Telford Tigers are pleased to announce the signing of net minder Matty Bloor for the 2023/24 season.
Nineteen year old Bloor comes to Telford after coming through the junior ranks in Nottingham and representing the Nottingham Lions over the last two seasons. Bloor also appeared for the Nottingham Panthers several times in 2022/23 in the Elite League.
We spoke to Matty about his signing:
Welcome to Telford. How did your signing come about?
“Coming to the Tigers has been something that I knew I wanted to do at some point in my career after coming down here on loan a few seasons back and being able to see first hand how the team is coached and the attitude to winning everyone has. I’ve spent a lot of the off-season working with my goalie coach, Matt Darlow, and we both agreed that this is the right year to make this move to Telford and the National League.”
You played in the Elite League last year. What was that like?
“Being a part of the Panthers last year was an amazing experience that I’m never going to forget and will be forever grateful for, it taught me a lot about what it takes to be a professional athlete on and off the ice. As the season progressed I could feel myself improving and ironing out the minor details. Being around that environment solidified in my mind that I want to take hockey as far as I possibly can.”
What do you think you can bring to the Tigers?
“I feel like Brad Day has proved he’s a top end goalie in the league, he’s played nearly every game for the past two seasons so I hope I can come in and lighten his work load and give the team two solid options for any given game and be confident in that choice.”
How much do you think you will benefit from training with Brad Day?
“Honestly I’ve been benefiting from Brad’s advice for years, I’ve known him since I first started playing and he’s always been someone that I look up to as a mentor and a friend. He’s been helping me out since I had my first set of pads, I’ve coached along side him on hockey camps and now I’m lucky enough to be his teammate. In my opinion the way Brad reads the game and his mentality going into high pressure situations is second to none so I’m looking forward to learning even more from him.”
What do you think of the standard in the National League?
“I think the standard is always improving as it should be and it’s great to see so many young Brits like myself playing across the league as a whole it can only mean bright things for the future of British hockey.”
Are you prepared for how hard Vladimir Luka hits a shot in training?
“As long as there’s no headshots in practice I think we’ll be okay! But in all seriousness he’s got an amazing shot and I’m looking forward to seeing how that challenges me and minimise the amount of times he can find the back of the net in practice!”
Do you have a message for the fans?
“I can’t wait to meet everyone in September once the season starts and hopefully we’ll be bringing some silverware back home to Telford, I hope you’re all ready because I am.”
Head Coach Tom Watkins commented on Matty’s signing,
“I’m pleased to welcome Matty to the club and excited to see him between the pipes. Brad Day has played just about every game in the past three seasons so it was very important for a number of reasons we added someone we feel can develop under Brad and help take on the responsibility to share the pressure of the role. Brad will be our number one but with Matty’s ability, athleticism and size I feel we have a goalie that will be an important addition to the team.”
Matty’s own and loan shirts are available to order now for £150 each (Home and Away). Please see the Tigers’ Online Shop for details. Please see the Tigers’ Online Shop for details.
In the 2023/24 season, Tigers are again offering individual player sponsorship at £500. The package will include a personalised ‘SPECIAL’ exclusive third jersey with a company name or family name patch, announcements on match nights, a small advert or logo in the match night programmes and a signed player photo. The jersey will be worn for cup games and play-off games and will not be available as a replica.
If you are interested or require more information on the individual player sponsorships, contact marketing@telfordtigers.net
Watch out for further details about new signings at Telford Tigers, visit: http://www.telfordtigers.net/news or catch up on Facebook or Twitter
