James Neil returns to Manchester Phoenix next season as a defenceman.

And the 21-year-old, who’s dad is the manager at Altrincham ice rink, has received a glowing report from player-coach Tony Hand.

Nottingham-born Neil is back for his third season with champions Phoenix and Hand believes his poise on the puck and skating prowess will stand him in good stead on the blue line.

“He’s really good on the puck and makes smart passes and smart plays,” said Hand.

“He’s an intelligent player and skates well and can skate the puck out of defence if he has to.

“What I like about him is he has a bit of experience even though he’s still quite young.

“Every year he’s getting better and hopefully this year will be a breakthrough year for him and he’ll really improve.

“At lot of these guys are still young and it’s not easy for them. They have a lot on their shoulders but I’m confident James will do a good job for us.”

Neil stepped up on the powerplay several times last season and Hand expects to use him on his special teams again next season.

he said: “He’s poised on the puck and that’s what you are looking for on the powerplay. You don’t want guys to panic and James is pretty level headed.

“He’s a good guy in the dressing room and he’s looked after himself during the summer.”

Phoenix still have an import forward and defenceman, and a back-up netminder to sign before the start of the season on September 24.