Cloutier aims high with new arrivals

With two more signings expected next week - one of them British - it's clear Cloutier, now with 11 imports on his roster, has opted for more depth than last season.

Friday saw the club announce defensive pair Kriss Grundmanis and Aivars Gaisins as the latest to join the ranks at Hull Arena.

Their arrival follows a summer of turmoil for the team, after an intial collapse of the business was followed within a week by new ownership coming in to take over the stricken club.

As the result of being out of business for a week, player-coach Cloutier lost five of the players he had signed earlier in the summer under former owners Mike and Sue Pack.

Grundmanis, 21, joins the club from Dinamo Riga where he helped his hometown club secure the Latvian Championship last season and was highly recommended to Cloutier by Stingrays' 2009-10 goaltender Martins Raitums.

The 6ft 5ins 21-year-old was capped by his country at Under-18 level and made his Latvian Under-20 debut at the age of 16. He was an ever-present for the Under-20 national side in four consecutive World Championships.

He has played a handful of games in the ECHL, coming less than two years after being drafted in the first round of the Central Hockey League import draft by the Toronto St Michael's Majors.

"Kriss is a great pick up for our hockey club," said Cloutier. "He's a big, stay-at-home defenseman who loves to play a really physical game out on the ice and is another player who will have no problems clearing the front of the net.

"Our goalie last year, Martins Raitums, knows him well and had nothing but good things to say about him."

Gaisins returns to the Stingrays after making just two appearances for the club last season before fracturing his hand and being ruled out for the remainder of the season.

The 6'2", 28-year-old blue-liner also represented his country at Under-18 and Under-20 levels.

Cloutier added: "He has a great attitude to the game and a first-class work ethic and with us playing so many games in a short space of time this season, those characteristics are great to have in our team."