McALLEN - The Killer Bees aren't sure whether Daymen Rycroft is a veteran or not. At 299 career games, Rycroft falls between the old veteran threshold of 281 and the speculated change to 300, with Bees general manager Grant Buckborough saying an answer should be coming soon.

Frankly, when it comes to Rycroft, the Bees don't really care what the answer is.

"It doesn't matter to me," Bees coach Chris Brooks said. "I make decisions day-to-day, and if you get too far ahead of yourself, you just... when a kid like this comes along, he's a skilled kid, he plays hard. He's gritty, he can skate. He's a perfect fit for the kind of team I like to put together."

On Thursday, the Bees formally announced the signing of Rycroft, bringing back a player who spent the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons with the team. During his first stint in the Valley, Rycroft, who will also be a player/assistant, scored 37 goals and added 38 assists. Since leaving the Bees, Rycroft developed a knack for scoring, and led the CHL with 48 goals for Rocky Mountain during the 2007-2008 season.

Rycroft's production and his locker room presence made him an attractive free agent after the Rage announced last week they were suspending operations for this season. Rycroft said he talked to five teams on the day he found out he was a free agent. Though he declined to name which teams, smiling, he said "you can probably guess" which teams those were, and added they were ones that didn't have room for another veteran.

Despite the widespread interest, Rycroft quickly chose to return to the Bees.

"At that point I was pretty confident in what I wanted to do," Rycroft said. "At that point you have to listen to what everybody has to say and have to see what's out there. But in the back of my mind, I always knew this is where I want to be."

What isn't known is Rycroft's roster status for next season. Under the old rules, Rycroft would be one of the Bees' four veterans, and along with earlier signing Jay Hardwick, RGV would have already used half of its vet spots. However, while the CHL has not announced a rule change, many expect 300 games to be the new total, leaving Rycroft still one game away from a new status.

But whether or not Rycroft is a veteran, the Bees were going to pursue him when he became available. Now, along with Jesse Bennefield and other players expected to return from last season's 35-win team, the Bees arguably have the fastest roster in the CHL.

Rycroft's signing is also another statement that expectations have changed, that getting swept out of the second round of the playoffs won't be good enough this season.

"It starts right now. It starts today," Rycroft said. "The guys (Brooks is) bringing back are top-quality players and the guys we're going for are top-quality players. From here on out, it's championship."

ICING: Buckborough said it is his understanding that the New Mexico Scorpions are trying to find another partner to help with the team and that an announcement on the franchise's future is "a week away, one way or the other." After it is determined whether the Scorpions will return this season, the league will announce its schedule and realignment soon thereafter. ... The Bees' GM said they will have "around 24 or 25" Friday and Saturday home dates.

Brian Sandalow covers the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4436.