BASINGSTOKE, UK- The Basingstoke Bison roster is almost complete after the latest trio of players put pen to paper and joined the Herd.
Two are re-signing in the shape of import defenseman Mindy Kieras and British forward Andy Hemmings.
The last member of the team’s final batch of signings is new to Basingstoke in British defenseman Carl Graham.
This leaves Bison player-coach Steve Moria now only looking for a back-up netminder to compete the Herd for their forthcoming EPL campaign.
The return of Kieras will be a great boost to the Bison as the Lithuanian international was the cornerstone of their powerplay unit last season thanks to one of the hardest slapshots in the league.
The 30-year-old finished fourth in the club’s scoring charts with 62 points hitting the net 13 times with his best tally being two which including the overtime winner at Swindon in a 4-3 victory.
Of his 49 assists, six came in a 12-4 win over Romford, which is a club record for the EPL.
The performance of this solid blue liner did not go unnoticed by the ice hockey journalists as they voted him onto the second all star team for the EPL.
“Mindy was a very key part of our team last season and I think he is one of the best defencemen in the league as he is very strong in his own zone and also has a powerful shot, said Moria.
The re-signing of hard working British forward Hemmings is another important returnee for the Bison.
The 21-year-old Guilford UK born player was the Herd’s third highest British league goal scorer last season, behind Oliver Bronnimann and Nicky Chinn as he found the net 14 times.
He also added 19 assists for a final points total of 33 in an excellent break-out season as that was more than double his previous best when at Bracknell the year before.
“He is a player who certainly has all the tools and his game can only develop more. He has great speed and a good head for the game,” said Moria.
“I really enjoyed my first season with the Bison, the fans were great and really felt like home. I found it easy to settle into the team even if it was brand new,” said Hemmings.
The returning Basingstoke forward is looking to improve on his numbers even more and has set himself a target he believes he can reach of 20 to 25 goals for the next season and is looking for his first league hat-trick.
He did get hat-trick last season in the Planet Ice Shield competition, but this year he wants one in the league after four times being struck on two goals last season.
Completing the latest batch of signings is a player new to the Bison in British defenseman Graham.
He has become the second player this summer following Callum Best to move from Bracknell to Basingstoke.
Last season, he started the campaign with Manchester who he played for the previous two seasons in the Elite League.
He has also suited up the Wightlink Raiders and the Slough Jets where he learnt his hockey in the EPL.
He has a career high 66 minutes in penalties when playing on the Isle of Wight, which also saw his best points return of seven (1+6) from 40 games.
Last year in Bracknell he hit the net twice in a five point season and picked up 56 pims, six of which came against Basingstoke.
He in fact played seven league games against the Bison, which included the league opener for the Phoenix, before his move to Bracknell and six more games.
With the Phoenix he was 1-0-0 and the Bees 0-6-0, but felt the year at the Hive improved his game meaning it was right move for the 204lb 6ft defenseman.
“I play a physical style and the fans will see me dishing out the hits. I am good in my end and know what is expected of me,” said Graham.
“I am pleased to get Carl on board and feel he is going to add a little bit more git to our defence,” said Moria.
His addition means that player-coach Moria now has six defenseman, but will only operate with five, so Tony Redmond will move back to forward lines for the start of the campaign.
He is no stranger there as a Basingstoke player being the club’s all time leading British scorer.
It remains to be seen if he plays on an all Brit line with Hemmings and Chris Wiggins, but it certainly leaves player-coach Moria with a lot to think about and no doubt he will use the exhibition games in weeks leading up to the league opener as a chance to try a few things out.
“Tony has played as a forward most of his career, so it is an easy decision,” said Moria.
Contact the author Graham.Merry@Prohockeynews.com
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