The 28-year-old, blueliner joined the club last season and impressed in his European debut, quickly becoming a fan-favourite and contributing 15 points from the back end in 60 appearances, whilst also winning the OSC Award for ‘Unsung Hero of the Season’.
Born in Kamloops, British Columbia, Pouncy had previously played in the ECHL with Utah Grizzlies and Wichita Thunder, also the SPHL, FPHL and NCAA III with Northland College before arriving in Dundee.
Standing at 6-feet-3-inches tall and weighing in at 181lbs, Kyle was also selected to be on the NCAA III (WIAC) All-Conference Team in his senior year at Northland College after breaking the school record for most points by a defenseman all-time and he was also a winner of the 2015-2016 Scholastic Award of the Superior International Junior Hockey League and was named to their First All-Star Team.
LEFEBVRE ON POUNCY
Once he had secured the return of Pouncy, Stars Director of Hockey Operations and Head Coach, Marc LeFebvre, said: “It was another no brainer for me.
“We talked before the season ended and again at our exit meeting to express what we wanted to do and we put an offer in to him and his agent.
“Kyle then took some time at home to rest and recuperate after the season, just like everyone does and he came back to me over the weekend and said he was ready to do this, so we got everything done and we are glad to have him back.”
LeFebvre continued: “He is just a real simple defenseman, he was a great pairing to have with Dowsy last year and he allowed Dowsy to play a bit more offensively.
“There was also a chance for Kyle to have some time on the powerplay and he showed he has some offensive skills to his game too but the main thing is, he just comes in and does the business every day.
“He blocks shots, he has a great first pass and he does everything for the team, he is just a very simple player who does the little things right and he goes really unnoticed.
“He is the unsung hero for our team, every day he puts the work in on and off the ice, before and after practice, he is always the last guy to leave because he puts in the extra time off the ice and it has shown in his game.
“He has improved and he was the last defenseman we signed in August last summer and he was certainly better than expected.
“He is a big presence for us in terms of his work rate and I am looking forward to working with Kyle again.”
POUNCY ON COMING BACK TO DUNDEE
After penning his extension, Kyle added: “I am ecstatic and I feel like we have some unfinished business from last year.
“So, it did not take a lot of convincing to get back on board and seeing all the signings we had already made with the new additions and some boys coming back, it got me really excited to want to be a part of that and keep building.
“Which is ultimately why I wanted to come back and take another run at this.”
He continued: “Personally, as a player, Marc gave me a tonne of opportunity last season to show what I can do and he wants me to play a similar role and play a lot of minutes, so hopefully help the team as much as I can.
“Being in that position is exciting for me, I want to help the team in anyway and want to have that kind of responsibility, so him relying on me and having that trust, makes me want to be a part of it again.
“With the team that Marc is building, we want to have some success and I think we finished not exactly where we wanted to last year and there was a lot of potential.
“So, if we can make a similar run and keep building then I think we are right in the mix and hopefully get it right in that Final Four Weekend and make something happen.”
With Kyle being the sixth player to return from last season’s squad, he is looking forward to coming back and playing with some familiar faces.
He commented: “It is extremely exciting, seeing all the guys coming back, especially on the D-core and it is a very similar core to last year and I enjoyed playing with all those guys last year, not just my D-partners but all the guys on the back end.
“Bringing guys back is a big piece of the puzzle because it was a really great cohesive team to be a part of on and off the ice last year and since you are spending so much time together, that plays a big role.
“Because we know what we are capable of and if we can have a start where we are not all new right off the hop then it goes a long way to already have that chemistry built and that camaraderie.
“So, I am excited to get there and pick up exactly where we left off and keep on building.”
Finally, Pouncy shared a message for the fans now that he will be returning to Scotland this September, he said: “First and foremost, I want to say thank you to the fans for their support this past year through all the ups and downs, they stuck with us and we really appreciate that.
“I know they will be back in full force this upcoming year and hopefully we can give them a really good product, lots to cheer about.
“So, please keep coming out to the games and supporting us, it is a real game-changer when they bring that energy and we feel it, we build off it and I am personally excited to get back to that and to feel that energy again and to make some memories.”
Listen to the full interview with Kyle and Stars TV below!
In his 14-year-career so far, Kyle has featured in 443 matches, recorded 57 goals, 141 assists and collected 66 penalty minutes, while also playing in 35 playoff games, where he tallied 20 points (5G, 15A) and 2 penalty minutes.
Kyle is our seventh signing of the summer and joins Drydn Dow, Ben O’Connor, Jonathan McBean, Xavier Pouliot, Craig Garrigan and Kris Inglis on the roster for next season.
Pouncy will again wear #23 for the Stars and you can sponsor his equipment for this season right now, click HERE.
To see Kyle’s career stats on Elite Prospects click HERE.
All images: Derek Black.
