sponsorship's in the sport. Their unequivocal support of the club has been a huge factor in getting the club where it is and they too today re-committed to sponsoring the club - continuing their their long association with the Stingrays.

Longtime supporter and Managing Director of Excel Laminating Jeff Thomas said:

"We are really pleased to continue our involvement with the Stingrays. It is great news the club is now under local management and [new owner] Bobby [McEwan] is a bundle of energy. Stingrays are committed to the youth set-up and the community programmes. We are pleased to be involved with an organisation which puts something back into the community and we are committed to supporting ice hockey in Hull."

Meanwhile former helmet sponsor Henderson Insurance Brokers have returned to sponsor the club for a sixth season.

Speaking of the deals, Bobby McEwan - who confirmed at Thursday nights fans forum that he now officially owns the EIHL club - said:

"Having been involved with hockey in this city since 1988 I know just how important it is to have local businesses behind you and we thank them for their support...For Rapid to back us in this way is a big step forward. They're a major legal force in the UK and their name is everywhere in Hull, so their endorsement will help us to secure additional sponsorships....I am thrilled Excel have agreed to continue their long association with Stingrays. They have been behind the Stingrays from day one and have made a major contribution to the continuity of ice hockey in the city over the last decade."

Having continued his bid to take over the Stingrays without the direct financial support of Nic Gough, McEwan will undoubtedly be delighted with the way in which sponsors and businesses, both new and old, have backed him and the team.

It is believed the club are well on the way to achieving their sponsorship target for next season, however, given the difficulties and start up costs for any new owner - the season ahead promises to be a tough one both on and off-ice.

Stingrays bolster Brit pack with two-way deals

The Hull Stingrays have today continued the process of replenishing their British corps - following the defection of what is likely to be all nine of last season's British roster - with the addition of forwards Sam Towner and Andy Ward on two-way contracts with the club's English National League setup.

Sam McCluskey, Tristan Harper, Jack Watkins (Dundee Stars), Andy McKinney (EPL; Manchester Phoenix), Dan Scott (EPL; Slough Jets) and Bobby Chamberlain (Canada; Ogden Mustangs) have all left the club this summer after season long stints with the club while Andy Brummit, Ryan Lake and Matty Davies also look unlikely to return.

While Towner and Ward were sparingly used last season during a similar nine and five game two-way stint respectively, it is highly likely their ice-time will increase in the upcoming season given the turnover of British players. The change is, in part, believed to be a cost cutting measure by new owner Bobby McEwan during his first season at the helm, which may allow budget normally spent on Brits wages and accommodation to be used for other outgoings.

30 year old Ward - who lead the ENL Stingrays in scoring (26) and was second in assists (16) and points (42) - showed his size and good solid skating ability in brief glimpses last season and again steps up to EIHL level having only restarted his senior hockey career a number of years ago. 

Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the spectrum 17 year old Towner has begun his senior career where so many - including Bobby Chamberlain, Stevie Lee, Kevin and Dave Phillips - also began theirs. After playing at every level of the Kingston Junior Development Programme, last season he also iced for both the ENL Stingrays - where he scored nine goals and 22 points in 21 games - and Stingrays U18's - where he dominated scoring 16 goals and 12 assists for 28 points in just 16 games.

Speaking of the Stingrays latest additions, McEwan said:

"I saw Andy playing rec hockey a couple of years ago and told him he was too good to be doing that. He has speed and skill, he has got a bit of an edge, he is a competitor and he does not like to lose. He works hard and he has been getting himself into shape over the summer. He has made that commitment, he wants to play for the team and he wants to take the opportunity with both hands."

"Saw is a player for the future, he has got all the skills and he loves the game. He stepped in last season and played back-to-back games against Edinburgh and Dundee when we had a few injuries. He was put on a lone with Clouts [player-coach Sylvain Cloutier]. Sam was unbelievable for someone his age - he was only 16! Clouts was really impressed with him"

One a prospect for the future and one a first chance saloon at 30. Few will, or at least should, expect a massive offensive output from either, however, when called upon they will be replacing homegrown forwards and, it has to be said, reputable prospects, that last season generated nine, eight, five, four and two point seasons - therefore the bar has not been set high for the next generation of Stingrays Brits.

With six confirmed British departures and three more all but confirmed, the Stingrays have a long way to go before each outgoing Brit is replaced by one incoming.

Although it is believed Cloutier has targeted - and in most cases signed his squad for 12/13, including the British corps - the so-far confirmed British signings of Ben Bowns, Chris Sykes, Andy Ward and Sam Towner leave him four players short - and that is with the extra allowed import next season factored in.