Hull Seahawks and how Matty Davies believes they may have to adjust in order to end wait for silverware

The Seahawks enter their fourth NIHL National season desperate to celebrate their first success.

The closest they have come so far is when finishing runners-up in the NIHL National Cup during the 2023-24 season, when they were beaten over two legs by Milton Keynes Lightning.

Having finished bottom overall in what was always going to be a tough first-ever season in 2022-23, the two regular season campaigns since have each brought a fourth-place finish.

Frustratingly though – especially for Davies – both post-season campaigns have led to an early exit for Hull, who are yet to make the Final Four Playoff Weekend in Coventry.

It is a situation head coach Davies does not want to experience for a third year running with a team regarded by many as one of the most entertaining in the division. If that means a more measured approach on the ice, he is prepared to go down that route.

“There is no doubt I’m going to have to make some changes,” said Davies. “We’ve had three years of doing this and, these last two years, we’ve had the same result twice now in finishing fourth.

“I just think as a whole we can be a better team, there’s no doubt that we’ve had some really good players in terms of imports and British players but sometimes the best players don’t always make up the best teams.”

Hull were fourth-highest goalscorers in the 2024-25 regular season, on a par with champions Leeds Knights, runners-up Milton Keynes Lightning and third-placed Swindon Wildcats.

But it was issues at the other end of the ice which perhaps prevented a higher finish, the Seahawks averaging just under four goals against every game, one more than their higher-placed rivals.

“This summer is about making us a real team,” added Davies. “I’m not talking about wholesale changes, it is more of a mindset thing and the way we play.

“The way we have tended to play over the last two years is very offensive and if you look at the numbers it doesn’t lie. We play an entertaining brand of hockey but, at the end of the day, we want to win trophies.

“And we don’t want to come up short again, not just in terms of the league but also in terms of making it to Coventry.

“It will be our fourth year - we’re obviously still building and building everything off the ice too, but now it is probably time that we get a proper solid team on the ice that can give the fans what they deserve, which is going a little bit deeper and potentially winning something.”