Dundee Stars coach Omar Pacha says it’s a ‘game of cat and mouse’ as he looks for the signings to bolster his team for the new campaign.
The Gardiner Conference side have made the play-offs their priority having never qualified since reaching the finals weekend in 2017.
And Pacha, who is also the Stars’ general manager, revealed they are still in talks with players who were part of the team last season with a view to returning.
“It can be a bit of cat and mouse at this time of year,” he told the Dundee Stars website. “Similar to every season, we are definitely looking to upgrade in specific areas and have already done so.
“We are still in discussions with a few players from last season and we are not closing any doors on that front. It’s a two-way street at this time of year as some players want to aim for higher leagues and whilst that can be frustrating at times, we have to respect their wishes.
Justin Maylan has checked in for Dundee Stars (PHOTO: Villacher)
“On the flip side, we have some players that are desperate to return for next season, but I want to scour the market to ensure that I capture the best possible signature for the Stars.
“The recruitment has been going really well so far. I’m happy with where we are as an organisation and the players we have signed back from last year’s team were a key priority of mine.
I’m genuinely delighted to have secured those signatures for another EIHL campaign. The players are not only great players for the club, but are also great people and ambassadors for the organisation.”
Pacha also revealed the club have broken their season ticket record for a second consecutive and believes they are punching above their weight commercially.
And he is hopeful Great Britain’s relative success in the recent World Championships can act as a boost to their exposure as they look to continue to grow even more.
Pacha is hopeful GB’s recent World Championship showing can help in boosting the sport’s popularity in Dundee (PHOTO: Dean Woolley)
He added: “As a franchise that is growing at a very strong pace, we recognise that we need to be pushing this club 365 days in a year and that’s what we’ve been doing.
“Even though it has been known within the organisation for the past week, we have beaten the season ticket record we established last season. I wanted to publicly thank everyone for their invaluable support.
“It’s another great accomplishment for the club and shows that we are all pushing in a positive direction. This is extremely vital and is the main reason we are able grow on and off the ice as a team.
“In the last two years, we’ve pushed really hard on the commercial front. Although we’e nowhere near where we want to be, we recognise that we have made big strides.
“We probably punch above our weight on the commercial front, if truth be told. But we don’t settle for “good” here at the Stars. We want to be in the “excellent” bracket, so it’s up to us to catch up to some of the other teams in the league.
“Hopefully the exposure of Great Britain in the recent World Championships will help further exposure of our great sport, specifically in Dundee.”
