Kieran Brown on why Leeds Knights can prove to be the team to catch once again in NIHL National

You’d be wrong.

There have been numerous roster changes made by head coach Ryan Aldridge during the close-season following their NIHL National league and play-off double triumph of 2022-23 - most of them through choice, the odd one forced.

The most noticeable change was the unplanned loss of Cole Shudra, who in July returned home to boyhood team Sheffield Steelers, where a spot for a British player had been created following the tragic death of his friend, Alex Graham.

The loss of Graham will be felt for some time around the British game, not just for the hope his mercurial talent offered for the future, but also for his achievements in the NIHL National league with rivals, Sheffield Steeldogs.

The knock-on effect of Shudra’s departure left Leeds with a gigantic hole in their offensive core, the 25-year-old left-hander having posted 120 points last time out in just 60 league and play-off games.

Some onlookers believe it will be too huge a gap to fill for the Knights, Aldridge having acknowledged that the timing of Shudra’s departure left him with little chance of replacing him with a British player capable of emulating his point-scoring feats - all potential new faces already having long been snapped up by second-tier rivals.

The loss of import forwards Zach Brooks and Jake Witkowski, who also contributed enormously, adds to the notion that the Knights will struggle to match those achievements two seasons running.

For Knights’ captain Kieran Brown, however, there is a steely determination to show that what happened at Elland Road Ice Arena last time out was no fluke.

“Once a team has won things like we did last year, everyone comes after you and wants to prove that they are better than you,” said Brown. “But I’m excited about that challenge.

“Some people might be saying we got lucky last season but we’re coming out wanting to prove there was no luck about what we achieved.

“We’ve got three new imports and a couple of new younger Brits that have come in but we’ve still got the main core group around. The team has looked good during pre-season and we’re intent on making sure that we’re going to be fighting for top spot again.”

Brown admits the loss of Shudra is a big hole to fill, but he is confident that, collectively, the Knights can prove to be a potent force once again.

“Losing a player like Cole is tough, he’s irreplaceable as a Brit that put up more than 100 points,” he said. “They don’t come around very often but I’m confident that we’ll come together as a team and we’ll be fine.”

Pre-season brought three wins and a loss for the Knights, the reverse coming in a derby battle at new-look Hull Seahawks, with Solway Sharks being overcome twice last weekend.

And while little if anything can be read into pre-season results, Brown believes the loss will do the Knights good.

"Pre-season has been good – it was good to have a loss early on, to know how that feels because we hadn’t lost a game for a while, it will have done us good.”