THE Newcastle North Stars will welcome Canadian Scott Swiston back to the AIHL championship-winning team this year along with three new faces.
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It was not hard to lure Swiston back to Newcastle for the 2016 season, with the Canadian saying he wants to win a second championship with the North Stars.
“I want another championship,” he said.
“It [playing for the North Stars] was one of the greatest experiences of my life.”
Swiston, who plays ice hockey for Alberta Augustina University during the AIHL off-season, will be joined in Newcastle by American Connor McLaughlin.
Swiston and McLaughlin, who landed in Australia on Monday, play alongside regular North Stars face Beau Taylor on the Canadian university’s ice hockey team.
“Obviously Beau and Scott have told me a lot about Australia and it is somewhere that I have wanted to travel to as long as I can remember,” McLaughlin said.
The North Stars will also welcome Canadian Brandon Greenside to the team this year. Greenside was recently named the Southern Professional Hockey League’s defenseman of the year.
“I’ve heard unbelievable things about Australia and the organisation in Newcastle,” Greenside said.
“I will be able to enjoy my summer playing hockey and experiencing a new lifestyle. I’m really just looking forward to embracing the whole opportunity.”
Greenside will be joined by his Peoria Rivermen teammate Josh Harris in Newcastle.
Harris, a Californian, has been one of the SPHL top scorers for the past three seasons.
North Stars coach Andrew Petrie said Harris was an ideal candidate to meet the needs of his team for season 2016.
“Josh has a highly skilled style using strong skating, excellent sense of space and time and is a gifted stick-handler,” Petrie said.
“We are getting a highly-motivated professional in Josh and all conversations to date have me very comfortable that he will fit into the North Stars culture very well.”
The North Stars kick off their season with a double-header against Perth Thunder in Western Australia this weekend.
Newcastle’s first home game of the season will be on May 1 where the North Stars will face the Melbourne Ice, the team they beat in the 2015 grand final.