Ice Hockey: Capitals claim best defence

Published on Tuesday 11 August 2009 09:52

EDINBURGH CAPITALS have completed their defence with the signing of Mark Smith and Doug Christiansen, Capitals' coach, believes Smith completes the best defensive unit in the Elite League.

The player was with Rocky Mountain Rage in the Central Hockey League last season and claimed four goals and 13 assists in 43 games in the regular season.

Smith previously spent a year playing for Charlotte Checkers in the East Coast Hockey League and joined them after four seasons in the NCAA playing for University of Alaska-Anchorage. Christiansen said: "Mark is a solid defender who has the ability to play against other teams' top lines. He is a good skater and will do well on our big ice and I liked the fact that he led his team in scoring as a junior at the University of Alaska-Anchorage.

"UAA plays in arguably the best conference in college hockey and leading a team in scoring as a defender is not an easy task." Christiansen has done his homework by speaking to Smiths' coaches from UAA, Charlotte and Rocky Mountain and added: "I think we will have one of the best defensive units in the league."