Leeds Knights coach Ryan Aldridge gives insight into recruitment plans for 2022-23 NIHL National season

The addition of Hull Seahawks - fronted by former Knights’ centre Matty Davies - and Bristol Pitbulls for next season automatically makes it a more competitive market for signings this summer.

And while the Pitbulls will no doubt bring with them many of the players who helped deliver a third-place finish in NIHL South One last time out, they will be looking to add some second-tier quality and experience to their ranks.

The Seahawks, meanwhile, will effectively be starting from scratch, although it can be expected that Davies will put the call out to a number of his former team-mates from the 2019-20 Hull Pirates roster.

Two of those - defenceman Jamie Chilcott and forward Jordan Fisher - played alongside him for Leeds last season but, with both living in Hull, may be tempted by a return to playing in their home city.

Sheffield Steeldogs could also see a number of the players who helped them secure a National Cup and play-off double last season depart, with Lee Bonner, Sam Towner, Lee Haywood, Jonathan Kirk, Matt Bissonnette and Jason Hewitt also having played for the Pirates in 2019-20.

Of those, Hewitt is unlikely to return to East Yorkshire - where he was player-coach for the Pirates from 2016-20 - having signed a two-year deal with the Steeldogs last year.

Regardless of what happens elsewhere, however, Aldridge believes his first full season in charge will be another building year.

“We just need to find a couple of players that play a little bit more the way I want to play, system-wise,” said Aldridge, who last week agreed a two-year deal to remain at the helm at Elland Road. “But, to be honest, I think this is another building year. We can sit here and say that we’re going for a championship this season and secretly, in our hearts and heads we want to, but they’ve only had one year as a team here.

“There were obviously a few ups and downs last year but, hopefully, we can be more consistent next season and build again for the year after.

“We’re certainly not a play-off hockey team, I think we knew that very early on after we’d got a couple of play-off games under our belt. We just didn’t have that ruggedness and that maturity in the team to be a play-off hockey team

“We know we’ve got to make some changes in some areas but the toughness I’m talking about - it’s not fighting or anything - it’s the toughness you need in front of net, getting those second and third rebounds, and I don’t think we had that this year.”

Aldridge doesn’t expect recruitment to be easy - at least one of the two permitted imports will come in next season - but believes most other teams will be in the same situation.

“The pool of players is smaller,” he added. “There are going to be a few more teams diluted as a result of two more teams coming into the league.

“There are a couple of teams who have signed their players early and are just adding now who are going to be a little bit stronger, maybe, but I think the majority of the league is going to be slightly diluted compared to last season. It’s going to be an interesting summer.”