The Dunedin Thunder have locked in their first player for 2026.
It is not a bad signing, either.
Canadian defenceman Luke Stegmann will be back for the Thunder for his second New Zealand Ice Hockey League campaign.
The 23-year-old skater from Gatineau, Quebec, returns after a season playing for the Liege Bulldogs in the Belgian league.
Stegmann scored 28 points in 14 games for the Thunder last year. That made him the highest-scoring defenceman in the NZIHL by a whopping 11 points.
Small wonder the Thunder announced his signing by posting: "Some players change games. Some change teams. Luke Stegmann does both."
The Thunder won nine of their 16 games last season, finishing just two points off the table-topping Stampede.
More player signing news is expected soon.
Guillaume Leclancher is back as head coach for the Thunder, whose NZIHL season begins with a juicy home doubleheader against the champion Stampede on May 8-9.
