Tough stay-at-home defenceman Ryan Jorde today joined the Excel Hull Stingrays for their 09/10 Elite League campaign after a career in North America, where he played three years in the second tier American Hockey League (AHL) and four in the International Hockey League (IHL).The 28 year old Kelowna, British Columbia native split last season between the IHL's Flint General's and Muskegon Lumberjacks, where he recorded a combined 23 points in 66 games, and steps in to provide the Stingrays with a defensive backbone, whilst also adding some much needed brawn alongside fellow blueliner Adam Knight.
New player-coach Sylvain Cloutier, who is now just three signings away from completing his first Elite League squad as head coach, believes that Jorde will play a big role both defensively and physically next season.
"Jorde is an experienced defenceman and has been around for a long time. He is a physical, stay-at-home defenceman, who can also put up some numbers. He is very strong defensively and that is something the team needed, to be stronger in our own end. Jorde will do a great job."After starting his career in the junior Western Hockey League, where he played over 200 games, he was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the ninth round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, and in 2002 was signed to a two-way contract with the Sabres AHL affilate, the Rochester Americans.
He went on to spend three seasons in Rochester, icing in 124 games, recording just seven points whilst acting as the team's enforcer, fighting 22 times.
From there he iced briefly in the AHL, with Lowell and Grand Rapids, and ECHL, with Victoria Salmon Kings, before making the move to the IHL (formerly the UHL), where he made the decision to stay after being used as a key defenceman, rather than as an enforcer, where his minutes on the ice would often be limited
Jorde (right) playing for Fort Wayne in 2006That decision saw him appear in the Turner Cup in 07/08, finishing second best to former Stingray forward, and rumoured returnee, Matt Reynolds in Fort Wayne, and also resulted in him last season posting career best figures in assists (21) and points (23), as he moved between Flint and Muskegon twice.
He is expected to provide the Stingrays with a solid defenceman in the mold of Stuart Kerr and Aaron Wilson, but with a better pedigree and more physicality.
Although perhaps a more revered fighter and enforcer than new utility man Adam Knight, it is expected that Jorde will be a lynch pin of the Rays defence with Knight marked as the teams primary enforcer. However, if required, Cloutier has suggested that he would not be afraid to use Jorde to intimidate and police.
The 6'3, 213lbs defenceman joins fellow imports Knight and Pavel Gomenyuk on the blueline, and with one more D man to come, the Stingrays look set to go with a four import, six strong defence.
Meanwhile Matt Reynolds looks set to be named the teams final import forward within the next two weeks.
Photos courtesy: ECHL.com and Stuart Bauer (Flint Journal)
