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| Team: | Leeds Knights |
| Logosize: | 200px |
| City: | Leeds, England |
| League: | NIHL |
| Founded: | 2019 |
| Arena: | Planet Ice Leeds |
| Colors: | Blue, Yellow and White |
| Coach: | Ryan Aldridge |
| Name1: | Leeds Chiefs |
| Dates1: | 2019 - 2021 |
| Reg Season Titles: | 2 (2023, 2024) |
| Championships: | 1 (2023) |
| Website: | Leeds Knights |
| Dates2: | 2021 - Present |
| Name2: | Leeds Knights |
| Division: | National League |
The Leeds Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team is a member of the National League and plays at Planet Ice Leeds.
The team was announced, along with the new National League, on 16 March 2019.[1] However, rumours of a Leeds-based team playing out of the 1800 capacity[2] Planet Ice Leeds arena were circulating months beforehand.[3] In joining the league, they became the first ever hockey team to play out of the city.[4]
The Chiefs name was selected by Planet Ice following the results of a fan poll. The 'Chiefs' moniker won the poll, results of which were announced on 16 May 2019, having beaten the alternatives; Cotton Kings and Mighty Mammoths.[5]
Former Whitley Warriors Defenceman Sam Zajac was announced as Player-coach of the team on 10 May 2019.[6] Zajac's first signing for the Chiefs was former Manchester Phoenix captain, Defenceman Luke Boothroyd.[7]
In November 2019, head coach Sam Zajac launched an urgent appeal after a large amount of the team's equipment was stolen from an apartment block in Batley. This included new helmets that hadn't even been worn yet, along with sticks and gloves used by the players all season.[8] Despite this, the Chiefs confirmed their weekend games would go ahead as planned via a statement on Twitter.
In their first National League season, the Chiefs finished 10th. They won 13 games, losing 36, achieving 28 points overall. The season was curtailed in March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] For the first five months of the season, the Chiefs were required to play home games elsewhere, due to a delay in the opening of their rink.[10] The first game at their Elland Road arena was against Sheffield Steeldogs on 31 January 2020.[11]
In 2021, the club rebranded and changed their name from Leeds Chiefs to Leeds Knights due to a change in ownership. The team is now owned by Stephen Nell who was an also owner of Swindon Wildcats. The new name has ties to the Royal Armouries in Leeds.[12] David Whistle arrived as Head Coach and General Manager, but departed in January 2022. Former Swindon Wildcats coach Ryan Aldridge was then appointed as interim coach until the end of the 2021/22 season.[13]
Aldridge was named as permanent Head Coach ready for the 2022-2023 season, a season in which the Knights won both the league and the playoffs.[14] In the 2023-2024 season, the Knights successfully defended their league title, but lost in the playoff final to Peterborough Phantoms in a shootout defeat.[15] The following off-season, a Leeds Knights team was accepted into the NIH1 North Division, led by Assistant Head Coach Davey Lawrence.[16]
Correct as of 12 July 2024
(*) Denotes a Non-British Trained player (Import)
| Netminders | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| width=5% | No. | width=5% | Nat. | width=22% | Player | width=7% | Catches | width=16% | Date of birth | width=20% | Place of birth | width=24% | Acquired | Contract |
| 31 | Sam Gospel | L | 27 March 1994 | Nottingham, England | 2021 from Manchester Storm | 24/25 | ||||||||
| 32 | Harrison Walker | L | 25 June 2002 | Bradford, England | 2022 from Widnes Wild | 24/25 | ||||||||
| Defencemen | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| width=5% | No. | width=5% | Nat. | width=22% | Player | width=7% | Shoots | width=16% | Date of birth | width=20% | Place of birth | width=24% | Acquired | Contract |
| 3 | Bailey Perre | R | 10 May 2004 | Swindon, England | 2022 from Swindon Wildcats | Two-Way | ||||||||
| 8 |  | Bowdyn Neely | R | 15 October 2003 | Calgary, Canada | 2023 from South Shore Kings | 26/27 | |||||||
| 14 | Lewis Baldwin | R | 2 July 1999 | Billingham, England | 2019 from Solway Sharks | 25/26 | ||||||||
| 24 | Dylan Hehir | R | 30 November 2002 | Billingham, England | 2022 from Whitley Warriors | 24/25 | ||||||||
| 44 | Jordan Griffin | R | 29 January 2002 | Crewe, England | 2020 from Sheffield Steelers | 24/25 | ||||||||
| 54 | | Noah McMullin* | L | 15 June 1998 | Sackville, Canada | 2023 from Ontario Tech University | 24/25 | |||||||
| TBC | Krisjanis Fugalis | L | 23 April 2003 | Liepaja, Latvia | 2024 from Iroquois Falls Storm | 24/25 | ||||||||
| Forwards | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| width=5% | No. | width=5% | Nat. | width=22% | Player | width=7% | Shoots | width=16% | Date of birth | width=20% | Place of birth | width=24% | Acquired | Contract |
| 6 | Ethan Hehir | R | 2 July 2001 | Billingham, England | 2019 from Billingham Stars | 24/25 | ||||||||
| 9 | Jordan Buesa | L | 30 March 2000 | Troon, Scotland | 2023 from Glasgow Clan | 24/25 | ||||||||
| 11 | Matthew Haywood | L | 27 December 1990 | Doncaster, England | 2022 from Glasgow Clan | 24/25 | ||||||||
| 12 | Kieran Brown 'C' | L | 27 February 2001 | Bradford, England | 2021 from Widnes Wild | 24/25 | ||||||||
| 19 | Innes Gallacher | R | 5 October 2004 | Kilmarnock, Scotland | 2023 from Kilmarnock Thunder | 24/25 | ||||||||
| 33 | Finlay Bradon | R | 24 November 2005 | Darlington, England | 2022 from Billingham Stars | 25/26 | ||||||||
| 37 | | Matthew Barron* | R | 25 March 1999 | Yarmouth, Canada | 2023 from Trois-Rivieres Lions | 24/25 | |||||||
| 41 | Oliver Endicott | L | 10 June 2004 | Swindon, England | 2022 from IPK U20 | 24/25 | ||||||||
| 73 | | Matt Bissonnette* | L | 16 January 1992 | Beaconsfield, Canada | 2024 from Sheffield Steeldogs | 24/25 | |||||||
| 95 | Mac Howlett | L | 30 December 1999 | Woking, England | 2023 from Dundee Stars | 25/26 | ||||||||
| Team Staff | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| width=5% | Nat. | width=16% | Name | width=16% | Position | width=16% | Acquired | width=20% | Place of birth | width=24% | Joined From |
| Ryan Aldridge | Head coach | 2022 | Swindon, England | Okanagan Hockey Academy U18, England U18 | |||||||
| Davey Lawrence | Assistant Head Coach | 2022 | Barnsley, England | ||||||||
| Stephen Nell | General manager/Owner | 2021 | England | Swindon Wildcats, NIHL | |||||||
| Jason Thomas | Equipment/Team Manager | 2019 | Swindon, England | ||||||||
| Verity Thomas | Partnership Manager | 2024 | England | ||||||||
Source:[17]