NIHL Signing News

NIHL News

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Billingham Stars have announced their first signing this evening as winger Chris Sykes returns to play another season at the Teesside-based club. Achieving an impressive fifty one points for the Stars last season, Sykes finished as his team’s top points scorer, with only Dragons’ player-coach Scott McKenzie and Blackburn Hawks’ forward Rick Bentham producing more points in the league. Diligent, dedicated and dexterous, Sykes will take his place in Billingham’s roster for a fourth consecutive season as he aspires to better his most recent tally of twenty three goals and twenty eight assists. Whilst this will be no mean feat against the strong defences of his NIHL opposition, Sykes’ experience in the higher tiers of British Ice Hockey will surely stand him in good stead. Starting out with Sheffield’s junior setup in 2005, Sykes went on to ice for the Spartans in the English National League before progressing to the EPL in his 2009-10 campaign with Sheffield Scimitars and subsequently, the rebranded Steeldogs. Featuring twice for Elite League outfit Hull Stingrays during this time, Sykes eventually parted company with Sheffield to divide his ice time between the Stingrays and the NIHL’s Sutton Sting. After tallying more than thirty points for the latter, Sykes remained at the club for a second season before moving to Teesside. An excellent first signing for the Stars, Sykes will, as always, be raring to go in September and will no doubt relish the opportunity to compete against his former EPL club. 

In other news, it has today been announced that forward Charlie Thompson has joined Sheffield Steeldogs for a fourth campaign, having iced in thirty five games for the side last season. Besides taking his place in the Steeldogs’ roster since 2014, Thompson has also lined up for Sheffield Spartans, Sheffield Senators and more recently, Sutton Sting to benefit from additional ice time in the NIHL. Still developing his game, the young prospect was able to demonstrate his skill in his latest outing with the Sting, scoring ten goals and seven assists in just sixteen games to become the side’s fifth highest points scorer in their 2016-17 campaign. As such, Thompson will aim to build on last season’s personal success as he assumes his place in Ben Morgan’s squad from September.

For more photos from IceHockeyMedia, please visit: http://www.icehockeymedia.co.uk/. To listen to Sykes’ interview with Billingham Stars TV, follow the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQnpAICN9ms.