Cloutier handed Stingrays job

35 year old Canadian Sylvain Cloutier has become the Excel Hull Stingrays second ever head coach after signing a two year contract as player-coach.

The native of Mont Laurier, Quebec, became the popular choice to succeed Rick Strachan in the last week but Cloutier was favourite for the job with co-owners Mike and Sue Pack as soon as they heard that he was interested in a return to the UK after his first coaching spell, in the CHL, ended after less than a year.

"Sylvain got in touch early in the process, pretty well at the same time as one or two people mentioned his name to us as someone who might be worth approaching."

"We said at the outset it was not about getting the first guy who contacted us, but getting the right guy. We almost said 'hang on, let's have a think' as it seemed, as far as we were concerned, we had the right guy almost straight away," said Mike Pack

As a veteran of over 1000 professional games, as well as a reputation as a driven, determined player, Cloutier brings a certain, win at all costs mentality, that was lacking under his predecessor.

That reputation is reflected in his impressive CV which boasts a number of championships, including two league titles in his two years in Coventry, seven games in the NHL with Chicago in 1998, 600+ games in the AHL and two over a point per game seasons in the EIHL with the Blaze.

Cloutier is the kind of player that the Stingrays have never had. Skillful but incredibly determined, and able to use his experience and personality to help motivate his teammates, something that should transfer into his role as coach.

With experience as head coach of the CHL's Corpus Christi Ice Rays, where his recorded ended at 21 wins, 25 losses after being dismissed in February, he has, albeit brief, experience of a head coaching role, but it is his vast experience on the ice and his style of play that is most exciting.

The signing of Cloutier will no doubt set off a whole host of rumours about who he may bring with him.

Last season he brought in his brother of over 300 NHL games, netminder Dan Cloutier, as assistant coach, as well as former Coventry and Belfast sniper, Curtis Huppe.

There is no doubt that these rumours will quickly emerge, but with the team on a tight budget, thought to be one of the lowest in the league, it will be difficult to bring in players of the quality of particularly his brother.

Mike Pack added to the Hull Daily Mail that Cloutier is understanding of the budget that the Stingrays are forced to run with:

"It will be his team, although clearly, as always, there will be a budget constraint determined by how successful the business is."

"We talked about that and he is comfortable with that."

The next question now is how many of last seasons squad will return for the new season. With Cloutier naturally wanting to bring in his own recruits, it could spell the end for many of last years team, with the futures of even the more impressive performers such as Kalmikov, Reynolds, Glowa, Slonina and Gomenyuk, in doubt.

And so begins an exciting new era in Stingrays hockey.