The Muskegon Fury's top playmaker and face-off king has signed on for another season.

 

Todd Robinson, who finished third in the United Hockey League last season with 106 points, will be back for his fifth season with the Fury.

 

"We have a great group of guys here," said Robinson, a 25-year-old centerman from Trail, British Columbia.
    
"We are all looking forward to the chance of repeating as champions of the league."

 

Robinson is generally regarded as the top assist man in the UHL, leading the league last season with 81 assists and having at least one assist in 13 straight games early in the season. He excelled at setting up top scorers Robin Bouchard and Brant Blackned.

 

"T-Rob" is one of the smallest players on the Fury, listed at 5-8 and 175 pounds, but Coach Todd Nelson knows his contributions were one of the biggest reasons the team was able to sweep through the playoffs for the Colonial Cup title.

 

"He runs our power-play and penalty-killing units," said Nelson. "What sometimes is overlooked about him is his defensive excellence, especially when it comes to winning the crucial defensive-zone faceoffs at critical times in big games."

 

Robinson played his first pro season in 1999-2000 with Idaho and Colorado Springs of the West Coast Hockey League and was named the league's rookie of the year after finishing with 101 points.

 

He joined the Fury the next year and has already risen to fourth in all-time franchise scoring with 337 points and third with 239 assists.

 

The top moment of his Muskegon career came on May 4, 2002, when he scored a breakaway goal in overtime as the Fury beat Elmira to win the Colonial Cup title. He was named the UHL playoffs most valuable player.

 

Robinson has been incredibly consistent as well, averaging 93 points per year in his first five professional seasons.

 

He believes the team has a good chance to repeat as league champions.

 

"After our last championship in 2002, we came back the next year and didn't play as well," said Robinson, a UHL all-star last year. "We want to correct that this time."

 

Robinson is the sixth player the Fury has announced as signed for next season. The others are wingers Robin Bouchard, Rustyn Dolyny and Scott Hollis, center Billy Collins and defenseman Tyler Palmer.