THE Basingstoke Bison have completed their import line-up for the coming campaign with the signing of Czech sharp shooter Jaroslav Cesky.

He joins fellow forward and countryman forward Tomas Karpov as the Herd’s import pair.

Both will be key players as part of different offensive units, as under National Ice Hockey League rules teams can only have one import on the ice at any given time.

The 39-year-old is no stranger to Basingstoke, having played for the Herd in season 2012/13 where he returned 48 points from 41 games.

Despite being born in the Czech Republic, he played his early pro career in North America and then spent a year in France, before being voted English Premier League Player of the Year in his first season in Britain for the Bracknell Bees, where he returned 119 points hitting the net 53 times.

After leaving Basingstoke he had a brief spell in the Elite League, before signing for the Wightlink Raiders in the autumn of 2014.

When the island side folded last season, Cesky finished the year with the Oxford City Stars, where he returned 31 points, taking his total in the league the Bison will play in this season, to 171 from 94 games which includes 63 goals.

Bison head coach Doug Sheppard played alongside Cesky when he was last in Basingstoke and is really pleased to have him back and said: “He has a great work ethic and I feel he will score a lot of goals for us this season. He is a lethal finisher and looking forward to playing his part as we look to win some silverware this season.”