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Leeds Knights
CityLeeds, England
LeagueNIHL
DivisionNational League
Founded2019
Home arenaPlanet Ice Leeds
ColorsBlue, Yellow and White
     
Head coachRyan Aldridge England
WebsiteLeeds Knights
Franchise history
2019 - 2021Leeds Chiefs
2021 - PresentLeeds Knights
Championships
Regular season titles2 (2023, 2024)
Playoff championships1 (2023)

The Leeds Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team is a member of the National League and plays at Planet Ice Leeds.

History

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The team was announced, along with the new National League, on 16 March 2019.[1] However, rumours of a Leeds-based team playing out of the 1800 capacity[2] Planet Ice Leeds arena were circulating months beforehand.[3] In joining the league, they became the first ever hockey team to play out of the city.[4]

The Chiefs name was selected by Planet Ice following the results of a fan poll. The 'Chiefs' moniker won the poll, results of which were announced on 16 May 2019, having beaten the alternatives; Cotton Kings and Mighty Mammoths.[5]

Former Whitley Warriors Defenceman Sam Zajac was announced as Player-coach of the team on 10 May 2019.[6] Zajac's first signing for the Chiefs was former Manchester Phoenix captain, Defenceman Luke Boothroyd.[7]

In November 2019, head coach Sam Zajac launched an urgent appeal after a large amount of the team's equipment was stolen from an apartment block in Batley. This included new helmets that hadn't even been worn yet, along with sticks and gloves used by the players all season.[8] Despite this, the Chiefs confirmed their weekend games would go ahead as planned via a statement on Twitter.

In their first National League season, the Chiefs finished 10th. They won 13 games, losing 36, achieving 28 points overall. The season was curtailed in March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] For the first five months of the season, the Chiefs were required to play home games elsewhere, due to a delay in the opening of their rink.[10] The first game at their Elland Road arena was against Sheffield Steeldogs on 31 January 2020.[11]

In 2021, the club rebranded and changed their name from Leeds Chiefs to Leeds Knights due to a change in ownership. The team is now owned by Stephen Nell who was an also owner of Swindon Wildcats. The new name has ties to the Royal Armouries in Leeds.[12] David Whistle arrived as Head Coach and General Manager, but departed in January 2022. Former Swindon Wildcats coach Ryan Aldridge was then appointed as interim coach until the end of the 2021/22 season.[13]

Aldridge was named as permanent Head Coach ready for the 2022-2023 season, a season in which the Knights won both the league and the playoffs.[14] In the 2023-2024 season, the Knights successfully defended their league title, but lost in the playoff final to Peterborough Phantoms in a shootout defeat.[15] The following off-season, England Ice Hockey accepted a request to submit Leeds Knights 2, a new team, into the NIHL 1 North league. Upon creation, Davey Lawrence, the Leeds' National League team's assistant head coach, became the Head Coach of Knights 2.[16]

Roster

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Correct as of 2 November 2024

(*) Denotes a Non-British Trained player (Import)

Netminders
No. Nat. Player Catches Date of birth Place of birth Acquired Contract
31 England Sam Gospel L (1994-03-27) 27 March 1994 (age 30) Nottingham, England 2021 from Manchester Storm 24/25
32 England Harrison Walker L (2002-06-25) 25 June 2002 (age 22) Bradford, England 2022 from Widnes Wild 24/25
Defencemen
No. Nat. Player Shoots Date of birth Place of birth Acquired Contract
3 England Bailey Perre R (2004-05-10) 10 May 2004 (age 20) Swindon, England 2022 from Swindon Wildcats Two-Way
8 Canada Bowdyn Neely R (2003-10-15) 15 October 2003 (age 21) Calgary, Canada 2023 from South Shore Kings 26/27
14 England Lewis Baldwin R (1999-07-02) 2 July 1999 (age 25) Billingham, England 2019 from Solway Sharks 25/26
18 Latvia Krisjanis Fugalis L (2003-04-23) 23 April 2003 (age 21) Liepāja, Latvia 2024 from Iroquois Falls Storm 24/25
24 England Dylan Hehir R (2002-11-30) 30 November 2002 (age 22) Billingham, England 2022 from Whitley Warriors 24/25
44 England Jordan Griffin R (2002-01-29) 29 January 2002 (age 22) Crewe, England 2020 from Sheffield Steelers 24/25
54 Canada Noah McMullin* L (1998-06-15) 15 June 1998 (age 26) Sackville, Canada 2023 from Ontario Tech University 24/25
Forwards
No. Nat. Player Shoots Date of birth Place of birth Acquired Contract
6 England Ethan Hehir R (2001-07-02) 2 July 2001 (age 23) Billingham, England 2019 from Billingham Stars 24/25
9 Scotland Jordan Buesa L (2000-03-30) 30 March 2000 (age 24) Troon, Scotland 2023 from Glasgow Clan 24/25
11 England Matthew Haywood L (1990-12-27) 27 December 1990 (age 33) Doncaster, England 2022 from Glasgow Clan 24/25
12 England Kieran Brown 'C' L (2001-02-27) 27 February 2001 (age 23) Bradford, England 2021 from Widnes Wild 24/25
19 Scotland Innes Gallacher R (2004-10-05) 5 October 2004 (age 20) Kilmarnock, Scotland 2023 from Kilmarnock Thunder 24/25
22 Latvia Edgars Vengis L (2008-09-18) 18 September 2008 (age 16) Ogre, Latvia - Two-Way
23 Czech Republic Michael Danečko L (2004-06-23) 23 June 2004 (age 20) Havířov, Czech Republic 2024 from Sheffield Steeldogs Two-Way
33 England Finlay Bradon R (2005-11-24) 24 November 2005 (age 19) Darlington, England 2022 from Billingham Stars 25/26
37 Canada Matthew Barron* R (1999-03-25) 25 March 1999 (age 25) Yarmouth, Canada 2023 from Trois-Rivieres Lions 24/25
41 England Oliver Endicott L (2004-06-10) 10 June 2004 (age 20) Swindon, England 2022 from IPK U20 24/25
73 Canada Matt Bissonnette* L (1992-01-16) 16 January 1992 (age 32) Beaconsfield, Canada 2024 from Sheffield Steeldogs 24/25
95 England Mac Howlett L (1999-12-30) 30 December 1999 (age 24) Woking, England 2023 from Dundee Stars 25/26
Team Staff
Nat. Name Position Acquired Place of birth Joined From
England Ryan Aldridge Head coach 2022 Swindon, England Okanagan Hockey Academy U18, England U18
England Stephen Nell General manager/Owner 2021 England Swindon Wildcats, NIHL
England Jason Thomas Equipment/Team Manager 2019 Swindon, England
England Verity Thomas Partnership Manager 2024 England

Source:[17]

Season-by-season record

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Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime Losses; PTS = Points; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against

References

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  1. ^ "New National League announced". British Ice Hockey. 16 March 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Planet Ice rink is starting to take shape in Leeds". Planet Ice. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  3. ^ "How an ice hockey team in Leeds could prove popular and be successful at the top level". The Yorkshire Post. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  4. ^ "Leeds ice hockey secures place in newly-formed National League". Yorkshire Evening Post. 16 March 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  5. ^ "Leeds settles on name for new ice hockey team ahead of 2019-20 National League season". Yorkshire Evening Post. 14 May 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  6. ^ "Sam Zajac named as first player-coach of new Leeds ice hockey team". Yorkshire Evening Post. 10 May 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  7. ^ "SLeeds Chiefs signal their intent with signing of Luke Boothroyd for new National League season". Yorkshire Evening Post. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  8. ^ "Leeds Chiefs launch urgent appeal for help after ice hockey equipment is stolen". Yorkshire Evening Post. 20 November 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  9. ^ "NEWS: Board meeting confirms competitive hockey cancelled through May 31". English Ice Hockey Association. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Confirmed Leeds Ice Rink Opening Date". Leedschiefs.co.uk. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  11. ^ "FixturesLive". W.fixtureslive.com. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  12. ^ "Revealed: New name and logo for Leeds". British Ice Hockey. 19 May 2021.
  13. ^ "Leeds Knight Confirm Change in Management Team". Twitter.com. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  14. ^ "2022-2023 NIHL Season Standings and Stats". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  15. ^ "2023-2024 NIHL Season Standings and Stats". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Leeds Knights 2 Is Confirmed for 2024-25". leedsknights.com. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Leeds Knights". Eliteprospects.com.
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