Flyers snap up former Clan man
Bobby Chaumont has signed for Fife Flyers after his shock release from Braehead Clan. Pic: Steve Gunn, shotbyagunn photography
FIFE Flyers have snapped up recently released Braehead Clan forward Bobby Chaumont.
The 27-year-old Canadian, axed by the Glasgow club last week, met with player-coach Todd Dutiuame on Wednesday night and a deal was quickly agreed that will see him spend the rest of the season in Kirkcaldy.
Dutiaume has been pushing Flyers directors for an extra import forward for some time, and he believes Chaumont to be the exactly the type of player his struggling side need.
“He’s a right-handed shooter – and we’ve been a little weak in that department,” he said.
“He has a natural offensive ability and he won a championship in Fort Wayne last year, so he is a proven winner.
“We got good feedback on all our references and by all accounts he’s a good team guy.
“It’s also a move that suits him as we’re just down the road.”
The signing of Chaumont pushes Flyers roster up to 10 imports, providing Dutiaume with some much-needed extra depth.
“A new guy injects some life into the line up,” he said.
“As has been proven we get thin pretty quick and one guy can make a huge difference.
“We’ve not had much opportunity to mix the lines up but with six import forwards and five local guys we’ve got really good line options now.
“Bobby will eat up a lot of minutes as well. If he can take five minutes away from a guy like Casey Haines each weekend, it may not sound like much, but it can make all the difference in the last two mintues of a game.”
Chaumont had hit nine goals and seven assists in 18 games for the Clan this season, inlcuding a hat-trick against Fife, and Dutiaume was surprised to see him released.
“I think it was quite a surpise for Bobby as well,” Dutiaume said.
“His team mates were clearly upset about it too. Normally when a guy is fired you can point to the reasons.
“But when you’re popular in the dressing room and you have decent stats you’re left unsure of the reasons.
“He’s a bit unhappy about it, but hopefully he can channel that in a positive way for us.
“If he’s got a chip on his shoulder and a point to prove hopefully we can use that to our advantage.
“He’s keen to play and wants to be used as much as possible out there on the ice, and that’s the type of player we want.”
Subject to work permit approval, Chaumont is expected to make his Flyers debut in this weekend’s league games – a home match against Edinburgh on Saturday followed by a trip to Sheffield on Sunday.
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Weather for Kirkcaldy
Thursday 23 May 2013
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 30 mph
Wind direction: North
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Sunny spells
Temperature: 5 C to 12 C
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