Hull Seahawks add familiar face after being hit by double blow ahead of Leeds Knights double-header weekend

The Seahawks were hit by a double-blow on Thursday for Saturday’s first part of the back-to-back derbies at Elland Road Ice Arena (6.30pm) when defenceman Dave Phillips and Kohen Taylor were hit with bans.

Teenage defender Taylor will be back for Sunday’s return encounter in Hull (5.30pm) but GB international Phillips will miss four games after the NIHL National Game Review Panel judged him to have made an illegal check to the head of Romford’s Adam Laishram during last Sunday’s clash at Hull Arena.

As a result he will not return to action until the road trip to Berkshire Bees on Saturday, October 26.

"It’s obviously a massive blow,” said Davies on Friday morning. “He’s obviously one player you don’t want to lose before a weekend like this but, at the end of the day, it has happened – he’s got four games and we have to deal with it, we can’t do anything about it.

"Add losing Kohen into the mix, it is another big blow for us for Saturday’s game in Leeds, but we do get him back Sunday. It’s never good to lose somebody who has come in and made the kind of impact Kohen has in such a short space of time.”

Hodgkinson will be thrown straight into the mix to face former club Leeds – who he helped to their first league title in 2022-23. It’s almost a repeat of last season when he had a short spell with the Seahawks, playing four games – two of which came in the National Cup semi-final win against the Knights.

Personal circumstances dictated that Hodgkinson was unable to remain with the Seahawks any longer, but Davies is glad he has agreed to help the Seahawks out, albeit on a temporary basis.

"Looking at what he did for us last year during the short time he was with us, he did great and it was a shame that stuff away from the game meant that he had to leave quite soon after coming,” said Davies.

“He’s been training and playing over in Belfast and coaching kids, so he’s been on the ice, he’s been busy. I spoke to him in the summer and we said we’d stay in touch. We needed somebody to come in for this weekend and it’s great that he’s willing to come over.

“It’s going to take him a bit of time, but he is a player who understands the game and he’s a fighter. He plays the game hard and he will come in and do a good job for us.”