ONE reason Matty Davies was keen to bring Finlay Ulrick back to Hull Seahawks on a permanent basis was his adaptability.

He has already proved his value in that department.

Ulrick has spent the vast majority of his career as a forward but has shown at times his ability to switch to the back end.

It was an asset used by Davies on a number of occasions during Sunday’s pre-season meeting with Leeds Knights, which the visitors won 4-3.

The two will meet again for the NIHL National 2026-27 curtain-raiser on Friday, September 18 - this time in Leeds - when former Sheffield Steelers, Nottingham Panthers and Manchester Storm forward Ulrick will once again have a pivotal role to play.

With 19-year-old two-way defenceman Noah Kääriäinen unavailable, Ulrick showed his prowess at both ends of the ice, with Davies calling on his defensive instincts before the first period break.

“We obviously had five D and I could tell that midway through the first period it was affecting us a bit,” said Davies, whose team will finish off their pre-season preparations with a warm-up game against feeder club Hull Jets on Saturday.

“And it's one of those things that I knew we had going into the season with Finn.

HOLDING THE LINE: Hull Seahawks' Finlay Ulrick (left) puts Leeds Knights' Owen Sobchak under pressure at Hull Ice Arena on Sunday. Picture: Amy Blossom/Seahawks Media.

placeholder image — HOLDING THE LINE: Hull Seahawks' Finlay Ulrick (left) puts Leeds Knights' Owen Sobchak under pressure at Hull Ice Arena on Sunday. Picture: Amy Blossom/Seahawks Media.

“And there'll be times at the end of games and periods where, if we need it, he can be back there and help out.

“But obviously he also gives us the offensive side of his game as well.”

Having lost against Elite League Fife Flyers in their first pre-season game the previous weekend, the Seahawks are yet to win in pre-season having also lost to Tilburg Trappers the night before their encounter with Leeds.

But, having called his players together earlier than ever before after the summer, Davies is pleased with what he is seeing from his team.

VERSATILE: Finlay Ulrick offers Hull Seahawks head coach Matty Davies options at both ends of the ice. Picture: Amy Blossom/Seahawks Media.

“Yeah, overall they were two good games (at the weekend) - two tough games for us,” he added. “But that is essentially pre-season, that’s what it is for.

“We've got a couple of things to work on for sure, but overall it was a good game against Lee - you know you're going to get a good test and so it's served its purpose in that sense.

“Really the result doesn’t matter at all. Obviously, you want to win during the game – both teams do but, in the grand scheme of things, it's about what we take from it and the key moments in the game.

"I liked what I saw and that's good. It's more about the things that we need to work o – that's what these games are for.”