Coventry Blaze Head Coach Chuck Weber has praised the professionalism of defenseman James Isaacs.

The 26-year-old Canadian was a healthy scratch for three games recently, with Brenden Walker having been added to the roster.

But with Josh Godfrey sidelined through injury, Isaacs was back in the line-up for Sunday’s 5-1 home win against Sheffield Steelers.

Weber said: “James is a good pro. He came in as a spare guy and stepped in when Boris (Valabik) was missing and he didn’t miss a beat.

“He is a steady, hard-working guy and he is good to have around. We have a good group and everyone wants to play all the time, but James understands the situation.

“In the AHL and KHL I sometimes sat a guy who was ready, just to give them a chance to re-set.

“I am not opposed to using that with a high-end player if it was in the team’s best interests.

“The extra depth is so important as we showed during the final-four weekend last season. We picked up an injury in the semi-final and the extra depth helped us to win silverware.”

(Image permission: Scott Wiggins)