HE COULD easily be twiddling his thumbs in retirement, but Shane Moore is instead revelling in signing a new deal at Swindon.

The 25-year-old D-man has been announced as the latest name on the Wildcats’ 2012/13 roster following the returns of Paul Swindlehurst and netminder Tom Murdy, and Moore revealed that his career had undergone a significant turnaround since last summer.

“I had previously looked at retirement before coming back to Swindon at the start of last season,“ said Moore.

“When I left Swindon before I didn’t think I’d come back, and after leaving Bracknell I didn’t want to travel, so retirement was an option.

“But Aldy (head coach Ryan Aldridge) came to me at the last minute and asked me if I would give it a go. He told me they had got (Jaroslav) Cesky and (Michal) Pinc who I had played with at Bracknell.

“Now I’m really happy with the way the club has progressed behind the scenes and with the actual team over the last couple of years.

“They put an offer on the table and I nearly snapped their hands off. I’m really happy back at Swindon and my confidence has gone through the roof.”

Moore is currently in his third spell with the Wildcats and is delighted he will be renewing acquaintances with Swindlehurst in the rearguard next term, while Murdy will take his place between the pipes behind them.

“The key to having a successful team is having a solid brick wall at the back,” added Moore.

“We’ve done really well to get Tom Murdy back again and Paul is a fantastic signing, to have my D-partner back is really good.

“He’s got the height and I’ve got the strength, while he’s quite an attacking defenceman and I’m more stay-at-home.”

Wildcats head coach Aldridge revealed that Moore had always been a must-have in his roster for 2012/13, saying the defenceman is now a more mature prospect than in previous campaigns.

"Shane has been a massive part of our D-core this year and made a solid partnership with Swinner (Swindlehurst),” said Aldridge.

“He has done a lot of growing up since his last time in Swindon and has grown into a great person and a leader in the team.

“He has played great all season and is a real presence in front of the net. Shane was a player we had to bring back."

  • SWINDON Panthers’ Summer Cup campaign begins a week tomorrow with a home game against Coventry Bruins at the Link Centre (face-off 5.15pm).

Panthers have retained most of last year’s squad that came third in the league and were runners-up in the play-offs.

The Wiltshire outfit boasted four players in the top 10 scorers with Ian Richards and Scott Gough finishing first and second respectively, while Neil Rouse and Bart Wadowski were sixth and eighth.

Jamie Thompson has been signed in net to compete with Andy Webster while James Burnett has been brought in to bolster the defence and Paul Wojack has returned to help out up front.