Leeds Knights: Lewis Baldwin’s forward switch backed to have desired effect by Sam Zajac

For two seasons – the first while he was player-coach of Leeds Chiefs in the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 campaign –Zajac has been the experienced hand playing alongside Billingham-born Baldwin on the back end at Elland Road.

But the majority of the 2021-22 season saw Leeds Knights play short-benched, largely due to a combination of injuries and an over-reliance on two-way deals with Elite League clubs, but also because they started the season with a thin roster when compared to most of their rivals anyway.

It’s widely agreed that the Knights’ need to play short eventually caught up with them, their season ending with a whimper and seven straight defeats, with not one victory in the play-off group stages.

But, as is often the case, there were positives to come out of the situation, with Baldwin’s switch to the forward ranks one of them, head coach Ryan Aldridge following predecessor Dave Whistle in recognising the attacking attributes of the 22-year-old.

The former Bradford Bulldogs junior finished the season with 10 goals in an overall points tally of 32 from 63 games, further evidence his coaches were right to trust their instincts, while he had a knack for scoring goals at crucial times, his double in the first leg of the Autumn Cup semi-final at Sheffield Steeldogs coming to mind.

When announcing Baldwin was returning for a second season with the Knights, Aldridge revealed he would be doing so as a forward. No doubt, his defensive abilities will still be utilised by the Knights as and when required, but Zajac understands why his fellow D-man has been pushed further up the ice.

“He’s got that skillset, he skates so well, he’s strong, he shoots really well,” said Zajac. “Once he did play as a forward you realised quickly that we could be on to something with it and that it could be quite a natural fit – he proved that.

“Once he moved up, he spent time on all three lines and he was effective every time.

“And he brings that energy that teams need. He’s in great shape and you just know he can skate all night for you. He’ll crash and bang bodies too, so that was definitely one of the positives from last season.”

And while Zajac is looking forward to Baldwin flourish in his new-found ‘freedom’ further forward, he realises the importance of having a player with the ability to play multiple roles if and when required.

“It’s crucial for any team at this level to have players who can switch positions and drop back if needed, especially teams in our league who tend to have smaller roster sizes.

“Not many teams are going to run four lines, so to have that versatility that Lewis now brings is going to be crucial for us next season.”