SWINDON Wildcats general manager Steve Nell hopes to have the club’s imports signed up for the new season before the end of the month.

The Wildcats can have two non-British born players on their roster for the coming campaign, in which they will compete in the National Ice Hockey League after their application to join the competition was accepted over the weekend.

As an English Premier League club in 2016-17, Swindon could have as many as five overseas players in their matchday squads and Nell says the club will have discussions with all of those imports before finalising who they will recruit for next season.

“We had to see what happened over the weekend and now, in the next two weeks, we will have to make decisions and speak to all the imports from last year as a courtesy to put them in the picture. We will have negotiations with them and make our decision,” said Nell.

“By the end of May, the imports will be sorted and the majority of our roster will be sorted and we will be in no different spot to where we were last year.

“There are always roster spots to fill going into June and July and you always keep a couple open just to see if anybody pops up.”

Poland international forward Tomasz Malasinski put pen to paper on a two-year deal to stay at Swindon last summer and Nell says that contract remains valid despite the club no longer competing in the EPL.

However, the Cats supremo also stated that the club would not force the 30-year-old to honour that should the chance to play at a higher level become available.

“We have spoken to Tomasz and he is going to Poland for the next few weeks. When he comes back we will have another chat. If Tomasz gets an opportunity to go and play at a higher level, we will have that discussion with him,” added Nell.

“The contract is still valid. As far as we are concerned, Tomasz is here with us and will be with us next year, but what I can’t do is stand in his way if he gets the chance to go and play in the Elite League as Tomasz is a player who can play at a higher level.”