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'Goals are my aim' - it's elementary my dear Watson
Just as Sherlock Holmes aimed to explain things simply, so too does Tony Hand’s final forward signing, Ryan Watson, on his role with the Phoenix.
“I’m an offensive player who’s looking to score goals for the team and I’ll do whatever it takes to win,” said the 25-year old forward. “It’s a physical game and if I have to take a few whacks and hacks to get to the net, then that’s what I’ll do – it’s part of the job.”
Standing 6ft 3ins, Ryan from Lethbridge Alberta, tips the scales at 200lbs and has the build to cause defences a lot of problems and he’s kept scorers busy since turning professional in 2002. He started out with his hometown Hurricanes before recording a 100-point season with the Drayton Valley Thunder in the Alberta Junior league. Turning pro, he settled in quickly for two years with the Oklahoma City Blazers in the Central Hockey League and in the past two seasons has iced for Victoria in the East Coast and the Memphis Riverkings in the CHL.
And it’s his point production that attracted Phoenix head coach Tony Hand to enter the race for his signature. “Ryan is a big guy looking to make a mark and progress his career. Quite a few clubs wanted to sign him including his former team in Oklahoma but, he admitted he wanted a new challenge and to see Europe, so where better than Manchester to come and prove what he can do. He’s aggressive in his style of offensive play, always looking to get a shot away and create problems for the opposition, and I think he’ll link up well with whoever we put out on the ice with him.”
As well as Oklahoma, Italian clubs tried to tempt Ryan but he doesn’t speak the language. “Not a word, so that could have made life interesting had I gone there,” he laughed. “Manchester though seems a good move, I know guys there like Robin Gomez and Mike Kiesman, and have played against Simon Mangos and others – they’ll help me settle in and together, I’m sure we’ll help the team be successful.”
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