The Guildford Flames ice hockey club have taken steps to bulk up the physical side of their game by employing the services of Andrew Sharp. The 6’1”, 210lb forward has been signed by Spectrum’s tenants for the remainder of the season.
Brief stints in the United States and Canada have been secondary to the majority of his career spent in the United Kingdom. Last season, Sharp departed his Quebec, Canada based team for the Manchester Phoenix where he iced in 23 games with the eventual league champions. The 27 year old has had stints with Romford Raiders and Coventry Blaze, but most of his playing time has come with Sheffield Steelers whom he represented during their league championship haul in 2008-2009, and Edinburgh Capitals in 2009-2010. Between those two outfits, Sharp iced 80 times while registering 1 assist and 375 minutes in penalties. In 154 pro games, the Philippines born Canadian citizen has 3 goals, 4 assists and 686 penalty minutes.
Paperwork permitting, Sharp will make his Flames debut on December 3rd when the club visits Swindon Wildcats.
Paul Dixon discussed the latest club news:
“Teams play very hard against us and obviously physical play is a big part of any strategy to turn aside a skilled team. We are built for the large ice surface at Spectrum where we tend to have a lot of success, but sometimes in the smaller rinks we are not as adept at adjusting to the demands and the style of game that is required when you have less room to play to your strength. Having a guy like Andrew on your bench has a way of creating a bit more space for our guys, and it ensures the opposition play an honest game. We also have some injuries, so with the need for extra bodies it was sensible to bring someone in that can add that physical dimension to our mix. Andrew has been part of a championship winner in 2 of the last 3 seasons and we are hoping together we can change that to 3 of the last 4. We believe he will add a very valuable component to our roster, and we are looking forward to his presence on the ice and in the locker room.” |
