Steve Thornton will now focus on signing his imports after taking his quota
of British players to five.
The Belfast Giants coach completed the re-signing of local favourite Mark
Morrison which brings the number of signed players to seven.
Thornton has wasted no time in putting names on his roster, with no coach in
Giants history ever having as many men tied up by the beginning of May.
Morrison's signing is yet another key capture for new Giants boss Thornton,
who placed the recruitment of British players high on his list of priorities.
"I'm glad to be back and I'm really excited to play for Steve,"
said Morrison.
"He is building a really good team and I'm happy to be a part of his
plans for next year.
"I just want to contribute as much as possible and win games."
The 26-year-old Dundonald-man has close to 300 appearances in a Giants shirt
and will be in the running to be once again named as an assistant captain.
Goaltender Stevie Lyle, defensive pair Dave Phillips and Graeme Walton,
winger Colin Shields and Morrison complete the handful of Brits on the
roster, with Shane Johnson and Thornton making up the rest of the roster so
far.
"Mark Morrison is a tough kid not to like," said Thornton.
"He's a big personality and I know what he brings to a team on the ice.
"He knows his role and plays it well and never tries to do too much.
"He understands that he's not going to score a lot of goals, but he can
be the hardest working guy on the ice, get under the skin of the other teams
and be a leader on and off the ice."
One of the first locals to play for the Giants, next season will be
Morrison's sixth with the team.
"The leagues back home haven't finished yet, so now we have some time
to concentrate on getting the right kind of players to add to this squad,"
added Thornton.
"I am going to make sure we get the type of players that we believe
will bring championships back to Belfast."
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