Osman snapped up to boost Stingrays

The 29-year-old, from Michigan, makes the switch from Toledo Walleye of the ECHL, where he posted 10 goals and 15 assists in 56 matches while playing alongside former Stingrays defenceman David Phillips, who played at Hull Arena between 2004-08.

“Dominic has a great offensive threat, he has got a great shot, he is a great skater, he competes and never takes a night off,” said Cloutier.

“He has got some speed, which is something we did not have a lot of last season, and he will relish the bigger ice here.

“Last season we had a big lack of secondary scoring. Our second unit struggled to put the puck in the net and at times we were carrying passengers and that hurt us.”

Osman’s arrival is the seventh name on Cloutier’s list – including himself – for next season with the perennial strugglers looking to improve on their best-ever top-flight finish of seventh last season since joining in 2006.

Osman’s first full pro season came in 2006-07 with New Mexico Scorpions in the Central Hockey League, before he split the following campaign with Fort Wayne Komets and Kalamazoo Wings in the International Hockey League.

He began the 2009-10 season with Toledo, before switching late on in the season to the Florida Everblades only to return to the Walleye last September.

“Last season in Toledo, when the AHL players came down, he did not get as much of a chance,” added Cloutier.

“But he knows he will be getting plenty of ice time with us and he is really looking forward to that.”