The Invicta Dynamos number 29 is back for another term after Head Coach Kevin Parrish today revealed that 30 year old forward Anthony Leone had penned a new contract for the 2013/14 campaign.

Anthony Leone first lined up at the Silver Blades Gillingham in 2006/07 after departing the Chelmsford Chieftains in the EPL to join the Dynamos in the NIHL South. In his first term in Medway, Leone more than lived up to his hard hitting reputation but also racked up the points – 17 goals and 13 assists coming in 21 league outings.

His performances were more than enough to secure him spot on the roster for future seasons with the forward then remaining at the Silver Blades until 2010/11 when a switch to nearby Romford ended his time in Gillingham. Before heading off to Essex, Leone had appeared for the Dynamos 153 times, claimed 62 goals and grabbed 58 assists for a total of 120 points.

Having moved to join the Raiders at Rom Valley Way, Anthony Leone capitalised on his change of scenery and thrived in his new role of captain in the gold and blue of Romford by netting 34 times and claiming 29 assists in 38 league outings. He would inevitably return to the side again the following year and this time he led his team to the NIHL Southern Championship – the Raiders’ first title in over a decade of hockey.

Another 24 goals and 17 assists was a more than respectable return for the forward but, despite claiming 104 points in two campaigns in Essex, the skater then called time on his career in Romford by returning to the Dynamos for 2012/13. Now, back in Kent, Leone was determined to make his mark again and iced a total of 38 times across all competitions whilst hitting the net on 10 occasions and teeing up his teammates for a further 16. He will now be looking to beat this latest tally when he returns to the ice for the new season in early September.

Speaking on the return of forward Anthony Leone, Head Coach Kevin Parrish claimed the skater was enjoying a new lease of life in the NIHL and brought more than just his playing ability to the ice.

Parrish said, “Anthony has now been in this league for seven seasons but he has endured a rich vein of form in the last three and that’s something we will be hoping continues in 2012/13. On the ice we all know he has an eye for goal, the pace to cause problems and the physical presence to land a huge momentum changing hit but he’s also an asset to the team when on the bench.”

“He’s a leader, constantly supporting and driving his teammates to push themselves for the win and the sort of character you need when you’re chasing silverware”.

The Dynamos supremo then added that the aggressive forward would also bring some consistency to the side when he said, “There’s a lot of new faces in the team this year so to have someone like Anthony, who now has five seasons with the team under his belt, is a huge bonus. He knows what hockey in Gillingham is all about and I’ve no doubt he’ll be an influential figure when the new season gets underway”.

Anthony Leone is the eighth forward to sign for the club this summer and his addition to the roster takes the team’s numbers to fifteen. News of a future teammate who is new to the side will be released on Friday.

Picture supplied by David Trevallion.