The Hull Stingrays today added further defensive depth to their roster for the 2013/2014 Elite Ice Hockey League season with the signing of Hull-born defenceman Jamie Chilcott and re-signing of netminders Greg Blais and Liam Jackson.
British prospect Chilcott returns to his hometown five years after last regularly taking to the Hull Arena ice as part of the Kingston Crunch and Kingston Predators at the age of 15.
After recording 40 points at U16 level with the Predators and 16 points at U18 level with the Crunch in 08/09, the 20 year old moved to Canada to spend two years at the Ontario Hockey Academy - a hockey prep school based in Cornwall, Ontario - where he iced alongside fellow Stingray Bobby Chamberlain during his second year.
After two years north of the border, he moved to America in 2011 to join the Space Coast Hurricanes of the Eastern Junior Hockey League - a third tier American junior league - where he spent time with another Hull product and rumoured Elite League bound forward Jack Musil - who has dominated the EJHL in the last two years with 40 goals and 87 points in 53 games. Based in Rockledge, Florida - 60 miles east of Orlando - Chilcott recorded 49 points in 53 games during two years playing at the SpaceCoast Iceplex.
Having honed his skills during four years in North America, Chilcott is highly regarded in British hockey circles and has been called up to the Great Britain junior programme in each of the last four years - joining the U20's as they were relegated from IIHF U20 Division I Group A in Germany in December.
The signing of the 6ft defenceman brings the Stingrays defensive corps to five following off-season additions of Brit Scott Robson, and imports Omar Pacha, Jeff Smith and Martin Ondrej.
Coach Sylvain Cloutier is nearing the completion of his squad with two further import defencemen and it seems likely the Stingrays will be a much stronger proposition defensively next term - as was his aim early in the off-season - with Chilcott and Robson battling it out for a possible regular shift on the Rays third defensive line.
Meanwhile Blais and Jackson return to the Stingrays as second and third choice netminders for a second and third seasons respectively.
Former Telford Tigers netminder Blais, 32, was signed by Cloutier last summer to provide Bowns with support - both on and off-ice - during his first season in the Elite League and to also fill in for the Sheffield born stopper while away on international duty.
Blais largely impressed between the pipes on the two occasions Bowns was called away to Japan and Latvia with the Great Britain senior side. Despite ending the year with just two wins from five starts, the Canadian keeper stood out in those two wins, posting a 46 save winning effort against the Coventry Blaze in his EIHL debut on 10th November at the Hull Arena while turning away 32 of 33 shots in a win over the Dundee Stars on 9th February. He ended his first season in the Elite League with a 90.0sv% and 3.72 goals against average from eight appearances.
Admittedly, British hockey isn't renowned for it's depth between the pipes, however, in Blais the Rays possess the type of solid, experienced backup that few Elite League sides can boast.
Though it's unlikely he will oust Bowns from the starting spot - although that possibility was discussed amongst fans following his standout debut performance in November - the extra competition will help keep the Stingrays in the best possible position as far as netminding is concerned and will help develop the country's best young keeper in turn.
Elite League sides will again be restricted to 11 imports during the 13/14 season and with the Stingrays set to use all 11 of those spots on outskating players, Blais - as the club's 12th import - will likely see limited action in the early part of the year and whenever the roster is at full-strength.
As with last season though, Blais will be called upon to back up as and when injuries and suspensions to imports occur, and should Bowns suffer an injury or severe loss of form.
When the Rays are healthy and at full strength as far as imports as concerned, 19 year old netminder Liam Jackson will again fill in as back-up during his third season with the club.
Despite being with the club for the last two seasons, the former Bradford Bulldog only made his Stingrays Elite League debut at the tail end of last season, turning away 15 of 17 shots in 20 minutes of action after Bowns was thrown out of the heated 5-0 loss in Dundee on 17th March.
British prospect Chilcott returns to his hometown five years after last regularly taking to the Hull Arena ice as part of the Kingston Crunch and Kingston Predators at the age of 15.
After two years north of the border, he moved to America in 2011 to join the Space Coast Hurricanes of the Eastern Junior Hockey League - a third tier American junior league - where he spent time with another Hull product and rumoured Elite League bound forward Jack Musil - who has dominated the EJHL in the last two years with 40 goals and 87 points in 53 games. Based in Rockledge, Florida - 60 miles east of Orlando - Chilcott recorded 49 points in 53 games during two years playing at the SpaceCoast Iceplex.
Having honed his skills during four years in North America, Chilcott is highly regarded in British hockey circles and has been called up to the Great Britain junior programme in each of the last four years - joining the U20's as they were relegated from IIHF U20 Division I Group A in Germany in December.
The signing of the 6ft defenceman brings the Stingrays defensive corps to five following off-season additions of Brit Scott Robson, and imports Omar Pacha, Jeff Smith and Martin Ondrej.
Coach Sylvain Cloutier is nearing the completion of his squad with two further import defencemen and it seems likely the Stingrays will be a much stronger proposition defensively next term - as was his aim early in the off-season - with Chilcott and Robson battling it out for a possible regular shift on the Rays third defensive line.
Meanwhile Blais and Jackson return to the Stingrays as second and third choice netminders for a second and third seasons respectively.
Blais largely impressed between the pipes on the two occasions Bowns was called away to Japan and Latvia with the Great Britain senior side. Despite ending the year with just two wins from five starts, the Canadian keeper stood out in those two wins, posting a 46 save winning effort against the Coventry Blaze in his EIHL debut on 10th November at the Hull Arena while turning away 32 of 33 shots in a win over the Dundee Stars on 9th February. He ended his first season in the Elite League with a 90.0sv% and 3.72 goals against average from eight appearances.
Admittedly, British hockey isn't renowned for it's depth between the pipes, however, in Blais the Rays possess the type of solid, experienced backup that few Elite League sides can boast.
Elite League sides will again be restricted to 11 imports during the 13/14 season and with the Stingrays set to use all 11 of those spots on outskating players, Blais - as the club's 12th import - will likely see limited action in the early part of the year and whenever the roster is at full-strength.
As with last season though, Blais will be called upon to back up as and when injuries and suspensions to imports occur, and should Bowns suffer an injury or severe loss of form.
When the Rays are healthy and at full strength as far as imports as concerned, 19 year old netminder Liam Jackson will again fill in as back-up during his third season with the club.
