Leeds Knights: Why making case for the defence is an easy one for Ryan Aldridge

One of the major pluses – and it was one of the areas of concern for some at the start of the season – has been the performance of his defence.

The concern, particularly among some fans, was that the Knights were going into season short of experience on the blue line.

Yes, there was 33-year-old Sam Zajac but, after that, the next most experienced D-man was Lewis Baldwin. And he was returning for the 2022-23 season primarily as a forward.

But despite an average age of just 23.88 – quite possibly the youngest in the whole league – the Knights have been responsible for the stingiest defence, conceding just 71 goals in 30 games.

Much has been made about the offensive prowess of Ryan Aldridge’s team – they lead in terms of goals scored (167) and shots on goal with 40.47 per game – but they have married it with a diligence and tightness at the other end.

That obviously starts with netminding, chiefly Sam Gospel, but Aldridge this week highlighted how pleased he has been with his entire defensive unit, from Zajac, who has just returned from five weeks out injured, to the younger elements of the D-core such as Dylan Hehir and Josh Hodgkinson, both aged just 21.

In the regular absence of last season’s star turn at the back, 18-year-old Archie Hazeldine, Hehir and Hodgkinson have been called upon to log more minutes and take on more responsibility than Aldridge originally had planned at the start of the season.

Another big asset on the blue line returned to the fray last week after a five-week injury lay-off.

It’s easy to forget that Jordan Griffin is still only 20-years-old but, after Zajac, he is probably the Knights’ second-most experienced defenceman, although the addition of Thomas Barry has been a big plus.

After a 2021-22 campaign plagued by injury, Griffin has stepped up to take on the extra responsibility this season, quickly showing his quality once again in last week’s double-header against Bristol Pitbulls.

“It was great to have Jordan back last weekend, both him and Bailey (Perre),” said Aldridge. “They both played well and came through the games fine. We’d been a bit short on the back end the previous couple of weeks, so it helped as it gave us more options there.

“We’ve got eight games coming up in 16 days or something like that, so we’re going to need bodies and hopefully we’ll keep everyone healthy.

“Jordan had a great start to the season before he got injured, he was playing really well for us.

“He’s had a good week of practice on the back of last weekend’s games and he looks back to his normal self and he’ll be flying this weekend. We could do with him staying fit for the rest of the season now because he’s going to be a big player for us.

“To be honest, all of our D have been great this year and have played their roles well - from top to bottom.”