OUTLIERS PREECE SIGNS WITH PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY TEAM

Salt Lake City – The Utah Outliers are proud to announce that 19 year old goaltender Brython Preece has signed a professional contract with the Coventry Blaze.

The Coventry Blaze are located in Coventry, England and play in the British Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). The Welsh netminder will play the 2018-19 season in familiar territory as he makes the jump to professional hockey.

The British Elite Ice Hockey League is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003, it is the highest level of ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom. The league currently consists of twelve teams.

The 6’5″ right catcher will spend his first professional season alongside netminder Kevin Nastiuk, a Carolina Hurricanes NHL draft pick.

Preece’s young career began with the Cardiff Devils hockey academy whom he represented over 30 times at under-16’s and 18’s level. In 2014, he then made the bold move to North America in order to aid his hockey development whilst still being able to continue with his studies. In 2017-18, Preece was offered the chance to play junior hockey with the Utah Outliers.

“It was a great experience travelling to different parts of the US and Canada to play the game I love. But now, I’m looking to step-up to a higher level and Coventry offered the best program for me to develop,” said Preece.

Head coach Paul Taylor stated, “I think it is fantastic that Brython has the opportunity to play professional hockey in England. The EIHL is a well respected league with many very talented players. Brython worked extremely hard last season to develop his game both on and off the ice. I believe playing junior hockey last season will help prepare him for this next step on his hockey journey.”

Coventry Blaze Head Coach Danny Stewart said of the signing, “Brython is an up and coming British goalie that has spent some time overseas improving his game. We brought him in this summer to have a look at him and he impressed us very quickly. He has great size at 6’5”, and moves a lot better than we had expected. This is a great opportunity for him to learn the daily routines as a pro, taking shots daily from guys at this level and continuing to develop his game. His coach last season spoke very highly of him and we believe he has a lot of upside going forward.”

The Outliers wish Brython all the best next season and will be watching his career closely as he proudly represents the Blaze.