Player-coach re-signs for the Peterborough Phantoms

The ace defenceman has played a huge part on and off the ice in turning Phantoms into an accomplished defensive unit.

Phantoms head coach Slava Koulikov said: “Tom has been fantastic with his responsibilities on the ice as a player and as a coach. He’s really improved all of our defencemen, so there was no hesitation to activate his second year of his contract.

“Last summer we set our philosophy on how we want our defencemen to play and Tom has done an amazing job as a coach to make sure we have achieved our goals and pushed our D-core to be one of the best all round units in the league.

Tom’s professionalism has allowed him to do both roles really well and as a player he was leading by example in every game. He was the top scoring defenceman in the league with 19 goals and over 50 points.”

Norton added: “It’s great to be back for an eighth season in Phantoms’ colours. I say it ever year, but this club has become my second home and I could not envisage playing hockey anywhere else. I’m really excited to see what the new season brings, I can only see the league getting stronger and more competitive, so I’m looking forward to the new challenges that come our way.”