By Kris Smith
Kris Inglis has made impressive progress over the last two seasons under Omar Pacha and the defender has spent his whole summer developing his game to give his team the best chance of winning and reaching their goals.
Inglis has cemented himself as a top six defender in Pacha’s plans but the Canadian is well aware of the potential he has in his squad and plans to continue developing all of them into top British players.
Last season was Kris’ third year of playing in the British top tier and the 21-year old has loved every moment he has spent with his boyhood club.
Kris said: “I had a great time playing here last year, I made good improvements and the club has taken big leaps forward in terms of size.
“Obviously, it was a disappointing result not to make the playoffs but as an organisation and a fanbase, we are hungry this year.
“We are prepared and we are coming into the season with the right mindset and we know what goals we are setting for ourselves but our main goal will to be to push for that playoff spot this year.”
The defender has learned a lot from his previous teammates and used this summer to get stronger and quicker to improve his all-round defensive skillset.
Inglis added: “One of the things I have been working on this summer is getting stronger, I have been in the gym six times a week, just doing a lot of strength work.
“Now at this point in summer, I am doing more speed, footwork and agility and now I’m trying to transfer everything I have worked on off the ice, so in the month leading up to camp, I am hopefully faster and stronger for the start of the season.”
The former Baldragon pupil has set his focus on continuing to develop at the same rate as last season but he also knows what he has to do to give the team a chance to win.
“My goals for this year are to just keep progressing the way I did last year.
“Obviously, I have to be realistic with my goals and I want to be able to help this team as much as I can.
“However, the type of game I play, that means I have to be strong in my defensive zone and be a very defensively minded player to then give our team the best chance of winning games.”
Kris is ecstatic to be back for another year in his birthplace and playing for his fellow Dundonians.
He said: “I’m buzzing to be back, the buzz around this team is amazing, the fans are so supportive for us hometown players and the team in general and that really motivates us to work hard, even throughout the summer.
“We just want to repay the supporters as a thank you for everything they do to help us throughout the season.”