We can confirm that Excel Hull Stingrays have signed the captain of Estonia - Dmitri Suur for the 2011/12 Elite League campaign.

The 36-year-old defenseman who is a native of Tallinn has spent the past couple of seasons in playing in Poland and is a former player of the team Adirondack Frostbite, which makes him a former team-mate of the Stingrays player-coach Sylvain Cloutier.

Suur is a tall strong looking player, standing at 6ft 2in and 212lb, and has had the pleasure of captaining his country (Estonia) in last month’s World Championship.

Cloutier said: “Dmitri is a vastly experienced guy who will bring a lot of stability to our back-end, and he will be a big help to our younger players.

“I played with him in Adirondack and I know what he is all about. He is a competitor, he competes every night and he knows how to win.

“He plays a North American style, he plays hard, he has a big shot and he can run the power-play.