Canadian forward Jared Staal has agreed to join the Edinburgh Capitals for the Elite League 2016/17 campaign.

The 25-year-old played twice in the NHL with the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2012/2013 season, and has also iced in over 230 AHL games.

The forward spent last season with the South Carolina Stingrays in the ECHL, scoring 13 goals with 12 assists in 70 games.

Staal said: “My wife and I are ecstatic I’ve joined the team – we’ve heard nothing but great things about the city, and Scotland, so we can’t wait to get over there.

“As a player I’m someone who is a very positive person, and I pride myself on being a great teammate.

“I’ll be someone that is a very versatile forward that can fit in a lot of different roles. I’ve done a lot of work on the penalty kill over the last few seasons and I believe that is one of my strong points.

“Also I’m looking forward to hopefully being a player that will be counted on to score goals and be a consistent offensive threat this season.”

Player/Coach Michal Dobron added: “When we had the chance to bring Jared to the club it was an easy decision.

“He brings great experience having iced in over 200 games in the AHL, and also has NHL experience. That tells you about the calibre of the player.

“He’s a strong forward who can play across the forward line and is another on our roster that is talented on special plays. I know the Caps fans are going to love this player.” goa