NEWCASTLE, UK – It has been announced that Newcastle Vipers have added British forward Paul Sample to their roster ahead of the 2010/11 season. Vipers have recently lost the services of the experienced home grown duo of David Longstaff and Ben Campbell so the capture of a Brit with a wealth of experience in the Elite League was vital as Danny Stewart shapes his squad for his first season in charge in the north east of England.
With many top Brits already committed to teams for next term and some upcoming players opting to drop down to the EPL in order to secure more ice time the capture of experienced British players is a crucial area in each Elite League teams recruitment strategy. Given that Coach Stewart now has a trio of British forwards (Sample, Jamie Tinsley and Nathan Salem) signed up for the next campaign Vipers could well make a move for a UK blueliner in the near future.
Sample who is originally from Ashington in Northumberland has spent 6 seasons at the highest level in the British game. Sample started his Elite league career back in the 2003/4 term when he earned a place on the Belfast Giants roster after impressing in the now defunct British National League. Sample had the most productive season of his career that year as he was able to post a total of 40 points for the Giants.
Such impressive statistics led to a move to the Sheffield Steelers. However Sample was unable to repeat the superb form he had showed in the Odyssey in South Yorkshire and his points dropped significantly during his 2 seasons at the Sheffield Arena. A switch to the Cardiff Devils got his game back on track in the 2006/7 season as he was able to tally over 30 points in the red and black of the Devils in his first term in the Welsh capital.
Sample has since gone onto ice in Belfast once again before taking some out of hockey following the end of the 2008/9 campaign top pursue his own business interests. It is hoped that Sample can go onto re-establish himself as one of the Elite League’s top home grown players next term as the Newcastle Vipers look to improve on their 7th place finish in the 2009/10 league standings.
Contact the author – chris.mackenzie@prohockeynews.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.