Ice hockey – three in for ambitious Flyers

Lots of activity over the Forth as Fife Flyers have signed their first import signings of the new 2021/22 season.

American forwards James Anderson and Jacob Benson and Canadian skater Carson Stadnyk join the club.

Benson arrives with a championship winning pedigree as he was part of the NCAA (NCHC) championship winning St Cloud State University side in 2015/16. The college side also won the NCAA (NCHC) regular season title in 2017/18 and 2018/19.

He joined the Knoxville Ice Bears for season 2020/21 where he was top-goalscorer in the Southern Professional Hockey League and was part of the all-star team.

Anderson from New York joins the Flyers from NCAA side Mercyhurst University. The side won the NCAA (AHA) regular season championship in 2017/18.

He has racked up more than 120 games for the side, scoring 51 points along the way.

Stadynk makes the move from the Sask Valley Hockey League in Canada where he played with the Central Butte Flyers. Beforehand he iced for the University of Saskatchewan, where he played 110 times and notched up 75 points. He also made an appearance in the USports All-Star team.

Fife Flyers head coach Todd Dutiaume (pictured) said: “Carson is a player who will bring some size to the team and some speed. He definitely has the ability to post numbers in the professional game, we are very excited to bring him in.

“James will provide us with some good speed up and down the wing, something akin to a power forward. He has a good skillset and I think the Flyers fans are going to really take to him. This could be a real find for the club and us as a coaching staff.

“Jacob is excited to be joining us and he is capable of putting up some fantastic numbers. He is a workhorse. People are really going to get behind Jacob.”