Belfast Giants Announce Signing of David Goodwin & Tyler Soy

Having played for the Giants in 2019/20 and made a big impression with the fanbase, American forward David Goodwin makes a welcome return in teal. The 29-year-old has strong credentials, and with Championship success at both junior and college level, the former Penn State captain will be keen to chase further trophies in Belfast.

Meanwhile, 24-year-old Canadian forward Tyler Soy becomes the latest new face to join the Giants roster. Joining the Teal Army from the Top USports school programme at the University of Alberta, he also played for Victoria Royals in the WHL, achieving 92 points in 66 games. The promising young player was a seventh-round draft pick by the Anaheim Ducks in 2016.

The latest signing news was announced during the A View from The Bridge podcast on Wednesday morning,

Commenting on the signings, Adam Keefe, Head Coach of the Belfast Giants said: “These two recent signings bring further strength to our roster. We’re very happy to have Goody back in Teal this season. He gives 100% every shift for his team and plays hard on both sides of the puck. He scored some big goals for us in 19/20 and brings additional leadership and a strong work ethic back to Belfast. He knows what it means to wear the Belfast Giants jersey and play for this city.

“Tyler Soy brings a dynamic skill set and we’re excited to watch him do his thing in Belfast. Fans will enjoy watching him in action; he’s a player that makes his line mates better with his skill set.”

Further signings are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Fixtures for the forthcoming ElHL2021/22 Season are expected to be announced tomorrow, Thursday 5^th August.

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MORE ABOUT OUR LATEST SIGNINGS

DAVID GOODWIN | #64 | ST LOUIS, MISSOURI, USA

Following a strong performance in Belfast in 2019/20 Goodwin returns in the #64 jersey for the Giants this season.

The 29-year-old forward from St. Louis has strong credentials, having joined the Giants with Championship success at both junior and college level. A former USHL Champion with Sioux City Musketeers, he tasted further success during his four-season tenure with Penn State University, captaining the team throughout his final year in 2016/17 to help win the Big Ten tournament title and a first-round NCAA playoff game. He left as the club’s career-scoring leader with 44 goals and 84 assists, good for 128 points in 147 games played.

Moving to Europe following graduation, Goodwin joined SaiPa of the Finnish Elite League, helping the club reach the playoffs both seasons, before joining the Giants in 2019-20. He returns to Belfast, following valued on-ice time last season with Cracovia Krakow in Poland, playing alongside fellow returning Giant, Darcy Murphy.

Commenting on his signing, Goodwin says he is happy that the stars have aligned, allowing for his return to Belfast: “It's a little surreal. Obviously, I loved my time there previously and I didn't know if I was ever going to get an opportunity to go back. Obviously with, all of the unknowns in the world, I just never knew if things were going to match up again. So, the fact that they have, and I will be coming back, is really, really exciting.

“I really believe Belfast is a very special place, to play hockey, but also to live and to get involved in the community. I think the fans are second to none there. They really have created a really cool and fun culture to play in and play in front of. So of course, the fans are a massive part of me re-signing. I really just enjoyed playing at the SSE. It's a great, great place and a lot of fun.

“Just imagining that first night has got me really excited and certainly continues to fuel a lot of the off season training I'm doing here. I'm sure the fans will be buzzing and I'm really looking forward to that first night at the SSE.”

TYLER SOY | #71 | CLOVERDALE, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA

The latest new face to join the Giants’ roster, 24-year-old Canadian Tyler Soy joins the Giants from the University of Alberta. Prior to this, he played for the Victoria Royals in the WHL (2012-13 to 2017-18), where he was the club’s all-time leader in goals, assists and points, with an impressive 323 games played. In the 2017-18 season alone, he achieved 92 points in 66 games.

Commenting on signing for the Belfast Giants, Tyler Soy said:“I’mvery excited. It’s a great opportunity for me; it's a good League; it seems like an amazing place to play and to live…

I’m excited just talking with Keefer and Steve and, you know, getting a feel for the team, the way that, things go, the way he likes to coach, the way the teams play, the way the league and everything is set up. It's quite a different schedule and format than what I'm used to over here in North America. Getting the chance to be able to move across the world… and play professionally and get this opportunity - It was a pretty easy decision.

“It's been a long year without any games for me. Everyone says it, but there's nothing like playing in front of an arena full of fans, and it's definitely exciting. It gets me a little giddy just thinking about it. I'm really excited. I can't wait.”