The Fife Flyers Ice Hockey Club are delighted to announce the addition of Richard Hartmann Jr on a two-way contract with the Dundee Rockets of the Scottish National League (SNL).
19-year-old Richard returns to Scotland for the 2025/26 season following a successful year that saw him start off with HK Skalica U20 in Slovakia posting 21 points (5 goals + 16 assists) in 14 games. He then headed to the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) icing first with the Milton Keynes Lightning then with the Peterborough Phantoms. In his time in the NIHL Richard iced in a total of 32 games across all competitions registering 8 points (2 goals + 6 assists).
Prior to icing in the NIHL, Richard spent 3 seasons in the SNL playing with the Dundee Comets after making his debut in the league at just 16 years old. During this time he also iced in Scotland U19 with the Dundee Stars.
Described as a dynamic forward, in the 2023/24 season, Richard demonstrated his eye for goal recording 40 points (20 goals + 20 assists) in 25 games in all competitions in the SNL and 30 points (18 goals + 12 assists) in 9 games in the Scotland U19.
On signing with the Flyers Richard said: “I am really excited to play for Fife this year.
“It’s a big step up but I am ready to prove myself and can’t wait to play in front of all the Flyers fans”
On the addition of Richard, Flyers President and GM Max Birbraer commented: “I’m really happy to finally secure Richard Hartmann Jr.
“Richard comes from rich hockey DNA and is rated as one of the top up and coming young British players.
“We would like to thank Peterborough Phantoms and Dundee Rockets for the collaborative approach.
“It ultimately allows this young man to have his shot at top level hockey with an opportunity designed to maximize his development.”
Richard is the 16th addition to our roster for the 2025/26 season and will wear #27.
Own & Loan packages for Richard are available now by emailing: commercial@fifeflyers.co.uk
Wilds and scatters are the two special symbols that appear in almost every modern slot, and they work in completely different ways. One stands in for other symbols to complete a combination, the other pays or triggers regardless of where it lands. Confusing the two leads to a lot of misread paytables.
Wild And Scatter Symbols Explained
A standard wild substitutes for any regular symbol, but developers have layered variations on top of that, including expanding wilds that fill a whole reel and sticky wilds that stay in place across several spins. Players comparing features often Winplace to see which mechanics each title uses. Scatters sit outside the line system, paying on any position and typically triggering the free spin round when three or more appear.
| Symbol | Function | Line Dependent |
|---|---|---|
| Standard wild | Substitutes | Yes |
| Expanding wild | Fills a reel | Yes |
| Scatter | Pays or triggers | No |
- Wilds complete combinations, scatters usually do not
- Expanding and sticky wilds behave differently from standard ones
- Three or more scatters commonly trigger a feature
Special symbols shape how a slot feels far more than they change its return percentage, which is set by the game as a whole. A title packed with sticky wilds is not inherently more generous than a plain one. Reading the paytable before playing is worth a minute, and setting a session budget is worth rather more.
