The Hull Stingrays confirmed at last nights fans forum that three more players initially signed to the club would take to the ice in Hull this coming year after the clubs takeover.
Returning goalscorer Konstantin Kalmikov, rookie forward Andrew Coburn and former Basingstoke blueliner Trevor Read will line up for the Rays this coming season afterall.
At a well attended fans forum, coach Sylvain Cloutier revealed to huge relief that Ukrainian Kalmikov, who last season netted a club record 31 league goals to set his total in a Rays jersey at 54, would be back for a third season in Hull colours.
And despite rumours that he had signed for Edinburgh, Read, who spent last year in France, was also confirmed as returning under the new Coventry based ownership group.
24 year old Canadian Coburn, who will become one of the youngest imports to ice for the club in the Elite League, also had doubts about committing to the club. However, after rejecting offers elsewhere to remain with the club for the forthcoming season, Cloutier pointed out that the rookie is very excited to come to the UK following three years in the US college system at the University of Alabama-Huntsville, where he racked up 21 goals and 33 assists in 94 appearances.
Coach Cloutier now turns his attentions to replacing the departing fivesome of Matt Suderman, James Archer, Guillaume Lepine, Joshua Mizerek and Chris Korchinski.
With the seasons opening weekend just a week away for many clubs, the majority of British players have already been snapped up and with the Rays able to sign a total of 12 imports this season it looks highly likely that Brit forward Archer will be replaced by an import.
That leaves Cloutier searching for what is likely to be three import defencemen and two import forwards ahead of the start of the Rays season in October.
Signing news is expected soon with contract offers on the table and awaiting signatures. Forwards Jereme Tendler, whom Cloutier coached in Corpus Christi, and Sean Berkstresser, former team mate of Rays keeper Christian Boucher, have been heavily linked with contract offers.
