Ukrainian defenceman Pavel Gomenyuk has agreed to extend his short-term contract at the Hull Stingrays until the end of the 2013/2014 season.
The 35 year old guested for the club at the weekend as they dug in deep with a short bench to return home with a huge three points against Gardiner conference rivals following a shootout loss to Fife and 5-4 triumph over Edinburgh.
Gomenyuk - who will now partake in his 6th season in Hull - notched an assist and four penalty minutes over the weekend and is the club's fifth import blueliner.
While the defenceman has been criticised for some of his play in the past and would not have necessarily been most people's first choice, he is a welcome, cheap and most importantly immediate addition for Sylvain Cloutier - who has been struggling to pin down prospective players.
Of the Gomenyuk confirming his deal, Cloutier said:
The 32 year old veteran is incredibly well liked and respected both in the dressing room and by fans and is seen by Cloutier as the perfect captain and leader.
Finally, it is believed that the Stingrays have located and, indeed, signed their final import - a replacement for the long-departed Derek Campbell.
Speculation suggests that, pleased with the club's firepower in Jereme Tendler, Guillaume Doucet and the ever-improving Carl Lauzon, Cloutier may have plumped for a further import defenceman to shore up their back line in front of Ben Bowns and that that blueliner is another former Stingray.
The addition of another import defenceman would mean the versatile Kyle Mariani reverting back to his third-line forward spot alongside Tom Squires and Bobby Chamberlain - once he returns from Great Britain Under-20 duty.
Although the new import signing won't be in the country in time for Thursday's fixture in Dundee as they await a work permit clearance, it was hoped they may have him in the country in time for this weekend's home game against the Edinburgh Capitals.
The 35 year old guested for the club at the weekend as they dug in deep with a short bench to return home with a huge three points against Gardiner conference rivals following a shootout loss to Fife and 5-4 triumph over Edinburgh.
Gomenyuk - who will now partake in his 6th season in Hull - notched an assist and four penalty minutes over the weekend and is the club's fifth import blueliner.
While the defenceman has been criticised for some of his play in the past and would not have necessarily been most people's first choice, he is a welcome, cheap and most importantly immediate addition for Sylvain Cloutier - who has been struggling to pin down prospective players.
Of the Gomenyuk confirming his deal, Cloutier said:
"Gomy wanted to come back. He really enjoyed being back playing at the weekend, he settled in well with the other guys and had a lot of fun with them. He had no problem adjusting and you could not tell he had not played all season. Gomy is an experienced guy who will help out our defence a lot. He reads the game well and knows where to be out there. He will also boost our powerplay and penalty kill."Meanwhile, following the departure of former captain Matt Suderman, Cloutier today announced that alternate captain Jeff Smith has been chosen to become the club's new captain.
The 32 year old veteran is incredibly well liked and respected both in the dressing room and by fans and is seen by Cloutier as the perfect captain and leader.
"Smitty has always been a leader in the dressing room since he came here. He has the respect of everybody and is a leader on and off the ice. He is someone you can rely on out there, he has been around, has captained teams before and has a lot of experience. He has also won championships wherever he has been. Last season was a tough one for Smitty with the problems he had not even being able to put his skates on. But he kept on battling for the team and is someone who never gives up and that is why he got the coach's award.The move left a vacant alternate captain slot alongside Jason Silverthorn which Cloutier also announced has been filled by fellowed defenceman Martin Ondrej.
Finally, it is believed that the Stingrays have located and, indeed, signed their final import - a replacement for the long-departed Derek Campbell.
Speculation suggests that, pleased with the club's firepower in Jereme Tendler, Guillaume Doucet and the ever-improving Carl Lauzon, Cloutier may have plumped for a further import defenceman to shore up their back line in front of Ben Bowns and that that blueliner is another former Stingray.
The addition of another import defenceman would mean the versatile Kyle Mariani reverting back to his third-line forward spot alongside Tom Squires and Bobby Chamberlain - once he returns from Great Britain Under-20 duty.
Although the new import signing won't be in the country in time for Thursday's fixture in Dundee as they await a work permit clearance, it was hoped they may have him in the country in time for this weekend's home game against the Edinburgh Capitals.
