Massimo Carozza has put pen to paper for Fife Flyers and head coach Tom Coolen believes the 28-year-old will bring added depth and skill to the injury-hit squad.
The Kirkcaldy club entertain Glasgow Clan on Saturday (19.15) in the Elite League with Fife ninth in the ten-strong table with three points from nine starts. Clan prop up the rest with two points, also from nine games.
It has not been confirmed if the Québec-born forward, who played four seasons in Major Junior in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, will play a part in what is a key test. Flyers visit seventh-placed Dundee Stars on Sunday (17.00).
His former teams include Québec Remparts and Cape Bretton Screaming Eagles where he was previously a teammate of current Flyers stars, Phélix Martineau and Olivier LeBlanc.
Carozza then switched to Concordia University where he was second in points before becoming a professional in season 2018/19 with Italian club Bolzano.
The Montreal-born left wing or centre remained in Italy over the pandemic seasons with Pustertal/Val, where he was top scorer in consecutive years, recording more than a point a game in his 89 appearances.
Then Carozza, who is 5ft 11in, made his Elite League debut with Nottingham Panthers in the 2021/22 season, icing on 26 occasions, scoring ten goals and setting up 14 other strikes, before heading to France to play with Bordeaux. Last season he returned to Italy with Cortina and played in more than 30 games, scoring 11 goals and assisting in 19 others.
Coach Coolen (pictured by Fife Flyers Images and courtesy of the Elite League) commented: “Massimo is a welcome addition to Flyers, giving us depth and additional skill. He plays a well-rounded game and is an exceptional playmaker.”
Meanwhile, Czech-born forward Martin Latal has left Fife with immediate effect.
Saturday fixtures: Fife Flyers v Glasgow Clan (19.15): Sunday: Dundee Stars v Fife (17.00).
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