English youngster Joe Miller will be in the starting line-up when the Manchester club is up and running again at their new rink in Altrincham in the autumn.
And Phoenix coach Hand has beaten a host of Elite League clubs to his signature.
The 21-year-old left-winger has spent the past three seasons with the Telford Wildfoxes and Telford Tigers in the English Premier League as well as appearing for the Great Britain Under-18s in 2002 and Under-20s in 2004.
He was voted best forward for the Telford Tigers last season while on a two-way contract with Coventry Blaze.
Confident
"I did my homework on Joe and was very pleased with what I learned about him. He's got good size, plays with an edge and has an eye for goal," said Hand.
"I'm confident he can make the transition into the Elite League and be a key part of our third line. He spent last year as part of the Coventry system and the experience of their training regime will have helped him enormously.
"We're aware that other clubs were interested in Joe so, we're very pleased we've convinced him that Manchester is the right choice."
Miller, born in Cardiff, said: "I was delighted to get a call from Tony shortly after he got the job and I'm really excited about having a chance to work with and learn from him.
"I'm looking forward to proving myself at the highest level in the Elite League. I'd like to pay tribute to and say thanks to the Telford club for giving me the chance to project myself forward and to Claude Dumas who was a great influence on me."
In 46 appearances for the Telford Tigers last season, Miller scored an impressive 38 goals and 33 assists for 71 points while accumulating 90 penalty minutes.
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mo, uk (12/05/2006 at 15:47)