Last updated on .From the section Ice hockey

We are sick of practice and ready to get going - Belfast Giants head coach Adam Keefe

Belfast Giants have made another addition to their roster in advance of their two pre-season matches against Manitoba Bisons this weekend.

Alaska native Hunter Bishop will not be available for the friendly games but is hoping to play in their Challenge Cup opener against Dundee on 8 September.

The versatile forward, 30, has spent the past three years with Austrian side HC Innsbruck.

"He's a great piece to add to the puzzle," said Giants coach Adam Keeffe.

"Hunter is a guy I've been in touch with for the majority of the summer and it wasn't working out [at first] but his persistence to want to be here and to want to be a part of this team and to want to live in Belfast, coupled with the type of player and the quality that we're getting with him, was definitely something that I wanted to get done."

Bishop scored 65 goals and made 51 assists in 141 appearances with Innsbruck after moving from EBEL rivals Olimpija Ljubljana in 2014.

The hard-working forward had previously played for American Hockey League franchise Manchester Monarchs before his move to Europe.

Following his collegiate career at Ohio State University, the Alaskan played for AHL team the Hamilton Bulldogs before stints with the South Carolina Stingrays, Lake Erie Monsters, Rochester Americans and the Manchester Monarchs.