The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Veterans return to help young Stars
A pair of Elite League veterans have returned to Dundee Stars and will again help to guide the new players through the coming season.
Matt Marquardt and Shawn Boutin have five years of experience between them in the league and have played in more than 270 matches in the British top tier.
Both players have signed on for another year with the Stars and are aiming to improve on last season’s disappointment of not making the play-offs.
Boutin said: “I really had a good time last year here in Dundee.
“I like the community, our fans, the way (coach Omar) Pacha runs things and our owners are awesome.
“We want to make the playoffs this year no matter what. We were disappointed last year but it is a new season, we have turned a page and are ready to work hard to achieve our goals.
“I am really happy to be back.”
Marquardt added: “I think everybody that has come back feels like we have some unfinished business here in Dundee.
“I thought we deserved better last year, As much as not making the play-offs is a negative, at the same time there is a lot of positives to build on.
“I have been in the Elite League for four years now and the first two years were tough times for Dundee and that was a big reason for me coming here last season, it was for the challenge.
“Last year was definitely disappointing, so we took a step back and looked at the things we needed to improve on and Pacha did a great job recruiting and making some changes to things that we thought needed to be made in order to take that next step.”
Both players have invaluable experience and one of the reasons Pacha has kept on the veterans was to pass down their knowledge to the younger players in the team.
Boutin, a 29-year-old defenceman, added: “You always need a couple of guys who know the league and the tendencies of other teams.
“We are here to show the guys how it works in this league and we have a great group of guys, so it is going to be an easy task for us.”
Marquardt, a 32-year-old power forward, said: “If you’re not a returning player then you are usually somebody coming over here for the first time or somebody coming to the Elite League for the first time.
“A lot of guys will carry their experience over into the dressing room and let the new guys know what to expect.
“Any kind of experience is key – we have the youngest team in the league.
“So, I think we will be leaning on a lot of guys who have played here before, like Drydn Dow.
“It is only his second year playing pro but he was here last year so he knows what to expect.
“We will lean on our experience to deal with certain things but all that experience is only beneficial to our team.
“We have only had a couple of training sessions but the team chemistry is really starting to build. The guys are really excited to get out there and start playing for each other.”
Stars are readying themselves for this weekend’s two challenge games against Danish club, Odense Bulldogs.