Braehead Pirates centre-man Marc Fowley (20), is expected to make his Flyers debut in the crucial Northern League clash against Solway Sharks in Dumfries.

Marc, who has starred for Great Britain at the World University Games, signed last week after Braehead's season came to an early end.

Dutiaume told SportsPress: "If you look at our roster, our centre-men are elder statesmen now.

"We've got Steven King, Andy Samuel and Steven Lynch who all do a great job but I'd like to bring in a young guy that can play centre.

"He's a hard worker and he'll come in and give these guys a kick up the butt. They'll realise that their jobs aren't safe.

"The kid's keen, he's a good player, and I think the fans will appreciate his work ethic."

Flyers home fans will have to wait to catch a glimpse of the new man in action as the next match at Fife Ice Arena is not until Saturday, January 16, against Charlestown Chiefs.

"Marc was very keen to come to Fife and it shows that we're a huge draw," he said. "We get interest from all over, and I'm quite satisfied that Marc will fit well in the dressing room.

"He's been in for a few skates, and he's doing his talking on the ice just now.

"He's looking pretty good, so I think he'll fit into our puzzle."

Flyers received a boost last weekend when Northern League title rivals Solway slumped to defeat in Whitley Bay, albeit Sharks bounced back with a win in Dundee on Saturday, opening up a three-point lead at the top of the table.

Dutiaume explained: "This Sunday is certainly not a title decider – we play Solway three more times in the league so that's a 12 point swing – but we don't want to give them any breathing space.

"If we go down there and take two points, we're going to put them under a lot of pressure.

"We've still got Whitley twice, who can be title-wreckers, so we have to be prepared to go into some big games.

"We've got our work cut out but the team is playing good so hopefully we can carry on our momentum."

Flyers expect to have defenceman Thomas Muir back after holiday, while Chris Wands is hoping to shrug off the injury that kept him out of the third period of Sunday's Scottish Cup win over Dundee Stars.

"Over these last few weeks we've realised just how much we miss Thomas not just as a player, but as a leader," Dutiaume added.

"He's established himself in the team over the last couple of years now we really depend on him."