Doug Clarkson helped Cardiff Devils win the Challenge Cup but the big hit-man is determined to help Dundee Stars knock his former employers out of the Elite League play-off at the quarter-final stage this weekend.
The 6ft 5 Ontario-born forward, who holds a British passport, took a leap of faith when he joined the Tayside team after they propped up the 10-strong league last season.
But he believed in the organisation and was excited by the prospect of helping coach Marc Lefebvre build a strong foundation for the future at the Dundee Ice Arena.
Clarkson iced on 59 occasions for Devils, scoring 20 goals and setting up 23 other strikes.
For Dundee he has played in 61 games so far this season, slotting 18 goals and setting-up another 23 strikes for his team-mates.
The former East Coast Hockey League player is eighth in the individual statistics, 22 points behind Justin Faryna who tops the charts with 63 points (59 games, 29 goals and 34 assists).
They will be pivotal as Stars make the nine-hour bus trip to Cardiff’s new ice rink for tonight’s first-leg with the return on Tayside on Sunday.
The squad stayed overnight in Sheffield to break the journey, thanks to club bosses who opened their wallet in a bid to give the boys their best chance to succeed.
Lefebvre said: “We’ve twice been to Cardiff now in cup competitions and we stayed in Sheffield the last time.
“It is a big plus as it is a long way to Wales, and staying over gives us the best chance to get a result there.
“This tie is on aggregate and the guys have to remember that.
“The game is 120 minutes long and it’s a big test, but the guys are also aware that if they win the next four games then they are Elite League play-off champions. Simple as that.”
Meanwhile, Todd Dutiaume has warned his Fife Flyers squad to beware of the threat posed by in-form Braehead Clan in the Elite League play-off quarter-finals this weekend.
Flyers have started their preparation for the back-to-back match-up with the Glasgow team, who ended the regular season on a high by edging Fife to claim the Gardiner Conference title.
Ryan Finnerty’s men achieved that with a five-game winning streak and Clan also won their last seven league games to finish third in the Elite League with 67 points from 52 games.
The Kirkcaldy side, who finished sixth, go into the quarter-final on the back of four straight league defeats.
Dutiaume said: “This is something some of our guys have not experienced before.
“We have to ensure that they are mentally and physically ready, but it is great that a Scottish team will be in the semi-finals.
“We hope it is us and we will be doing everything in our power to ensure that it is us who go to Nottingham.
“Clan are playing good hockey right now and we have to remember that this is a team riding high.
“They matched our benchmark to win the Gardiner Conference and there is always fireworks between the teams.
“It will be a tough two matches but we’ll do all we can to make sure we get the job done.”
Meanwhile, goaltender David Brown has been voted Flyers’ player of the year.
The 31-year-old former Hull Stingrays stopper beat off a challenge from forwards Ryan Dingle and Justin Fox to land the award.
Dingle was voted forward of the year with Nico Sacchetti and TJ Caig runners-up.
The leading British player of the season was Stephen Gunn with the players’ player of the year being Matt Delahey.