New look Dundee Stars set stall out for top eight sport and a play-off place

Their Tayside rivals have undergone a similar shake-up over the summer with a host of new imports shipped in along with the returning Marc Lefebvre, back as coach after a six-year absence.

Stars, like Flyers, found consistency elusive last season under rookie coach Jeff Mason who made the transition from playing with Belfast Giants to standing behind the bench with a much lower budget club. He had one potent line, but once that was neutralised, he found his team struggled to make real headway.

Stars cleared out the bulk of their tenth-placed roster, and turned to Lefbevre to spark a revival.

He knows the city well and the aspirations of the club. Last time round he bagged back to back seventh placed finishes, and took the team to the play-off finals weekend for the very first time.

Fast forward to this summer, and Lefebvre has recruited heavily from the ECHL, and said in pre-season interviews his team will be tough in front of our net and play with offensive speed.

“We want to be a hard nosed team in our own zone” he said which underlines why he opted to add Sean Allen to his blue line. His stats give an insight into the role he played with the Cincinnatti Cyclones - 219 PIMs in 69 games, and 189 PIMs in 50 with Wichita Thunder. His nickname? The Sheriff.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with bringing a bit of a reputation with you to new shores – the most effective enforcing is often done simply via your presence on the ice – but as the game transitions more to speed and away from its maligned Slapshot reputation, much will depend on how Allen adapts his game to the UK shores, and its more idiosyncratic refs. He could be a character, and anyone who can light up a rink can be box office gold.

Drydn Dow will lead the team as captain as he enters his third season with Stars, while the British duo of Craig Moore and Kris Inglis give the team defensive depth in front of starting netminder, former Nottingham Panthers’ stopper Kevin Carr.

Stars’ target is top eight and the play-offs - goals which align with Fife, and if both sides catch fire, it could add a whole new dimension to the EIHL this season.

They need to find a new Philippe Sanche – Glasgow Clan were smart enough to snap him up – from a raft of summer signings which include Josh Brittain from Cardiff Devils, Carter Johnson from Wheeling Nailers, and Spencer Naas from the Savannah Ghost Pirates.

Stars are a side that will always take points from teams - it’s as if some EIHL teams under-estimate them, particularly on home ice - and if that elusive consistency is built into their game, they may well find themselves stepping away from that basement berth.

And a vibrant Fife and Dundee can only be good for Scottish hockey – expect both rinks to be busy and noisy this weekend. The games may well be warm-ups, but with new caches on both benches, a win is very much on their respective radars.