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Phoenix land second Andre

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Having already signed larger-than-life Andre Payette Manchester Phoenix head coach Tony Hand has now completed his roster building for the 2009-10 EPL season with the news than Swedish defenceman Andre Mattsson will join the clubs blueline.

Born in Port-au-Prince on the Caribbean island of Haiti, Andre Mattsson was adopted by a Swedish family and left the sunshine and surf for Scandinavia aged just five months. A naturalized Swede, Andre took to ice hockey as a youngster and has carved out a career as a solid, dependable and gritty stay-at-home defenceman.

Speaking from his home about an hour from the Swedish capital Stockholm, Andre said, “My game is primarily as a defensive defenceman. I try to make the smart move, forcing opposition forwards into areas where they’re not so comfortable and I play the body to try and gain possession of the puck. It’s then about making the simple play to set the transition going and then trying to support the forwards. I am looking to contribute a bit more offensively and I’m looking to develop that side of my game when the time is right to jump up into the play.”

Andre Mattsson who turned 29 just last week stands six feet tall and tips the scales to just over the 200lb mark. A left shot defenceman, he developed through the AIK Stockholm club, playing over 100 games in the Swedish Elitserien for AIK and Djurgarden and almost 200 in the Allsvenskan second tier. For the last three seasons he has iced for Comet IK in the Norwegian Elite League.

Phoenix player coach Tony Hand commented, “I am very pleased to have found a player of Andres’ caliber to come and complete the roster. He’s got good size, plays a strong physical game and with experience of the top level in both Sweden and Norway, I have high hopes for him. Everyone we’ve spoken to about him has given us excellent references and reports and I think he’ll bring a whole new look to our blueline. He’s an intelligent guy and our links with the University of Bolton have helped secure his signing as he’s keen to follow up his previous education in Economics by taking a course in Accountancy.”

The squad is now finalized and I am very pleased with the way we look on paper. The training sessions and pre-season games against Sheffield will help me confirm the line combinations I’ve got in mind and then come the 19th of September, we embark on what I’m sure will be an highly entertaining and interesting first season in the English Premier League.”

Player Profile

• Profile for Andre Mattsson