CENTRE Steve Osman and netminder Connor Ranby have joined Oxford City Stars ahead of the new National Ice Hockey League South 1 campaign.

The duo’s arrival coincides with the departure of experienced netminder James Skaife, who leaves the club due to work commitments.

Osman, 27, joins from Bristol Pitbulls, where he scored 17 goals in 11 games in the second half of last season.

Meanwhile, netminder Ranby, 19, was an integral part of Coventry Blaze’s Elite League play-off winning squad last year.

Head coach Simon Anderson said: “Skaifey obviously played a massive part in our survival last season and is a huge hole to fill in our team, but we wish him every success in his new job.

“Replacing Skaifey was probably one of the toughest parts of my team building this summer.

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“We are only interested in signing winners, so Connor fitted the bill perfectly.

“He will certainly get the opportunity to showcase his talents and we have every confidence that we have made the right move signing him.”

Anderson added: “Ozzy is a tremendous capture for us and just shows how ambitious we are as a club signing players with his quality.

“I think he will fit nicely into the roster we are building here and I look forward to seeing him on the ice so he can show the fans what he’s capable of.”