Hutchinson Returns to his ENL Roots!

Sutton Sting continue to build their senior team in anticipation of the new 2011/12 ice hockey season which gets underway on Saturday 10^th September when they travel to Bradford to face the Bulldogs in the first of their 28 English National League Fixtures.

Making a return to ENL action in two years will be twenty year old Danny Hutchinson who has joined the Ashfield club for a second time having been one of the first players to join the senior Sting team three years ago.

Sting Coach Ian Johnson knows Hutchinson well and said today, “Me and Hutchy go back quite a way.  I’ve know his dad for many years and I’ve watched Danny play hockey from being a small boy and he’s become a really good player who will do well for the Sting.”

Hutchinson has switched codes having played in-line hockey at a high level, even playing pro in Tenerife.  He first signed for the Sting in 2009 and played in the opening games of the first ENL season but by early November he received an offer he could not refuse to go and play in the Spanish Inline hockey league for Tenerife.  He left the UK and did not look back as he cemented a place in the Great Britain inline team which competed in the IIHF World Championships in the Slovakia and the FIRS World Championship in Italy.  It was at the IIHF championship where Hutchinson won Gold in Pool B.

A move back on to ice was always a possibility for Hutchinson and in taking a “day-job” back in his hometown of Sheffield the possibility looked increasingly likely and a move Hutchinson himself was looking for, he said.  “Last time I quit the Sting for a move to Tenerife and I had a great time over there.  I’ve achieved a great deal in roller although I always kept an eye on the progress Sutton was making through Ian Johnson and Ryan Gee.”  He went on. “Gee has been telling me about how the team has been doing and I know there are some great players already on the roster so the time is right for me and I am able to fully commit to ice hockey which is what the Coach was looking for from me.”

Sting player/coach Simon Offord knows Hutchinson too and he is equally pleased with the latest signing.  He said, “In Danny we have a lightning quick forward who has good hands and knows where the net is.  For a little guy he is very strong on the puck and skates incredibly well.  I think he will provide me with a number of options going forward and he will give us an edge where speed is concerned.”

Hutchinson trained for the first time with the Sting last week and he looked to be in great shape and showed a real hunger to be involved.  Johnson added, “Seeing Danny on the ice with Ben Lowe and Paul Lane was great for me because it gave us a fast, strong and deadly third line threat.  It’s clear to me that teams will have to be exceptionally mobile if they are to contain are free-skating forwards so I am getting really pumped-up at the prospects for the coming season.  I can’t wait for September 10^th!”

The Sting roster is certainly looking a lot stronger than the squad from last season which appears to have a great many people talking about Sutton Sting.  The match-up with EN2 new-comers Solway has got many commentators talking especially given the "Pro ambitions" coming from North of the border.  But the Sting can only look to themselves and this point is not lost on Director JR who said. "I've already had a couple of technical workshops with Ian (Johnson) and Simon (Offord), and we have established our systems of play for offence and defence.  In fact we are going to roll-these-out across the older junior teams in order to begin the transition for our more capable junior players."  He went on. "Looking at our EN2 roster we have got some natural talent with one or two of our players being quite gifted.  But we have a great deal of work to do if we are to achieve our overall goals, not just for this team but for the Club as a whole.  It really is an exciting place to be around right now and I'm delighted to be part of it."

Sutton Sting will be competing in the English National League and will be playing their home games at Ice Sheffield.  The first home game of the 2011/12 season will see the Sting take-on Kingston at Ice Sheffield on Sunday 11th September at 4:30pm.  Ticket prices have yet to be announced.