Invicta Dynamos have some exciting recruits and a club legend back for the start of the new season.

Their all-time leading points scorer, Andy Smith, has come out of retirement to skate with the Mos again, while Canadian D-man Danny Gatenby has signed on to help solve some of the defensive issues that hurt them last term.

The Dynamos – celebrating 40 years of ice hockey in Kent this season - start the campaign in the Challenge Cup, with a home game against Chelmsford Chieftains on Saturday, followed by a trip to face the Streatham Redhawks on Sunday.

Their NIHL South Division 1 bid gets under way the following weekend.

“There is renewed excitement and I’m ready to go again,” said head coach Karl Lennon, who is heading into his fourth season in charge of the team.

“I’m incredibly excited about what we’ve brought into the club. Players that have a great attitude to start off with, that have real positive energy, which I’m loving, and training has been fantastic.

“There are some notable additions to the line-up, and I think I’m probably as excited as the fans to see Andy Smith back on the ice in a Dynamos jersey.

“Class is permanent and there’s no question that when you watch him, even in training now, the movement, the decision-making and the techniques that he has to this day are exceptional.

“He won’t be the same as what he was 10 years ago, but the brain doesn’t always stop the same way as maybe the legs and hands do.

“I’ve not had a player, probably in my time as coach, that’s been as prolific as he has in his past. Even if we get half of the Andy Smith that was once here, then we’ll be laughing. He’s a fabulous player.”

Canadian import Gatenby arrived last week and is a valuable addition with Lennon keen to plug some holes at the back.

“He’s settled extremely well,” said the head coach. “He’s a really nice guy, first and foremost. A very humble and honest player.

“He’s huge. He’s 6’4” and on skates, probably 6’6”. He has an enormous presence on the ice, which is fantastic, but it's not just about the size, it’s the sort of quality that he possesses.

“You could see from the very first moments that he was with us, you’re thinking, ‘Wow, okay, now we’ve got something special here’. We’re all super excited about him being here and with us.

“An area that we needed to address at the back end of last season was the goals against. We conceded far too many goals if we want to be successful.

“That, for me, has got to be a focus part of our improvement.”

Blueliner Preston Tombs has captained the England under-19s and has also been added to the roster.

Lennon said: “He’s got great skating abilities, very confident and calm on the park. We’re excited to see what he brings to the table as well at the back end.”

There are also additions to the forward department with Jacob Ranson joining after gaining plenty of National League experience, back with the Mos a decade after playing for the club.

Lennon said: “He’s got a tremendous work rate and intensity that he brings as a player. He’s very competent positionally and he’s slotted straight in by way of character.”

New addition Luca Pascale has been described as “young and dynamic” and joins from Romford, having appeared against the Mos numerous times.

“He always seemed to play quite well against us,” said Lennon.

“He’s actually better than I remembered, which is a good thing. I knew he was a solid hockey player but when you watch him in training and you see him sort of firsthand and how he digests instruction, but also then starts to then implement things into what he’s doing.

“He’s a great skater, has a nice shot and I think he’ll add a lot for us this year, offensively.”

Harrison Prentice is back with the Mos after time in Sweden and the USA, while Jared Vigar has signed a two-way agreement with the Guildford Phoenix.

Lennon said: “I believe these players are really going to add something unique to what we’ve got.

“The really interesting thing is they’re all very different, their playing styles are not very similar to each other. We’ve got quite a mixed skill set and that’s good and exciting for us.”

Aaron Connolly remains captain and Lennon has already seen him lead by example as they warm up for the new season.

Lennon said: “I think even by his own estimation, he wanted things to go better than they did [last season]. Like myself, he shares the same passion for this club, and he’s extremely motivated to want to do well.

“You can just see even in the pre-season, he’s a bit of a machine. It hasn’t been unnoticed by his fellow teammates at how hard he’s pushing them already. He’s a dream to work with and no question he’ll come back with a bang this year.”

The Mos are in a four-way Challenge Cup contest with the Chieftains, Slough and Streatham. They play each other twice to try and claim top spot and cup honours.

First up are a Chelmsford team who lost last weekend.

Lennon said: “If we want to compete with the best teams in this division, we have to show up on day one.

“This competition is another trophy to win and we’re going to do everything within our power to try and win that cup.

“I believe in this group. I believe that we are capable of beating all of these teams on our day. We did that pretty much to everyone last year. We just have to find some consistency behind those results and performances.”

The Mos’ new jerseys, meanwhile, recognise the 40 years of ice hockey in Kent, with a badge that honours both the Invicta Dynamos and the forerunners, the Medway Bears.

The jerseys have been described as “clean, classic and understated” which includes a graphic that reflects the original layout of the rink that was first designed in 1984 - stated as a “homage to the place where both of our stories began and where the Mos continue to thrive”.

Doors open at Planet Ice, Gillingham from 5pm on Saturday with face-off at 5.45pm. Tickets are available online or on the door.