Ukrainian defenceman Pavel Gomenyuk will return for his fifth season in Stingrays colours after being re-signed by new coach Sylvain Cloutier following a career year in the Elite League.The 32 year old, who has split his four seasons with the Stingrays with two in Newcastle, recorded a career best 13 goals and 42 points in 56 games with the Stingrays last season and successfully bounced back from a difficult 06/07 season in Hull.
In a physically frail defence, with Troy Neumeier, Stuart Kerr and Paul Moran all sitting out significant portions of the season, along with the surprise early exit of Jonathan Bernier, Gomenyuk provided a solid, and most importantly, sustained presence on the blueline.
As his career year figures suggest, it was not only his defensive solidity that made him an important cog in the Stingrays Elite League machine last year. Offensive production from defence was something which the team seemed to lack from the outset, and his long searching passes and pinpoint slapshot from the blueline became a much need natural source of offence, whilst other defencemen battled for points.After playing a key role with the team last season, coach Sylvain Cloutier said that he will continue playing an important role next season, both going forward and defensively.
"I am extremely excited to have signed Pash, he will be a key part of our defence. He is a very solid two-way defenceman, one that will help tremendously to our success this upcoming season."With a Elite League Playoff medal in 2005, after beating, now coach, Cloutier's Coventry in the semi final, Gomenyuk's talents are proven at Elite League level, and with 173 games under his belt for the team, his new coach is confident that the Kiev native is hungry for success to strike in Hull.
"His experience is very important, he wants to be a part of our organisation, he wants us to succeed, therefore I feel he will compete every night and bring leadership on and off the ice. He is familiar with the Elite League which will definitely help the newcomers to our team. I am looking forward to coaching him as well as playing alongside him on the ice"
Gomenyuk (right) following Playoff Victory (Photo: Colin Lawson, bbc.co.uk)"I am really happy to be staying with Hull for next season. It was disappointing last season but we have a new coach, a new team and it will be a new challenge for us all. We are going to have a really competitive side and hopefully we can finish above the bottom places in the league.He now joins a new look defence consisting of Brit Craig Mitchell and tough Canadian Adam Knight and with, most likely, three further new signings, including two imports.
The balance between imports forwards and defence, and how to split the allowed ten imports, is a tough decision for all Elite League coaches. Too many import defencemen and you may struggle to hit the twine, but too many forwards and each result may resemble a rugby league scoreline more than a hockey one.
With two relatively inexperienced defencemen signed alongside Gomenyuk, it would seem that Cloutier will plump for two more import defencemen and just one more forward, making the Stingrays import quota one netminder, four defencemen and five forwards.
That one remaining import slot is rumoured to have been handed to 28 year old Canadian Matt Reynolds, who last season scored 55 points in 51 games for the Stingrays and thoroughly flourished prior to a broken hand, however power forward Adam Powell, who last season iced under Sylvain Cloutier in Corpus Christi, has also been mention as linking up with his former coach in a Stingrays forward role that is set to be announced in the next few weeks.
Photos Courtesy: Arthur Foster, Colin Lawson
