Cole Shudra commits his future to Leeds Knights by signing new two-year deal

Friday night’s National Cup final first leg could not have gone much worse for the Knights as they fell to a 6-0 defeat, but news that talismanic forward Cole Shudra will be remaining at the club until at least the summer of 2025 will certainly help soften the blow.

Put simply, the 24-year-old has been immense this season for the Knights, one of a number of players who have, including Kieran Brown, Matt Haywood, Zach Brooks … the list goes on.

What has been so impressive about Shudra is the way with which he has come back after an injury-riddled first season with the Knights.

Last weekend saw him go past 100 points for the season, the second Knights player to do so after captain Brown reached that landmark two weeks earlier, giving head coach Ryan Aldridge another reason – should he need one – to try and ensure Shudra remained a Knights player for the foreseeable future.

For so long used as a defenceman by Sheffield Steelers – where he started out alongside Liam Kirk on Paul Thompson’s innovative apprenticeship scheme – Shudra has always fancied playing a prominent role further up the ice, something he has revelled in first under Dave Whistle and now Aldridge.

But his willingness to fit in wherever and whenever needed – he has had plenty of shifts in defence too – is what makes him stand out.

Aldridge sees Shudra, like Brown, as pivotal to building something special in Leeds, something they are on the cusp of achieving as they target the NIHL National regular season league title.

"Since I came in, Cole has been one of key players on the team and I’ve made it no secret how highly I rate him as a player and as a professional,” said Aldridge. “At times I think he’s been under-rated and having a guy like Cole commit to the team is a big statement for the future of this club.”

Shudra no doubt wishes to play at a higher level again on a regular basis at some point in the future but, for now, is enjoying himself at Leeds.

"Being able to be playing out there every night is a good thing to be able to do after the injury frustrations of last season,” said Shudra. “I feel like I can pretty much play with anybody that they put me with and it’s nice to have the confidence and backing from Ryan that he feels he’s able to put me in those positions and situations.”

Shudra joins Sam Gospel, Kieran Brown and Josh Hodgkinson on the roster for next season.