The Cleveland City Stars have announced the re-signing of midfielder/forward Jason Hotchkin. The 30-year old Hotchkin joined the Stars lineup at the end of the 2008 season after coming to the team from the New Jersey Ironmen of the indoor MISL. "Jason is a guy who really helped the club in the final month of the regular season," said Cleveland City Stars Executive Director Aaron Tredway. "We really saw the type of player and team leader he can be once he became a regular during the playoffs as he was always around the ball and creating opportunities for himself and others." Hotchkin played in the final five matches of 2008 and totaled 229 minutes while recording one goal and one assist. All three of Hotchkin's regular season points came in a match against Bermuda on July 26th when the native of Greenville, SC tallied a goal and an assist. For his efforts, Hotchkin was voted Man of the Match by the fans. Hotchkin continued to come on strong during the playoffs by starting each post season match and registering 247 minutes during the run to the championship. Hotchkin did his part by recording an assist in the Stars 4-2 first round victory over the Western Mass Pioneers and by attempted three shots on goal during an active championship match performance against the Charlotte Eagles. "Coming off the success of last year, this is the place I wanted to be. You always want to play with champions and I'm excited about the opportunity," said Hotchkin. "I feel like this is a good fit for me off the field as well, with getting involved in the community. When you're looking for a place to go, you want to make sure everything fits perfectly and Cleveland City does for me." Prior to joining the Stars, Hotchkin played collegiately at NAIA Biola University and was named all-Golden State Athletic Conference as a senior in 2003 when he registered 11 goals and a team-high 7 assists. Hotchkin's professional career has taken him around the world as he has played in the USL with the Charlotte Eagles and Wilmington Hammerheads, in the MISL with the Philadelphia KiXX and New Jersey Ironmen and abroad with German club TuS Koblenz and Swedish second division side IK Brage. "I've known Jason since he was 18 and I've seen him grown into a player that can really help us this season," said Head Coach Rod Underwood. "He's a creative player and he's a winner that's had success on multiple levels." Hotchkin's first experience came in 1999 with the South Carolina Shamrocks of the USL D3 Pro League. The coach of that club was Underwood. "I've known Rod for quite some time and he's a great coach to play for," said Hotchkin. "The team did a great job of going out and bringing in a guy with a great resume and a lot of experience and I'm looking forward to the season."
Yup, the invite only combine started yesterday. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a decent amount of player announcements in the week or two after it ends.
