The Buffalo Bandits grabbed quite the coup in inking former Edmonton Rush defender Derek Suddons to a one-year contract, the team announced Monday night.

Bandits GM Steve Dietrich was very complimentary of Suddons as a well-rounded athlete and person, noting that the 33-year-old lefty defender will play a significant role in mentoring an inexperienced defensive corps that should feature 21-year-old rookie Hayden Smith and 22-year-old Mike McNamara. Considering the departure of Chris White to the rival Rock, Suddons signing is a savvy personnel move.

“Derek is a great defender, but he’s very underrated when it comes to the transition part of his game,” Dietrich said in the press release. “Most importantly, he’s a solid, team-first guy that brings a lot of character to this team and someone that our younger players can look up to as they build through the year.

Nicknamed “Suddsy,” the 6’2, 210 pound vet suited up in last year’s NLL All-Star Game at the First Niagara Center, tallying a trio of assists in his first All-Star tilt. He’s not much of a scorer—he owns 16 career goals in 11 seasons—but Dietrich referred to Suddons as “underrated” in the transition game.

Check back to Edmonton’s Feb. 24 contest against Philadelphia, where Suddons scored the game-winner and a shorthanded tally to begin the turnaround of the Rush’s eventual NLL runner-up season.

Suddons teamed with Shawn Williams, an attacker the Bandits swung a trade for this summer, in Edmonton’s shocking deep playoff run. According to his profile on the Rush’s site, Suddons is a financial consultant who believes that Philadelphia was the best road city to play an NLL game in. Let’s hope that’s changed, Derek.

Here’s YouTube video of Suddons scoring low against his former club, the Toronto Rock: