Shaun Thompson (right) tangles with Pete Campbell in a Bison v Bracknell challenge match

FORMER Great Britain junior internationals Shaun Thompson and Kurt Reynolds will return to Basingstoke next season.

For forward Thompson, it is only two years since he last laced up his skates for the Bison in the Elite League, while defenceman Reynolds is returning to the arena where he started his ice hockey career as an under-10 player more than a decade ago.

Both players played for Bracknell Bees in the English Premier League (EPL) last season and now hope to add more sting to the Herd when they hit the ice in the autumn.

Centreman Thompson has become one of the top forwards in the EPL in the last couple of years and he returned 33 points from 39 games last season.

His return to Basingstoke sees him rejoin current Bison boss Ryan Aldridge, who was his coach at Bracknell.

Aldridge said: "Shaun is a solid centreman and has the right attitude.

"He has gained a lot of experience since last in a Bison shirt. I think the time is right for him to move back to the Elite League."

Last year, the 20-year-old played three games in the top flight with Nottingham Panthers, hitting the net once, and Herd bosses hope he can repeat that ratio in the coming season.

Thompson said: "I am very excited about coming back to Basingstoke and I am working hard in the gym. I know Ryan (Aldridge) will get the best out of me as a coach.

"I want to do well for Basingstoke and put myself in the shop window for a place in the senior Great Britain squad for the two trips to Poland this year. I have always enjoyed playing for my country and now want to do it again."

Basingstoke's other returnee is Reynolds, who has travelled many miles in the sport since his humble beginnings in the Basingstoke junior set-up, but his family home is still in Kempshott.

As a teenager, he spent four years playing in North America while also winning gold medals for Great Britain in the world championships at under-18 and under-20 levels.

Last season, he returned to Britain and pulled on a Bees jersey, where he was an instant hit and also impressed in his two outings with Nottingham.

Aldridge has earmarked the fifth defenceman spot on the team for the 21-year-old, but he can also provide cover in the forward department if needed.

The Bison boss said: "He is a smart defenceman who knows what to do in a given situation. He is very much in the mould of Ben O'Connor, who was here last season."

Reynolds, looking forward to his first full season in the Elite League, said: "I feel this is the next step in my career and I felt I could make the jump up having experienced a couple of games last year.

"I now have to prove myself at this level," he said.

He also has aspirations to make the senior GB team.

"I want to do well and win things for the Bison. That is my first goal and, if that helps me make the Great Britain team, that would be a great plus."

Two players not returning to the Herd next season are forward Greg Owen, who as expected has signed to play for HC Briancon in France, and back-up netminder Dan Green, who has moved to Sheffield Steelers.

On the departures, Aldridge said: "I wish both the guys well for the coming season."

• The Great Britain team, which is almost certain to include current Bison player Greg Chambers, will start the quest to qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver in early November in Poland, where they will face Japan, Romania and the host nation.

Victory would see GB progress to a final qualifying tournament in February.

Poland is also the starting point for GB in the world championships in April, when they will face Romania and the hosts, along with Italy, Ukraine and Holland.

9:19am Sunday 1st June 2008

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