Belfast Giants sign defenceman Mike Wilson for new season
Last updated on .From the section Ice hockey
The Belfast Giants have announced the signing of 28-year-old defenceman Mike Wilson for the 2015-16 season, their 14th off-season recruit.
Wilson, from British Columbia, arrives following two successive seasons with the Wichita Thunder.
He posted 96 points in 137 games played in the Central Hockey League and East Coast Hockey League.
He joins Jeff Mason and Matt Nickerson on the blueline next season and will hope to make a big impact in Belfast.
"Mike has had a couple of really good years in the East Coast League (ECHL), putting up some big numbers for a defenceman," said the Giants' Head of Hockey Operations Steve Thornton.
"The coaches that I spoke to about him all said the same thing - that he flies, the strength is his speed and, I think, when you get a guy who is creative offensively and skates well, then the transition to the bigger ice is much easier."
"He makes good decisions with the puck, he is dynamic offensively - I think he will be able to creative offence from the back, which is something I thought we did not have enough of last year."
"He's a guy that we're going to ask to certainly play all three zones of the rink but one of the main strengths when you sign a guy like Mike Wilson is that he can make plays happen."
