Photograph of Pavel Gomenyuk in action for the Hull Stingrays during 2009/10 courtsey of Arthur Foster.

Sheffield Scimitars have moved incredibly quickly following the departure of D-man Steve Duncombe by signing former Elite League defence man Pavel Gomenyuk.

Gomenyuk is a 32 year old Ukrainian who stands at 5'11" and weighs in at 15 stone. He has played in the Elite League for the past 5 seasons, 3 of them at Hull Stingrays and two with Newcastle Vipers, so he will be no stranger to big games, big teams and big players. Last season he competed for Hull Stingrays in the Elite League and Scimitars fans will remember his contribution in the challenge game held at ice Sheffield last August, where the new-look Scimitars faced Sylvain Cloutier's team for the first time and former Scims forward, Robert Farmer, got to know Gomenyuk intimately.

Scims' coach Rowbotham has been tracking Gomenyuk for a few weeks and negotiations have been ongoing leading to the Ukranian signing his Scimitars contract. Speaking of his latest signing Rowbotham said, "Pavel will be a force to be reckoned with in the English Premier League next season. He played 42 games for the Stingrays last term, putting up 5 goals, 19 assists, 24 points and 23 minutes in penalties."

The Scimitars supporters have been waiting patiently for a player of Gomenyuk's pedigree for quite some time and few dared to believe that the club could afford such a player, never mind attract one to sign for the club. Scimitars' Director, Ian Johnson, knows all too well what the fans are wanting and said, "I keep my ear to the ground and have learned what our supporters wish for. Players who will apply themselves in games 100% and wear the Club colours with pride. Last season we had a few guys who were not able to do that and I know that frustrated a great many people, me included. Now though we have a different approach and player's performance is one of our key performance indicators. I believe signing Pavel Gomenyuk sends a big message to all of our players and now they know we mean business."

Rowbotham was equally upbeat about the new man and added, "Securing Pavel Gomenyuk has certainly brought a strong presence to our blue line. He has a wealth of knowledge and playing experience. I am looking for him to lead the defence by creating a constant stability on the back line. Pavel has played at the top level in the UK for a long time and has won many honours throughout his career. He is looking forward to the new challenge and I am sure he will be a hit with the fans. I did a lot of research on him and everyone I spoke to sang his praises."

Rowbotham has spent the last few weeks analysing the team's strengths and weaknesses and was not afraid to say that one area that required attention from last season was establishing a level of consistency during defensive plays. In signing Gomenyuk Rowbotham believes he has found one of the keys to steadying the ship when the team is under pressure and at difficult times. This will help promote confidence through the team unit with the result being the team becomes more difficult to break down.

This signing is seen as a brave step for the Scimitars who have a greatly reduced playing budget for next season. Although experience has its price in terms of wage costs, there are added benefits for the club with the support for new and up and coming players who will be tasting EPL hockey for the first time next season. A player like Gomenyuk will bring some experience of the big games and big teams to the Scimitars dressing room as well as out on the ice.

Gomenyuk's last season with Hull is widely regarded as not being his best but at 32 he has plenty of ice still to cover and the fact that he has chosen to step down a level might be just what he needs to find the form of 2008/9. That said, at the Scimitars his role will be rather different and a steadying influence will be a great asset to the young guns populating the majority of the roster, which is another key point being made by Ian Johnson who said, "Things are looking really good for the team right now and I believe we are in the process of putting together a much stronger team than last term."