The Hull Stingrays have today confirmed a trio of key signings with the news that starting netminder Christian Boucher and Brits Lee and Craig Mitchell will don Stingrays colours this coming season.
Netminder Boucher, a 26 year old native of Ontario, Canada, signed earlier in the summer from Dutch Eredivisie side Nijmegen Devils following a double championship winning season season in the Netherlands.
This year in Hull will be just his third season as a pro having previously registered 2.89 goals against average and 91.9sv.% with CHL side Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees in 08/09 playing alongside now departed defenceman Stephen Burns, who played a big part in his signature.
He will join Andrew Jaszczyk in the netminding department and will succeed Martin Raitums as the Rays number one, where he will definitely have big skates to fill after the Latvians post-Christmas showing last year.
So late in the pre-season and with such a dearth in British talent, the re-signing of Lee and Craig Mitchell was crucial for the Stingrays next season.
Blueliner and GB junior international Craig, 19, enters his second season with the Rays and third in the Elite League having proved a solid defensive acquisition for Cloutier last year in a campaign in which he hit a goal and eight assists.
He becomes the first defenceman to confirm his return following the defection of Matt Suderman, Stephen Burns and Guillaume Lepine to other sides and with the future of Trevor Read and Joshua Mizerek at the club still uncertain.
Meanwhile older brother Lee continues to develop into one of the premium British forwards in the sport having made his debut in a GB shirt in the World Championships in April and having hit career best figures in goals (14), assists (21) and points (35) in 44 games with the Rays last season.
His return for a sixth season is a massive boost to the club, particularly considering he remained faithful to the team after almost certainly rejecting approaches from other EIHL sides during the few days that the Rays were dormant.
The return of all three players somewhat offsets the departure of Canadian forward Chris Korchinski, who, it was confirmed today, would not join the Stingrays after all. Korchinski's decision to sign in the CHL leaves Cloutier searching for at least four imports for the new season, of which at least two will be defencemen to join Craig Mitchell in front of Christian Boucher.
Goalscorer Konstantin Kalmikov has to be next on Cloutier's hit list having hit 31 goals last season and 54 in two years with the club, while it will also be hoped young forward Andrew Coburn, Read and captain to be Mizerek will return to ease the workload on the Rays coach with just five weeks until pre-season training camp kicks off.
