Edinburgh Capitals sign up Canadian defenceman D'Orazio

Edinburgh Capitals have signed former Canadian college all-star Mike D'Orazio on a two-year deal.
Mike D'Orazio has been playing for St Mary's UniversityMike D'Orazio has been playing for St Mary's University
Mike D'Orazio has been playing for St Mary's University

The 25-year-old defenceman comes to Murrayfield after five years playing for St Mary’s University, where he registered an impressive 81 points from 116 games and was part of the Canadian ice hockey team which won a gold medal at the World University Games in 2014.

Capitals player-coach Michal Dobron said of his latest acquisition: “We’ve had great feedback on Mike from coaches and players. He’s a big guy, a good skater and he’s very strong. D’Orazio will play a physical game and also brings leadership skills having been captain of the London Knights in the OHL (Ontario Hockey League) and as an assistant captain at St Mary’s University.”

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It is understood D’Orazio turned down offers from other European clubs as well as a try-out contract in the American Hockey League to come to Edinburgh where he will combine playing with studying for an MBA in Business at Heriot-Watt University.

D’Orazio becomes the tenth player signed up for the new Elite League season which gets underway in September and, alongside Tyler Plews, Jay King, Sean Beattie, and Canadian forward Taylor MacDougall, the fifth to sign multi-year deals with the club. After a difficult last season where Edinburgh finished bottom of the Elite League after many of the club’s top earners left midway through their campaign, co-owner Scott Neil is hopeful that offering players longer deals will improve stability at Caps.

Neil said: “Especially in terms of our Scottish guys, we’ve intimated to them that they are the future of the club. We want to create a pathway for them being team leaders in our community and help them represent the club and the sport to the best of their ability.

“It’s the same for our imports. It’s crucial that we give them that comfort of knowing they’ll be looked after while completing their MBA programs, and who knows, perhaps even beyond that. We’ve got a great city and we want them to feel at home here and be proud to represent the Edinburgh Capitals.”

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