The Solway Sharks are delighted to announce the return of treble winning Captain, Struan Tonnar for the 2022-23 season.

Tonnar, who returns to Captain the Sharks for his 8th season after picking up the League, Playoff and National Championship treble last season. He has been a mainstay of the team for 13 years and the Sharks would not be the same without him

The 32-year-old skipper is used mostly as a defenceman now, but he can also play as a forward and in either position he always contributes offensively and proved that again last year with 20 goals and 20 assists in 27 games.

Tonnar is a leader both on and off the ice and is instrumental in driving his teams’ performances with his ability, experience, and desire to continue winning and this comes across in every game to his teammates and supporters alike.

With 384 games, Struan is the all-time appearance leader for the Sharks and leads the way in all-time goals with 251 and points with 435. He has won the NIHL North 4 times with the club and last season was his 2nd treble so everyone can see why he is thought of so highly by everyone associated with the club and we are all delighted to welcome our Captain back again.

On his return Struan commented “Last season was one of the most successful in the club’s history and it was great to be part of that and share the celebrations with our supporters and that motivates me to come back and attempt to do it all over again. Winning never gets old and we have been lucky enough to win a treble, but we cannot rest on our laurels, and I am determined to make sure the players know the standards we set and the targets are the same. I know exactly what Martin expects not only from me but from our team and I want to still contribute and use my experience to help this team and club continue to grow. I plan to use my experience to help our group reach their goals and want to use the winning mentality to make sure we have many more celebrations in front of our supporters as that is what it is all about for me.”

Sharks Head Coach Martin Grubb stated “Struan is one of the heartbeats of this hockey club and always one of the first conversations I have each summer. He has been an amazing servant to the club and every year he finds a way to contribute on the ice by putting up good numbers and really leading by example. When I came back to the Sharks, he was a forward and played very offensive but through time he has really learnt a much more rounded game, moved back to defence so he can influence the game more and made sure as the Captain that the high standards of our team are known by everyone and this has allowed him the fun part of collecting so many trophies. He really is a player who wants to win every game and demands that of his teammates and when you have that plus the ability he has as a player then we know we are getting a top player and person back each year to lead our group. We are delighted he is back again to play his part and I can’t wait to see him lift more trophies.”

Struan will wear his familiar number 51 jersey for the upcoming season and his jerseys are available to own and loan now. Please email sharkssecretary@aol.com to discuss the owned and loaned packages available.