The Belfast Giants have added to their roster for the new season through local talent after Northern Irish forwards Mack Stewart and Carter Hamill have signed two-way deals with the club for the 2024/25 campaign.
The Great Britain Under-20s pair, both from Belfast, have signed deals that will see them primarily represent the Milton Keynes Lightning in the NIHL next season but also be available to the Giants if needed.
While Stewart has been on a two-way with the Giants for the last three seasons, the deal is significant for Hamill as it sees him return to the Giants organisation for the first time since departing in 2022 after making four appearances.
Since then, the 19-year-old – whose brother Cameron also plays for the Lightning – has emerged as an offensive dynamo, first with Leeds Knights in the 2022/23 season and then last year with Milton Keynes.
In 35 games last season, Hamill scored eight goals and 21 points before going on to add two goals and six points in six Play-Off games for the Lightning, and was then one of GB Under-20s’ top players in Division 2A of the World Championships, grabbing three goals in five games.
Stewart, 20, was also a member of that silver medal winning side and was also a key contributor, grabbing a goal and eight points in the tournament after a season where he racked up 16 goals and 39 points in 51 games for the Lightning.
The son of Giants assistant coach Rob, Stewart has already played in 53 games for Belfast, grabbing a goal and three points and he will hope to improve on that over the course of the season.
While both will more than likely start the season with the Sharks, they will get a chance to impress head coach Adam Keefe in the Giants’ training camp and pre-season games in mid-to-late August before heading to England.
Meanwhile, the Giants have two players named in the preliminary squad for Great Britain’s Final Olympic Qualifiers next month after Ben Lake and Jackson Whistle were included in Pete Russell’s 27-man roster.
Lake will be one of the key forwards on Russell’s roster having scored eight goals and 29 points in 58 games for the international team, while netminder Whistle will look to hang onto the starter’s jersey that he won off Ben Bowns for the World Championships in May.
Former Giants players Johnny Curran, Robert Dowd, Sean Norris, David Phillips and Sam Ruopp were also included in the squad.