Fife Flyers already feeling like home for new import Thinel

The veteran Canadian forward scored three times over the weekend matches against EC Peiting, and he feels Kirkcaldy is already starting to feel like home for his young family.

“I am here with my wife and two boys,” Thinel revealed.

“They started school on Friday and they love it, and they are going to play hockey here too, so they are excited.

“So far, so good – it’s been a great experience so far.”

The 35-year-old is delighted to have made the move to the UK after hearing all about the Elite League from friends who have played here.

“My wife and I came to London a few years go, and we loved it,” he said.

“I was always looking at this league but I didn’t really know much about it.

“Over the last three or four years, I’ve had more and more friends that have come here, loved it, and told us all about it.

“So when I got the call from Todd this year, I talked to my friend Kris Hogg, who played in Fife, and he only had good words to say about it, which made my decision pretty easy.

“Kirkcaldy has been nice so far, and the fans are great.

“I was told that this was one of the older rinks and one of the hardest to play in for a visiting team.

“The fans were loud at the weekend and it was just a friendly match, so I can only imagine how it will be like when we play a team like Glasgow.”

Thinel was encouraged by the weekend wins over EC Peiting – in particular, the link-up play among the forwards.

“We made a lot of mistakes but I thought we played pretty decent hockey,” he said.

“Offensively, we’re really good. We have a lot of good individual players who can create chances by themselves.

“Some of us are speedy – I’m not but I’ll complement them – and I think on D we’ll be pretty solid.

“We’re still missing a few guys and I can’t compare it to other teams in the league because I don’t know them, but I think we’re going to be good.”

Thinel spent last season with Grenoble in France but has spent most of his pro career in the CHL in North America, where he was consistently one of the top points scorers with a particualrly impressive ratio of assists.

His numbers-stacked CV includes a 110 point season with Missouri Mavericks in 2010-11 – and he hopes to continue the trend in Fife.

“I’ve always been an offensive guy but I consider myself a playmaker,” he said.

“I’m not so much a shooter, I’m a passer, so I try to create chances offensively, and on the powerplay.

“I think that’s why Todd brought me in – for my experience and my offensive skill.

“That’s what I’m going to try to bring every night to help the team win.

“Throughout the years, I’ve learned if you can be consistent you can put up some good seasons, which I’ve been able to do throughout the years.

“Hopefully, I can keep it up this year.”