Twenty-five year old Canadian Peter Vaisanen has agreed terms with Sheffield's EPL club and joins the South Yorkshire outfit as the first confirmed import signing for the 2010/11 season.

Scims coach Jon Rowbotham said, "We are delighted to announce negotiations have concluded and a contract has been signed by our first import, Peter Vaisanen and this news will no doubt delight our supporters as it has the staff at the Club."

Vaisanen who hails from Stouffville, Ontario, Canada is just 25 and it is thought he will have a big presence at Ice Sheffield. Standing at 6' 1" and weighing in at 181 lbs Vaisanen comes highly recommended from his previous coach, Kevin Parrish who described him as a "work horse, who never quits, hits like a freight train and is a guaranteed points accumulator."

Having played for many seasons in high profile leagues such as OPJHL and NCAA where he has put up impressive numbers Vaisanen decided to try his hand in Europe and last season played for the Invicta Dynamos in the English National League. Peter played 38 games, scored 56 goals, 54 assists, generating a staggering 110 points with 105 minutes in penalties. His intention has always been to progress and play at the top level possible. He has done his one year initiation at the ENL level and is now raring to go at the EPL level.

Speaking of his signing for the Scimitars Vaisanen said, "Last year I came to England looking to get some exposure in Europe. I think I did ok at Invicta but I felt I needed to challenge myself at the next level. I know that the Scimitars will provide me with the challenge I need and I am really looking forward to making a big impact for the Scimitars come the start of the season".

Coach Rowbotham added, "Peter will add great size and strength to our roster. He will be a great hit with our fans as he loves the physical game and he can score goals too, which is a part of our game which needs improving if we are to be more effective than last season".

Canadian forward Vaisenen made a big impact at Invicta last season and was one of the key players that helped the Dynamos lift their seventh successive ENIHL South Division 1 title. Scoring 50 goals and finishing the campaign as the only player to reach 100 points for the club Vaisanen's performances caught the eye of plenty of other coaches and Dynamos head coach Kevin Parrish said: "Vas is leaving us to join the Sheffield Scimitars who have offered him a good deal and we wish him all the best." He added, "Vas has been by far the easiest import I've ever worked with. He's never moaned about anything and he's just got on with his hockey. He's been totally professional in everything he's done."

Peter Vaisanen joins the Scimitars having previously played several years in US college hockey. He spent two seasons with the Neuman Knights in the East College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and in his final year with the team was voted the hardest working player. More recently he has iced for the Potsdam Bears varsity side in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC).

His arrival at the Scimitars is great news for the Club and Scims Director Ian Johnson is delighted with his latest signing and said: "The first of what I hope will be a number of big signings for us as we build our 2010/11 team. We have been chasing Peter's signature for a couple of weeks and I'm thrilled that he decided to join Sheffield and help us continue with the transition we started this time last year." He went on to say, "Jon and I are working hard on a number of player opportunities right now and I hope that we will be able to release more good news for our followers in the next few days."