HULL, UK – Excel Hull Stingrays can today confirm the signings of British youngsters Andy Brummitt and Bobby Chamberlain for the 2011/12 Elite League campaign. Netminder Brummitt, 18, has come through the Chelmsford junior programme, spending the past two seasons with the Chieftains in the English National League, and is a former England junior international. He replaces Andrew Jaszczyk, who has been the back-up goalie for the last three years, as Canadian Christian Boucher’s deputy.
Chamberlain, 16, returns to his home town having spent last season at the Ontario Hockey Academy, along with Jack Musil and Jamie Chilcott, who were also part of the Kingston junior set-up. He, too, has represented England at junior level. They join player-coach Sylvain Cloutier, Jereme Tendler, Daniel Scott, Tristan Harper, Sam McCluskey, Jason Silverthorn, Dominic Osman, Christian Boucher, Jack Watkins, Dmitri Suur and Frantisek Bakrlik on the roster for next season.
Cloutier said: “Andy is a young up-and-coming goalie who came to our attention earlier this summer. Jazzy has done a great job for us over the past two years I have been here and I wish him nothing but the best for the future. But I just felt it was time for a change and to bring someone fresh in and I was very impressed with Andy when I saw and spoke to him. Andy is very ambitious and is not just coming here to sit on the bench. He is determined to improve, he wants to play and I like his attitude. He is very motivated and he is heading to Toronto for a goalie school this summer which shows how determined he is to get on in the game.
“He will also play some games with the Kingston Jets. When they do not have a game Andy will be with us. It will help him stay sharp so if called upon, he can do a job for us. Liam Jackson will also be part of the set-up and train with us.
“Bobby played in Canada last year and is another up-and-coming player. I saw him play in my first year with the club and was really impressed. He went off to Canada and has improved his game further. He had opportunities to stay over there and try out for some junior teams but he wanted to be part of the Hull Stingrays. Bobby is a big kid who can play physical and has a lot of talent. He is going to get a lot of ice time this season. We have to be patient with him but I can see him doing a similar job to what Ross Venus did in Coventry last season.
“He is a local kid and we want to give these guys a chance to play for their hometown team. With our affiliation with minor hockey in Hull, more of those youngsters are going to be given their chance over the next few years.”
Brummitt made 9 appearances for the Chelmsford Chieftains last season, as well as 18 games for ENL2 side Chelmsford Warriors, impressing the Essex fans with his solid and dependable netminding and the Harlow-born stopper has a promising future in the game.
Contact the author Pete.Lewis@Prohockeynews.com

HULL, UK – Excel Hull Stingrays can today confirm the signing of Estonia defenceman Dmitri Suur for the 2011/12 Elite League campaign. The 36-year-old native of Tallinn has spent the past two seasons in Poland and is a former Adirondack Frostbite team-mate of Stingrays player-coach Sylvain Cloutier.
Suur, at 6ft 2in and 212lb, captained Estonia in last month’s World Championship campaign when they were relegated from Division One having been in the same group as Great Britain. He joins Cloutier, Jereme Tendler, Daniel Scott, Tristan Harper, Sam McCluskey, Jason Silverthorn, Dominic Osman, Christian Boucher and Jack Watkins on the roster for next season.
Cloutier said: “Dmitri is a vastly experienced guy who will bring a lot of stability to our back-end. He will be a big help to our younger defencemen.
“I played with him in Adirondack and I know what he is all about. He is a competitor, he competes every night and he knows how to win.
“He plays a North American style, he plays hard, he has a big shot and he can run the powerplay.
“ Dmitri keeps himself in great shape and that is why he can still play a lot of minutes and why he is still playing for Estonia at World Championship level.
“He is a proven winner, he has been around and I am delighted to have signed him. He is a great addition.”
Suur spent his first three years in his homeland with Narva PSK HK and Tallinna JSK while representing his country’s Under-18 side.
He then played for Krylia Sovetov and Pardaugava Riga in the Russian Super League before further international recognition for the U20s.
Then came Suur’s first foray into North America with spells in the International Hockey League with Utah Grizzlies, Detroit Vipers, Michigan K-Wings and Long Beach Ice Dogs.
Suur also had one game in the American Hockey League for Rochester Americans and iced for Flint Generals in the Colonial Hockey League and United Hockey League.
The experienced blueliner played more than 100 games for Winston-Salem Icehawks in the UHL as well.
After three years away, Suur returned to Europe for the next six seasons, playing for Slovan Bratislava in Slovakia, Karlovy Vary for four years in the Czech Republic and Herning in Denmark.
Suur spent the majority of the 2005/06 campaign with Adirondack in the UHL, icing on the same team as Cloutier.
A return to Estonia with Stars Tallinn was followed by a stint with HK Nitra in Slovakia before his first spell in Poland with Podhale Nowy Targ.
The 2008/09 season was spent in the MOL Liga with Romanian side HC Csikszereda and he also enjoyed a successful World Championship campaign with the Estonia national team.
Suur was voted the tournament’s Best Defenceman, was the top player on the team and had the best plus/minus statistics as Estonia won the silver medal in Division Two.
He returned to Poland with Podhale Nowy Targ, helping them win the championship, before further international recognition was achieved.
Suur was again named the Best Defenceman and the top player on the team as well as posting the most points by a defenceman as Estonia clinched gold.
Last season he iced for KH Sanok in Poland, winning the cup, and faced Britain in the World Championships as Estonia went back down to Division Two.
Contact the author Pete.lewis@Prohockeynews.com

CHELMSFORD, UK – The Streatham Redskins had the best of the early play in this difficult game this past Saturday and jumped to a 2-0 lead, but the Chieftains hit back through Blaho Novak and then James Ayling to tie it at 2-2. A meleé ended with Redskin Fred Carnegy thrown out for being 3rd man into a ‘fight’ and Sean Easton and BT Williams sat penalties for the Chieftains. Late in the game Easton would find himself first in the showers after being given a second 10minute penalty and in turn a game misconduct penalty. Back to the scoring and a defensive error from the Chieftains allowed the Redskins to go ahead again and the High Road crowd believed they could pick up a shock win, but that was before the master of late goals Canadian Kyle Jones stepped up and tied the game up late on and round out the game 3-3.
Meanwhile back in Essex, the Chieftains second side the Warriors took apart the Bristol Pitbulls ‘B’ side in a 9-4 demolition. Former Chieftains fan-favourite Jerry Pavlus notched a hat-trick on his debut for the Warriors in a game that was overshadowed by a nasty injury to Pitbulls player Luke Curtis who took a puck to the face and required over 25 stitches to a sickening cut that resulted in the first period finishing early due to a pool of blood on the ice. The latest news is that he has been stitched up and returned home and will be out for a few weeks while his injury heals. All at Chelmsford and Pro Hockey News have sent their best wishes to Luke for a full and speedy recovery. One rather amusing moment from the game was seeing Pro Hockey News’s Finnish correspondent Janne Virtanen missing not one, but 2 great chances to score including a close range almost empty net effort…
Onto Sunday and the Chieftains heeded coach Dean Birrell’s words about arresting the slump before it set in with a demolition of MK Thunder, orchestrated by the Chieftains youngsters Ross Brears, Novak and Aaron Connolly. Brears took home the man of the match award with 2 goals, while Connolly and Danny Hammond also picked up 2 apiece. Tom Long and Novak got the other 2.

The game did have an explosive point in the first period when a big hit on Novak resulted in Jones sticking up for his team-mate and dropped the gloves with MK tough guy Mike Lucas. In a long and exciting fight Jones got the clear win much to the delight of the home crowd. With the result being 8-2 to the home side, hopes are high of a good weekend to come.
In South Wales it was a rough night for the Warriors as they went down 6-2 in a game that will be remembered more for the tactics of the Devils and the officials seemingly oblivious to what was going around them. Ricky Mills and Adrian Woodyard got the goals for the Warriors who will be relieved to get out of Wales with no lasting injuries.
The Chieftains return to action on Saturday night when they host Swindon ENL Wildcats before travelling to fellow title challengers and local rivals Invicta Dynamos on Sunday night, while the second string sides do battle at the Riverside when the Mustangs visit the Warriors. Meanwhile away from the ice, the Chieftains are in the running for ‘Team of the Year’ in the Essex Chronicle annual sports awards. The Chelmsford womens team, the Cobras, won it last year and the men are up against 3 cricket teams and a ladies football team. To support ice hockey and the Chieftains, please text ‘EC Sport 0022’ to 65100 in the UK (Texts cost 50p+standard rate). Closing date is midnight (GMT) Friday 4th February Contact the author Pete.lewis@prohockeynews.com

BELFAST, UK – Belfast Giants head coach Doug Christiansen continues to build a side he hopes to challenge for EIHL silverware with the signings of American defenseman Rich Seeley and former Edinburgh Capital player Dan Welch. The standout defenceman Seeley joins the Giants from Austria, where he returned from injury in the 2009/10 season to play 28 regular season and 11 playoff games for Medvescak Zagreb.
In Seeley, Coach Doug Christiansen is delighted to have found the defensive leader he has been searching for:
“Rich Seeley h as been a captain of 8 of the 11 professional teams he has been on. The fact that he has captained 3 different American Hockey League (AHL) teams shows the quality of person and player he is. He was also nominated 3 times for AHL Man of the Year. He is a strong defender who can play on the power play but he is known as a steady defender who can play against other teams top lines.” “I am looking for Rich to be a leader on our defensive core. He brings experience at many levels and can help our d-core improve over the course of the season.  He has a great hockey mind and is someone who will help us in crucial games throughout the season.” Christiansen continued, “One of my main goals is to have a much improved road record and I believe adding leaders helps the team find ways to win on the road. Rich has seen it all and will be a player who will rise to the occasion in those tough road games.”
Forward Dan Welch returns to the Elite League for a further season, having played for Christiansen in Edinburgh last season, scoring 16 goals and 24 assists in 44 games.
Christiansen has a specific role in mind for Welch: “Dan Welch is a well known player in our league. He is a player who has great skill and can make something happen out of nothing. He has played 3 seasons in the AHL, had a point a game in the ECHL, and won an NCAA University Championship. Having coached him last season in Edinburgh, I know what he brings to the table. He is a player who can play any line and can kill penalties. He gives us depth on all 3 lines and can play a defensive role when needed. Dan is excited to be coming to Belfast. Of all of the players I recruited this summer, he was the one who wanted to come to Belfast the most. He was great in the contract talks and said that he understands that his role for the Giants will be different than it has been in other places. I think his role as a depth forward allows him to produce but helps our team by having someone with his pedigree on every line.”
Commenting on the latest signings, GM Todd Kelman said:
“Bringing Rich Seeley to Belfast gives added strength and depth to our defensive core for this season. I think Seeley completes the strongest defensive unit in the league and last year we built a championship team around solid team defence. He is a proven penalty killer who will notch up significant ice time over the season against the opposition’s top lines. Dan Welch joining the Giants also ensures we are bringing depth to our forward lines. I know Dan Welch can put points up and can play on all three lines.   When you look at our forward lines, we are shaping up nicely and will have three lines that can put the puck in the net. I think getting Dan is a great move for us.”
Contact the author Pete.lewis@Prohockeynews.com

SUTTON, UK – Following another successful season for Sutton Sting ice hockey club, Ops Director Gary Apsley has confirmed that a team will be competing in the English National Ice Hockey League in the 2010/11 season.
 
The Sting’s first season in the ENL was tough as they came up against established teams all with experienced players, that said they finished with a very creditable record and the team will be looking for some “big improvements” come September when the new season gets underway.
 
Signing on for a second term is roller hockey hotshot Ryan Gee who last year received financial support from local eye care specialists Specsavers who made a cash donation of £500 to the team in Ryan’s name which helped keep the team on the ice.  Ryan is a current Great Britain international roller hockey player who joined Sutton Sting at the start of last season and proved his worth to the team week-in and week-out.  Sting head coach Rob Saunders has known Gee for a few years now and said

 
“We spoke to Ryan a couple of weeks ago about joining us for a second term and he agreed without hesitation.  He has joined our coaching team to help bring on our kids teams and he is a great role model for the young guys in the club.  We need a few more young fella’s like Ryan”
 
Gee himself was positive about the team and the club and said
 
“When Gary asked me about re-signing I had no hesitation. I love Sutton Sting.  It’s a great club and the guys running the club have a plan and I want to be part of it.”  He added, “On the hockey side we still have some way to go to catch the likes of Nottingham and Sheffield, but I think we’re getting there and it won’t be long before we are challenging for top honours.”
 
Sutton Sting are now building the new ENL team and a second day of trials is planned for Wednesday 14^th July starting at 7:15pm at ice Sheffield.  Players interested in trialling for the team should contact Rob Saunders via email at robb.saunders@sky.com    
 
From early September 2010, Sutton Sting games involving U10, U12 & U14 teams will take place at the Lammas ice rink on Saturday evenings admission is free and open to anyone wishing to support the teams.
 
Good luck to the Sting, as it’s always good to see new teams continuing on in the sport.
 
Contact the author Pete.Lewis@Prohockeynews.com

BRAEHEAD, UK – CHL tough guy Cedric Bernier has put pen to paper on a deal with EIHL new boys Braehead Clan. Bernier comes to the UK after a season in the CHL with the Arizona Sundogs where he picked up 34PIMS in 7 games. Bernier will have had a good idea of the British game as his brother Jonathan had a brief spell with Hull Stingrays a few seasons back and the netminder at the Sundogs, J-F Perras, spent 2 seasons in the UK with the Coventry Blaze and the Edinburgh Capitals. Clan head coach Bruce Richardson said ” Signing this type of player was a must for me as we need this kind of guy on the team. When you sign a tough guy it’s not about signing the toughest guy in the world, it’s about finding a player who wants to take on this role and loves the role. Cedric is that kind of guy. The thing that I really like about Cedric is that he wants to be in Braehead and he wants to prove to everybody that he will be the toughest in the league.” The 25yr old Quebec native has a lot of experience at CHL and ECHL level. Not only that, but he is regularly featured on Youtube, but much more so in terms of glove dropping fights than highlight reel goals as Bernier has only managed 7 goals in 6 seasons with a total of 17 points in the same period. Richardson though knows what he is getting ” With him in the line up his team mates will know that Bernier’s got their backs covered. I can promise Clan fans that Cedric will entertain them at every game. Bernier will take no prisoners. Averaging at least 190 penalty minutes per season since he started his professional campaign in 2004, he’ll be one of the toughest guys on the ice this season. Bernier has a wealth of playing experience and will be one to watch.” Elsewhere in the EIHL, Dundee CCS Stars have signed up netminder Mark McGill who has been playing hockey in Scotland either for the Capitals or for the Stars in their SNL stint. McGill will turn 19 this year and perhaps isn’t ready to be the Stars starting goalie, but will have a chance to play though, according to coach Dan Cemen “While we are presently searching for a number 1 import goalie, I have confidence that Mark will be able to play some games this year and will improve as he gets used to the level of the shooters in the Elite League.” The Stars have also signed Kris Phillips who has recently had spells with the Capitals and also in Canada where he played for Toronto Canada Moose. Contact the author Pete.lewis@prohockeynews.com