The resuscitated Stingrays will have their sights set on the play-offs when the 2011/12 season gets under way.
Cloutier set to lead Stingrays into play-off contention?
What a difference a year makes.
In 365 days the Hull Stingrays have gone from being dead in the water to a franchise threatening to break into the top half of the Elite League table.
Ever since Coventry's ownership resuscitated the drowning Rays they have slowly fought their way back to something resembling normality for an Elite League club. There have been hiccups on the way, but Hull now represents the positive side of dual ownership.
There remains an undeniable conflict of interest, of course, with Paul Thompson perhaps the only man in the world of hockey who has a handle on the fortunes of three teams - Coventry, Hull and Team GB. While the Blaze hierarchy continue their financial and emotional ties with the Rays, it's a safe assumption in this case to believe that the line is drawn in the sand before anyone's integrity is brought into question. Without the takeover, the Stingrays would be done. A league with some odd ownership structures might raise a few eyebrows, but a ten team league is better than an Elite League with one-team ownership and only six franchises.
Sylvain Cloutier returns to the helm as player-coach and has had a calmer summer to undertake his recruitment drive. Next to the 37-year old Cloutier, the leader on this year's Rays roster is incoming American D-man Josh Mizerek (The Hague). Mizerek becomes possibly the first man in the history of British ice hockey to be named captain of a team twice before actually setting a foot in the country, having originally been handed the "C" last summer before backing out when the Rays were in limbo.
Point to prove
The Miz will form a new look blueline alongside Euro duo Dmitry Suur (KH Sanok) and Martin Ondrej (Milan Rossoblu). Daniel Scott (Telford) and Sam McCluskey (Dundee) round out the unit.
Cloutier has managed to retain the services of netminder Christian Boucher, top-scorer Jereme Tendler and first line forward Jason Silverthorn. There were likely only a couple of imports that didn't return that he would have much preferred to keep. The Rays will be adapting to a new British contingent since the Mitchell Brothers (Lee and Craig - Dundee Stars) and Lee Esders (Sheffield Steelers) all bolted. Cloutier is hoping to match their production with a new cohort of Brits that have a point to prove, but in the short term he's got the short end of the stick.
Losing his best Brit in Lee Mitchell has forced Cloutier to re-align the roster and make the decision to roll with only three import D-men. The Rays blueline doesn't seem to match up with Dundee and Braehead and Mizerek, Rodin and Ondrej will have to eat up minutes, especially with Scott making the jump up in class from Telford. Still, with three key Brits gone in one summer, it's difficult to create a strong argument against the decision to keep the extra import in the forwards. The Rays will need their new blueliners to over-achieve and most importantly of all stay healthy if they're able to challenge for mid-table status.
Retaining the core of Boucher, Silverthorn and Tendler was a key outcome for Hull's summer shopping spree. Silverthorn is a solid two-way centreman in this league and makes the Rays tick without necessarily threatening the highlight reel. He's a man that opposing teams often key in on and should be good for somewhere in the vicinity of 50 points.
Tendler meanwhile, offers a more dynamic approach to the Stingrays forward lines and will be looking to follow up his impressive rookie campaign. Tendler was voted into the IHJUK's First All Star team and was the only player to represent one of the franchises in the bottom half of the table in either the first or second team. Tendler paced the Rays with 81 points, while Silverthorn was third with 51. The man who split them was Andrew Coburn, who Rays fans will be said to see the back of.
Dominic Osman (Toledo Walleye, ECHL) joins to provide some secondary scoring, coming with a reference from former Hull defenceman Dave Phillips through the grapevine after they played together last season.
Dismay
Hull have a little sandpaper up front with the signings of Czech forward Frantisek Bakrlik (Podhale Nowy Targ, Poland) and former Manchester, Newcastle, Coventry and Sheffield grinder Derek Campbell who continues his spin on the EIHL carousel. Bakrlik played together with Cloutier for Adirondack, while Campbell is that typical love him or hate him type player, who keeps coming back to the dismay of opposing fans while slowly winning over his own. Cloutier will need a back-up plan, however, for Campbell's inevitable perennial suspension. He's consistent, if nothing else.
The Rays have a shot at finishing top of the EIHL's second tier and the stability they now have is worth at least 10 points. Hull should be starting with a full roster from day one, which is such an important aspect for teams in the bottom half.
Their only shot at breaking into the top five is if one of the established teams suffers a catastrophe (see Coventry Blaze 2010/11), but their main goal should be handling business against Fife and Edinburgh and winning the season series versus Braehead and Dundee.
