AS he applies the last-minute touches to his team’s preparations for NIHL National opening night at Leeds Knights on Friday, Hull Seahawks coach Matty Davies is confident he has a team capable of delivering success this season.

Last season saw them come the closest yet to silverware in the four years they have been operating, only to be denied by a stunning late comeback by Leeds in the play-off final.

The pain felt from that final-day loss will have stung throughout the summer for the Seahawks - both on and off the ice - and it is perhaps fitting that the same two sides who closed out the 2025-26 campaign should open the one that follows.

Pre-season has brought a mixed bag of opponents for the Seahawks, including the Elite League’s Fife Flyers, Tilburg Trappers from the Netherlands and, last Saturday, a final warm-up against feeder team, Hull Jets.

WE MEET AGAIN: Hull Seahawks' Jack Musil (left) and Leeds Knights' Bow Neely battle for puck possession during the pre-season clash between the two teams earlier this month. Picture courtesy of Amy Blossom/Seahawks Media.

placeholder image — WE MEET AGAIN: Hull Seahawks' Jack Musil (left) and Leeds Knights' Bow Neely battle for puck possession during the pre-season clash between the two teams earlier this month. Picture courtesy of Amy Blossom/Seahawks Media.

There was also the small matter of a meeting with the Knights in Hull, a typically fiesty affair which saw the visitors win 4-3.

As ever, results matter little in pre-season, Davies finding more use in how his line combinations and systems will work come Friday night’s visit to Elland Road Ice Arena and beyond.

Import forwards Patrick Brown and Cody Monds are the most noticeable additions to the Seahawks’ roster, as well as the return of British forward Finlay Ulrick.

Throw in a number of teenagers on two-way deals - the most noticeable being 18-year-old forward Alex Rushby from Widnes Wild - and Davies is pleased with what he has at his disposal and what he has seen so far, although he acknowledges he will still need to use the first two-three weeks of the regular season to tinker with various things.

READY TO GO: Hull Seahawks' head coach, Matty Davies. Picture: Adam Everitt/Seahawks Media.

“I’m happy with the idea of what I wanted to do, which was to have three weeks of pre-season instead of two,” said Davies.

“We've got through some good work and it’s been positive.

“It's tough to know anything fully at the minute. I don't think anyone in any team or any coach would say that they've seen any of their new signings properly - there’s not been enough competitive hockey yet to get a full picture of everything.

“I've obviously seen signs that I like and there are some things that we still need to work on, which, again, is part of what pre-season is about.

“I like what I've got. I don't think you're ever fully happy as a coach - you always want a bit more.

“But that's my job -to try and get that ‘more’ out of them.”