Arthur Cocar has not been with the Dunedin Thunder long, but he likes what he sees.
The 27-year-old Frenchman is one of four new Thunder imports for the national league, which gets under way early next month.
The defender, who plays for Chamois de Chamonix - the most successful club in France with 30 championship titles - during the northern hemisphere winter, will spend the next four months playing for the Thunder and seeing as much of New Zealand as he can.
Cocar helped the Thunder beat the Canterbury Red Devils and Southern Stampede twice each in pre-season matches over the past fortnight.
While the standard was not as high as back home, it was better than Cocar expected.
''I was surprised,'' Cocar said.
''It was fun to play. A few players are really good, but some players are under the level. So they have to learn about the other players. Here, they like to be physical. It's more physical here than in France.''
When Cocar decided he wanted to spend the French off-season playing overseas, he chose New Zealand after talking to some friends who had been here.
He sent Thunder coach Janos Kaszala a message on Facebook, and only had to wait about three hours to be told he was welcome in Dunedin.
''While it's not a professional league, I just wanted to visit here, meet people and improve my English,'' Cocar said.
''I know a lot of players who have played here before who said it was really beautiful.''
Born in St Germain en Laye, near Paris, Cocar has been playing ice hockey since he was 5.
His experience in the semi-professional Magnus League is sure to help the Thunder in its bid to win the national league, after finishing runner-up to Canterbury in each of the past two seasons.
Cocar believes the Thunder has a strong squad that is faster than both the Red Devils and the Stampede.
While he has been in Dunedin only two weeks and is still looking for a job to help fund the next four months, he is enjoying the lifestyle in a ''smaller'' city.
The Thunder has another three weeks to prepare for its first match against the Botany Swarm in Dunedin on June 13, while the Red Devils and West Auckland Admirals get the season rolling on June 6 in Christchurch.
