MIDWAY through this evening’s clash with the Peterborough Phantoms, Swindon Wildcats head coach Ryan Aldridge all but completed the signing of new import forward Tomáš Káňa.

The paperwork to bring in the 27-year-old Czech, who has previously made six appearances for NHL franchise Columbus Blue Jackets, reached Aldridge at the Link Centre this evening.

Káňa, who has also featured for the Syracuse Crunch and Springfield Falcons in the American Hockey League and was most recently playing in Slovakia, is set to link up with countryman and former Karlovy Vary team-mate Jan Kostal with the Wildcats.

And chief Aldridge, who has moved to replace the departed Henri Sandvik, says that he’s gotten his hands on a long-term target.

“I’ve actually had a signed contract back whilst the game was going on, so he should be flying in on Monday,” said the Wildcats boss.

“I actually tried to sign him last summer. He actually only became available yesterday - to me, anyway.

“He’s played at a very high level. He’s played in the NHL - six games - and he’s played 99 games in the American League.

“He wanted a clause in his contract last summer where he could leave to a better league if an option was to become available, so I didn’t bring him in.

“He’s played in the American league for 99 games - no-one in our team’s done that - and he’s actually played a few games with Jan Kostal in Karlovy Vary in the Czech Extraliga, so he’s going to bring experience and hopefully some goalscoring and some playmaking and everything else a forward should bring.”

Aldridge insisted that Káňa has no clause in his Swindon contract permitting him to leave if approached by a team from a higher division.