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Another Czech mate for Phoenix

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J Davidson sponsored Manchester Phoenix have moved quickly to sign an import forward after the injury release of Timu Kuuluvainen.

26 year old Czech forward Michal Psurny has put pen to paper in double quick time and is hoping to be available for this weekend’s opening league fixtures.

Michal, born in Zlin, in the Czech Republic, made his debut in the Czech under 18 league for his home town club in 2000-01 as a 14 year old, icing in a single game. The following season he played a full part, playing 51 games, scoring 31 goals and 25 assists. In 2002-03 he made the step up to the under 20 team, sharing the season between the under 18s and 20s.

2003-04 is certainly a year he will remember. Not only was he selected for the national under 20 team in the World Junior Championships, picking up a bronze medal, he stepped up to the senior squad, iced 5 games for them and added to his honours with a championship winner’s medal.

In 2005 Michal was drafted in the CHL Import draft in round one and played a season in Medicine Hat, Alberta and Kootenay Ice in British Columbia. Both teams play in the Western Hockey League at major junior level.

Returning home the following season, Michal again iced for home club Zlin in the Extraliga and for Slavia Trebic in Czech 2. This trend continued in 2008 as he played for Zlin, Dukla Jihlava and Slovan Ustecti Lvi. In 2010 he moved to Ceske Budejovice, again in the Extraliga, for 10 games before finishing the season on loan to Pisek in Czech 2.

Last year saw him don the colours of HC Olomouc in Czech2 scoring 7 goals and 25 assists.

Press officer Jim Piper caught up with Michal when he arrived at Manchester Airport and he had this to say: “I am happy to come to Manchester. It will be a new challenge for me. Everything has happened so quickly I have not had time to do much research but Manchester look a good club to play for.”

Coach Hand said of his new acquisition: “Michal is a talented forward with a good right shot. He has played over 100 games in the Czech Extraliga and over 200 in the second tier. He skates well and will fit in well with the squad.”