Braehead Clan’s newest defenseman Trevor Hendrikx says the time was right to team up with Head Coach Ryan Finnerty.

The Clan boss has pursued Hendrikx for the past few seasons and the 31-year-old is delighted to finally make the move from Cardiff Devils.

“I think he wore me down!” said Hendrikx. “Seriously though, it just seems like the right time and a good fit for my style of game and for what Ryan’s trying to accomplish.

“I saw it as a great opportunity – I’d been speaking with Ryan and Gareth (Chalmers) in the last few summers and decided it was time for a change of scenery.

“Everything about the organisation I liked and they seem to do things the right way. Every year, they’re always challenging at the top end, which is an important part actually.

“A lot of the other players that have signed I’m excited to see and Ryan seems to be building a really strong team, something I’m more than happy to be a part of.

“When I played against Braehead I always found them to be a good team. They were fast and hard working and every time we played them it was always a close game.

“They won against us a few times too as I recall, so it’s nice to be joining a team with that calibre.

“But I love the passion of the fans in the Elite League and the league itself has really improved. It’s a high calibre and as a Canadian, you get the best of both worlds.

“Sometimes you move to a country where you don’t speak the language and other barriers. With the Elite League, the hockey’s good and there’s other Canadians or English speakers there too.

“The level of teams that are involved is good and we’re seeing a higher quality of player coming over as well, which shows how the league has grown. It’s an exciting time right now.”

(Image permission: Cardiff Devils)