MANCHESTER Phoenix player coach Tony Hand has swooped for Canadian power forward Andre Payette.

The 32-year-old comes to Manchester with a sackful of experience, including 155 games in the American Hockey League (AHL) while also spending the past four seasons with Elite League side Newcastle Vipers.

Payette was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL during the 1994 season and since then has been to a number of AHL sides including the Flyers affiliate team the Philadelphia Phantoms.

He said: “I like to think I’ve more to my game than just being the physical presence and I think my track record of success backs that up. c“I won a Calder Cup with the Philadelphia Phantoms in the AHL and since arriving in the UK in 2004, I’ve won a Challenge Cup, an Elite League title and two Playoff Championships, so I know what it takes to win trophies, and I’m determined to win more.”

Manchester Phoenix fans know exactly what they are going to get with Payette as he has dropped his gloves many times to take on Brett Clouthier in past seasons.

But along with his position as an enforcer, he likes to chip in with the points here and there and hopefully this side of his game will take on a bigger role now that he has stepped onto a team that is only allowed four imports on the roster.

Hand said: “I’ve no doubt this signing will be a big surprise to some, but for me, Andre ticks a lot of boxes. He’s a big, physical presence, a true power-forward who can score goals, can play a number of positions and he brings a winners experience to the room.

“He’ll give the team the toughness if it’s needed, but I think his qualities of leadership in the room will be an even bigger asset to our club this season, I’m very pleased to have brought him to Manchester.”

However, Payette is known to amass the penalty minutes as his hard-nosed approach to the game often gets him sitting in the penalty box.

Over the past four seasons with the Vipers he has accumulated more than 1,000 penalty minutes and this will have to be something Hand will have to watch when the season starts come September.

Although during a one-season stint with the Coventry Blaze back in 2004/05, Payette scored 22 points in 28 games and this will be the kind of form that Hand will be looking to get from the Canadian.

Payette has been in touch with a former Phoenix player whom he iced with up on Tyneside last season and added: “Joining the Phoenix is another great challenge for me at this stage in my career, I’ve always tried to contribute to every club I’ve played for and having talked at length with Tony.

“I’m looking forward to an exciting season in Manchester. I spoke with Derek Campbell a few days ago and he spoke really well of his time with the Phoenix.”

Hand now has only two remaining import slots to fill as Payette joins Jaako Hagelberg as non-UK trained players on the Phoenix team and he will continue the search to bring the right players to Manchester for the forth-coming season, which is due to start around mid-September.