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
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