Thornton delighted with Giants' Sample of quality

Ice Hockey

Thursday, May 15, 2008

By Stuart McKinley

Paul Sample has agreed a return to the Belfast Giants, four years after quitting the club.

The signing of the Newcastle-born forward further increases the number of British players brought to the Odyssey by coach Steve Thornton and with Leigh Jamieson joining Coventry Blaze last week getting another Great Britain international on the roster is a major coup for the team.

Thornton now has eight players signed, six of those qualify as home grown players under Elite League rules and it will be hard for any other team to match the kind of collective British quality that the Giants will have on their team.

And the new coach thinks Sample's potential has still to be fulfilled.

"Paul brings a lot of energy to the ice and I believe, at his age, that he's entering the prime of his career," said Thornton.

"I don't believe we've seen the best of Paul, that is still to come and he's going to show Giants fans and the rest of the league what a good player he is.

Along with Mark Morrison he's going to add some depth to our team and is going to battle for the puck on every shift he plays and he can score as well and add to our offence."

Sample enjoyed a successful first season at the top level of British ice hockey when he joined the Giants in 2003 from the Dundee Stars.

He hit 18 goals in 62 appearances under Rob Stewart, but when his former Dundee coach Tony Hand was brought in to replace Stewart Sample moved on to the Sheffield Steelers. He spent two seasons in Yorkshire and the last two with the Cardiff Devils.

"This is a very exciting move for me," said Sample, who is still only 25-years-old.

"I had a great time in Belfast a few years ago. It was the first season of the Elite League, the organisation gave me a chance to show what I could do on the ice and I learnt a lot from great players like Jason Ruff and Rob Stewart.

"Everyone in the sport in this country and beyond has a great respect for Steve and he's already shown with the British players he's signed that he will be putting a lot of faith in us and we'll be out to show him he's right to do so."