Hull Pirates’ boss Dominic Osman has signed forward Gareth O’Flaherty from Manchester Phoenix.

The 26-year-old played 51 games for Phoenix last season, scoring three goals with 13 assists.

Over the past couple of seasons O’Flaherty has iced in the Elite League, EPL and NIHL for Phoenix and Coventry Blaze, but he is now hoping to establish himself as a regular with the Pirates.

“I’m excited by the move – I’ve spoken to Dominic (Osman) about moving and I was impressed by what he has done with this team and their work ethic is something that really drew me towards the club,” he said.

“Obviously they had a tough year but they didn’t let that stop them from going after each game and that’s something I admired.

“We had a bit of a discussion about it and we agreed I’d be a good fit for the team he’s building.

“I’m a two-way forward, probably more of a defensive forward if anything. I’ve got the ability to put up points, but I pride myself more on being a more two-way forward than an all-out goal scorer.

“I’d say that speed is the best aspect of my game so I try to utilise that as much as I can.

“We’ll be looking to challenge for the league and cup and obviously making it to the final four at Coventry would be a personal goal of mine. I think we’ve got the ability to do that.”

Osman added: “Obviously he’s a player from the league and he knows the league very well.

“He’s not going to be a flashy player, but he’s going to be an up and down player in that he’ll play well defensively in our zone and he’ll bring a lot of depth to us.

“That was something that we struggled with last year, so that’s something we’re excited to add to the line-up.”