NIHL Signing News

NIHL News

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Billingham Stars have this evening announced the signing of defenceman Tom Keeley who is set to play a fourth consecutive season for the Teesside club, having first iced with the side in September 2014. Starting out with Billingham’s junior setup in 2006, Keeley switched to Canada’s OEMHL where he played three seasons for the OHA’s Maroon Mavericks before a move to the USPHL Elite saw the blue liner feature in thirty six games for the Space Coast Hurricanes. From here, Keeley returned to Teesside to ice in the NIHL with the Stars and, though unavailable for some of Billingham’s fixtures last season, contributed points where he could, tallying a goal and seven assists in twenty one league games. The sixth ‘D’ man to be signed by Billingham, Keeley joins the Stars’ defensive unit alongside long-serving Stars Ben Davison and Andy Finn, Latvian import Artūrs Ozols, youngster Darren Stattersfield and returnee Dave Thomas. 

In other news, Hull Pirates have secured the services of young defenceman Tom Stubley who joins Jason Hewitt’s line-up after a season with EPL outfit Peterborough Phantoms. First taking to the ice with Kingston Crunch in 2009, Stubley went on to divide his 2014-15 campaign between Hull Jets in the NIHL’s Division Two and former Elite League team Hull Stingrays, as well as captaining Kingston Sharks’ Under 18s outfit. Progressing to play fifty two EPL games for Hull Pirates in his following season, Stubley achieved a goal and three assists before his move to the Phantoms saw him better his points production. Now hopeful to develop his game further, Stubley makes a welcome return to the Pirates’ line-up with the aim to earn additional ice time and thereby progress to a higher level of the sport.  

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