Garden Bay native Kyle Bruce is taking his North American hockey skills across the pond.
On Aug. 15, the forward signed a contract with the Manchester Phoenix, part of the 10-team Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), a professional hockey league in the United Kingdom.
Last season the 25-year-old winger played in the Central Hockey League with the Wichita Thunder, where he scored 13 goals and 26 points in 61 games.
Bruce was an eighth round draft pick of the Florida Panthers in 2001 and twice attended pre-season training camps with the Vancouver Canucks. A product of the tough Western Hockey League at the junior level, he turned professional in 2004, signing with the Columbia Inferno, before going to the University of British Columbia where he played two seasons with the Thunderbirds.
"I was studying for a BA but found I was missing the hockey," Bruce said in an interview posted on the Phoenix website. "Training and playing hockey were too important to me at that time. Going back to the East Coast Hockey League late in the 2006/07 season, I joined the Idaho Steelheads and was part of their team that won the championship. That was a feeling I really liked and want to repeat."
Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey Superleague, the EIHL is the highest level of competitive hockey in the United Kingdom. Unlike its North American counterparts, the Elite League is not divided into conferences; teams compete in a single division. The league currently consists of 10 teams, based in Great Britain, Scotland and Ireland, Bruce said he's looking forward to competing in the league and making an instant impact with the Phoenix.
"I do play a strong, aggressive style of hockey. I play an offensive, competitive game, working as hard as I can every shift, and I don't mind taking the body to win the puck back and get things going our way," said Bruce.
"I don't like losing, never have done, never will, and I'll do anything for my team and teammates. I've done some homework on Manchester, and my wife Jessica and I are really looking forward to getting there. I know a number of the guys on the team and it looks a strong and talented squad."
Player/coach Tony Hand said he's excited to sign the Canadian right-winger to a contract.
"It's been a long summer as I've taken my time, but with Kyle coming on board, I'm very happy with the squad we've assembled. Now it's time to start preparing for the training camp," Hand said. "Kyle will bring us the power forward element I've been looking for. He's strong on the puck and gritty, and he's a powerful, physical player."
The EIHL seasons runs from August to April, with exhibition games followed by league games, and the playoffs and championship finals in early April.
