Giants Sign Second Scholarship Player – Pat Bateman

Posted on Friday, May 8th, 2009 at 3:07 pm

Canadian Pat Bateman is the latest addition to the Giants roster for the 2009-2010 season. The 26 year old forward will join Tom Walsh in completing his MBA at the University of Ulster, thanks to the Giants Scholarship Programme.

Bateman appeared in a total of 77 games last season with the Gwinnett Gladiators in the ECHL where he tallied 55 points including 26 goals. Prior to his pro career, Bateman had four successful years at Northern Michigan University followed by a brief stint in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals. He then played two seasons in the ECHL with the Stockton Thunder and the Gladiators before signing with the Giants.

Coach Thornton was impressed with his findings when researching Bateman; “We are expecting Pat to have a similar impact to what Bobby Robins had for us last season,” said Thornton. “He won’t be fun for other teams to play against, and he can also finish. He can play on the top line or on a checking line and in all three forward positions. The coaches that I spoke to about him all thought that he will be great over here with his combo of speed, skill and grit. His best reference came from his own coach in Gwinnett this past season as he had great things to say about him as a player and a person. He felt that we are getting an AHL calibre player which translates very well to our Elite league.”

General Manager Todd Kelman praised the Giants partnership with the University of Ulster, naming the scholarship programme as the team’s most valuable recruiting tool. “Being able to offer opportunities at the university positions the Giants to attract higher calibre players,” said Kelman. “We’re signing guys now that we couldn’t have dreamed of recruiting before the scholarship programme was in place, which is why the programme is essential for us to remain competitive in the league. Thornton really does his research on players, so we’re confident that we’ve signed a winner with Bateman; we know he will play with an edge and he’ll score goals, two things that will make him a very popular player here in Belfast.”