Each EIHL club's most exciting offseason addition

 With all 10 rosters almost complete, the buzz of a long awaited return to a full EIHL campaign is in full swing. I've been very pleasantly surprised at the quality, at least on paper, that teams have been able to sign in a post pandemic market. 

 I've picked out one new signing from each roster who I think will be a standout this season, with a few honourable mentions too. To clarify, these are players who didn't play for their clubs in 2019/20 or the Elite Series, hence why some of the honourable mentions have previously worn their clubs colours but have gone elsewhere since.

Belfast Giants - Griffin Reinhart

Belfast have made some seriously impressive additions this offseason and there's about 4-5 players I could have chosen. Getting a player who's last 3 seasons consist of KHL, DEL and AHL experience is impossible to ignore though. 

Defenceman Griffin Reinhart has only played in top league's throughout his career, not least in the NHL where he has 37 games of experience. I'm very surprised an EIHL side has managed to attract him. This is nothing short of a massive statement of intent. 

Signings with this level of experience usually come to the league at the end of their career, but he's only 27, suggesting he's very much still got a lot to give. 

Honourable mentions: Tyler Beskowarany, Darcy Murphy, Jeremy Boucher 

Cardiff Devils - Brodie Reid 

Making a choice from a new look Cardiff team that once again appears to be stacked was not an easy decision. January's ECHL player of the month, Brodie Reid was my pick of the bunch though. 

The right winger averaged exactly a point per game for Kansas last season in which he was their top scorer with an impressive 60 points (25+35) in as many games. He has already been putting up points in the Champions Hockey League, which is a good indicator of things to come if you're a Devils fan. 

With club legends Joey Martin and Joey Haddad departing, Reid is filling big boots on the forward front, and I'm confident he will do so more than adequately. 

Honourable mentions: Matt Register, Mac Carruth, Brendan Mikkelson 

Coventry Blaze - Mathew Thompson 

Most of Coventry's top end players come in the form of returnees such as Luke Ferrara and CJ Motte, but as far as new additions go, Mathew Thompson looks like he'll be racking up the points this season. 

Having spent the last few seasons under contract with Rockford of the AHL, he has spent most of that time in the ECHL with some solid offensive totals. This was most evident in 2018/19, where he posted 50 points (21+29) in 65 games. 

A season later, he would receive a brief AHL call up and was near a point per game player for Indy last season. 

Honourable mentions: Nathanael Halbert, Ryan Penny, Dane Gibson 

Dundee Stars - Spencer Dorowicz

Centreman Spencer Dorowicz on paper would be a very decent signing for any EIHL club. In two season's at Wichita of the ECHL, he has developed into a solid forward, posting 68 points, with the goals and assists coming in pretty equal measure. 

His fine form in 2019/20 earned him a spot in the ECHL all star game, so overall his CV looks incredibly promising, as are references from many ex EIHLers according to head coach Omar Pacha. 

Compared to the rest of their roster, he appears to be a nailed top liner to start the season and will be heavily relied on for offensive production. 

Fife Flyers - Greg Chase

He may not have played last season, but landing a player who has featured in the AHL in each of his 7 professional seasons is seriously impressive. Forward Greg Chase has over 100 games of experience in North America's second tier, 3 of which came in 2019/20. 

His other 42 games that season came in the ECHL with Maine, where he posted a solid 28 points (10+18). 

The former Edmonton Oilers prospect has previously featured in preseason action for the NHL side, and is by some distance the Flyers most intriguing signing. 

Honourable mentions: Shane Owen, Imants Lescovs, Isak Stenlund Adelgran

Glasgow Clan - Colton Yellow Horn

As well as having the best name of any hockey player, or any person I've seen ever, Colton Yellow Horn has been a point scoring machine wherever he has been, almost without exception. 

Most of his European career has been in the EBEL, where he has played for three different clubs. In 2015/16, he was named the leagues most valuable player after being top scorer for Orli. 

He has branched out more so in the past two seasons with stints in Slovakia and Romania, where he averaged over a point per game. He proved this to the extreme last season as a catalyst of Csikszereda's playoff winning side, with 69 points (21+48). 

Honourable mentions: Shane Starrett, Mikko Vainonen, Jamie Crooks

Guildford Flames - Kevin Lindskoug

Guildford's new additions aren't too spectacular, but new starting goaltender Kevin Lindskoug is well proven in Europe. 

Most of that experience has been in his homeland of Sweden, among Belarus, Poland and Italy, where his stats have been more than respectable. His save % has never been below .900. 

Last season, it would be his .925 save % that would be the best in Sweden's third tier. He made 10 appearances for Bodens after originally signing for Guildford last summer, but his move was prolonged because of the pandemic. 

Honourable mentions: Jake Bolton, Jesper Alasaari, Jordan Cownie

Manchester Storm - Curtis Hamilton

Forward Curtis Hamilton brings both a truckload of top level experience and EIHL pedigree to an intriguing Manchester forward unit. 

Having spent the early years of his career in the AHL in which he would earn a one game NHL call up, he would venture into Europe in 2015. His destinations would include the Czech Extraliga, Finnish Liiga and EBEL, where he would build an impressive point haul. That would be followed to a move to these shores with Belfast, where he would put up 39 points (21+18) in 2019/20. 

The Storm are therefore getting a very well established player who will be a key piece to Ryan Finnerty's puzzle. 

Honourable mentions: Ben Wilson, Wayne Macleod, Linden Springer

Nottingham Panthers - Brady Norrish

In two professional seasons, 2019/20 ECHL all star Brady Norrish has already built an impressive CV. He has established himself as one of the best defenceman on the East Coast which is a seriously impressive pick up for the Nottingham Panthers.

He may not have played last season, but if he can re-find the quality that led to him playing 13 AHL games in 2018/19, then we could be looking at one of the league's top defenceman. 

He is described as an all rounder, and appears capable of contributing at both ends. He can bring offence, particularly in the assists column. 

Honourable mentions: Matt Lane, Simon Suoranta, Massimo Carozza 

Sheffield Steelers - Travis Oleksuk 

Centreman Travis Oleksuk is nothing short of a blockbuster signing. He joins a stacked Sheffield centre unit. 

Whilst many of Sheffield's signings have experience in multiple top leagues, recent seasons are the most important indicator of a signing. Oleksuk stands out the most in that regard, having proven himself in the EBEL over the past 4 seasons. 

His stats from last season are similar to that of EIHL stalwart Marc-Oliver Vallerand when he came to the league with Coventry. This arguably looks even more impressive, due to his 4 seasons in the AHL prior to that. After Reinhart at Belfast, I'd argue it's the signing of the summer. 

Honourable mentions: Keaton Ellerby, Justin Hodgman, Martin Latal