London-born Mason Alderson has become Fife Flyers second signing under the new regime at The Fife Ice Arena.
The British forward comes to the Kingdom following a two year, two-way stint between National Ice Hockey League side Solway Sharks and Elite League Champions, Belfast Giants. He has logged three appearances for Giants.
The 23-year-old registered more than a point a game icing for Sharks last term, registering 21 goals and 28 assists in 43 appearances for the Dumfries side.
And 6ft 3in Alderson said he is excited to be joining the Flyers.
The player added: “From what I’ve heard, it’s a great organisation with a passionate fan base and a rich hockey history. I just can’t wait to get started and play in front of the Flyers faithful.”
He joins highly-rated netminder, Shane Owen, in the line-up and he started his career playing junior hockey between Romford, Guildford and Chelmsford.
He then moved to North America, joining the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) side Islanders Hockey Club ahead of the 2018/19 season.
Alderson went on to represent Berwick Academy, Hoosac School, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights and Castleton University before making the switch back to Britain.
The Great Britain under-18 and under-20 player has accumulated 28 points in 20 appearances for his country.
Included in those statistics are impressive numbers in 2018 when he was part of the under-18 Championship, Division II, Group A, winning side during the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World tournament in Estonia.
He led the team in scoring with nine points (six goals and three assists) in five games and he was voted the tournament’s best forward.
Alderson was then named Great Britain’s captain at the 2019 IIHF World under-18 Championship, Division I, Group B, tournament in Hungary.
Max Birbraer, Flyers’ president and general manager, said: “When we heard Mason was still available we made an immediate move as it’s absolutely vital for us to start building a core of British players and re-establishing ourselves as a balanced group.
“Mason is a young, talented, hard-nosed player who is an absolute pain in the opposition’s back side. He fits our team template perfectly.”
PICTURE: Alderson (right) in action for Belfast v Fife. Credit Wiliam Cherry/Press Eye and Elite League
