THE Herd has been strengthened further for next year as the Basingstoke Bison re-signed another player ahead of the upcoming season.

After announcing the returning trio of British forwards Vanya Antonov and Dan Davies, along with British defenceman Dan Scott last week, head coach Doug Sheppard told The Gazette he was pleased to bring back the returning Tomas Karpov.

The Czech sniper made 50 appearances for the herd last year, scoring 20 times in his fourth season taking to the ice for Basingstoke.

The 28-year-old has a wealth of experience playing in the English Premier League and Sheppard said having the Czech star return to the team is a great asset to the Bison.

“I am really pleased that we are able to bring Tomas back into the team,” said Sheppard.

“He is a really good well rounded player to have in our team and he can give us a different element on the ice as well.

“So I am extremely happy that we are able to welcome him back.”

With the club’s ties to Winchester University, Karpov is set to study for his masters degree there, meaning he will be able to work his training around his studies.

With Karpov the fourth name that Sheppard has re-signed, the head coach said he is hoping to keep a similar look to his squad for next year.

He added: “I really liked the team we put out last year, so it is not a case of us tearing it apart and rebuilding.

“Of course we want to strengthen and improve where we can, but I am happy with the foundation that we have.

“What we want is to be able to provide quality hockey on the ice, and with the players we have and are looking to re-sign I think we will be able to do this.”