The Fife Flyers have filled another one of their last remaining roster spots.
Ian Scheid joins the Elite League side with five seasons of professional experience, including three campaigns in Germany’s DEL and a rookie twirl in the American Hockey League.
The 30-year-old defenceman put pen to paper on a one-year contract with the Flyers on Wednesday [13 August], a fortnight ahead of Fife’s opening preseason test against Romanian side Corona Brasov.
“He’s a competitor who loves to win,” head coach Jamie Russell said of his sixth defensive signing of the summer.
“Ian is a defenceman with terrific offensive instincts and he’s going to be an awesome powerplay quarterback in the Elite League.”
Who is Fife Flyers defenceman Ian Scheid?
Scheid is a product of the NCAA, in which he recorded 97 points (25 goals, 72 assists) in 158 appearances for Minnesota State University.
The Minnesota-born blueliner signed his first professional contract in 2020, splitting the season between the AHL’s Colorado Eagles and the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies.
Ian Scheid, Fife Flyers (Image: Colorado Eagles)
Scheid closed out his rookie season with 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 28 AHL games and five points (three goals, two assists) in 11 ECHL appearances.
The 5-foot-11 blueliner took his talents overseas for the first time in 2021, signing with the Straubing Tigers.
Scheid’s two and a half seasons in Germany’s top-flight yielded 41 points (15 goals, 26 assists) in 109 regular-season games and five assists in eight Champions Hockey League appearances.
He spent last season in Austria, recording 21 points (two goals, 19 assists) in 47 outings for the Linz Black Wings.
How will Ian Scheid’s arrival impact the Fife Flyers?
When the Flyers left the ice for the final time last season, there was a very real possibility that Fife wouldn’t host Elite League hockey in 2026.
The Elite League’s oldest team entered the offseason with a mountain to climb, in desperate need of new ownership and a quickfire roster makeover. And they’ve somehow scaled that rockface to build a competitive team.
Three weeks out from their season-opening Challenge Cup double-header against the Dundee Stars, Fife have two netminders, six defencemen, and eleven forwards on their roster.
Ian Scheid is their latest addition – and he projects as a solid, top-four blueliner at the Elite League level.
Dating back to his collegiate career, the Coon Rapids-born defender has always been a powerplay specialist.
Most of Scheid’s offensive production stems from time on the man advantage, with the American playing a quarterbacking role from the blueline.
Scheid won’t overpower the Elite League’s big-bodied forwards, but he reads the game smartly and will likely line-up alongside 6-foot-2 Andrew McLean or 6-foot-3 Ryan Nicholson.
“Most of the summer we were looking for an experienced offensive defenceman and we are fortunate enough to secure Ian,” said Fife GM Max Birbraer.
“Ian’s pedigree speaks for itself and I am looking forward to watching him leading our defensive core.”
The Flyers have operated impressively this offseason.
They started with nothing, moved quickly to build an identity (based on physicality and ‘entertainment’-factor), and supported those cultural pillars with legitimate offensive contributors.
Fife aren’t title contenders. But they have quickly moved from playoff longshots to potential upstarts.
Scheid’s arrival is the latest example of the Flyers’ fine summertime business.
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