Leeds Chiefs keep Sam Gospel on board for NIHL National challenge

And the announcement that netminder Sam Gospel will be at Elland Road again next season will be greeted with a mixture of excitement and relief by the Chiefs’ fanbase.

In many ways, Gospel was the star attraction for the Chiefs in their debut campaign in NIHL National, one that saw them compete with a number of obstacles on and off the ice and which saw them finish bottom of the standings when everything was brought to an earlier-than-expected conclusion due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But in retaining the 26-year-old goalie, Zajac has - after himself - put down another crucial piece of his roster jigsaw as he looks to make his team a competitive force next time out.

Granted, nobody knows exactly when the campaign will start given the social distancing that continues to exist as part of the government’s evolving lockdown measures.

But, despite ice rinks not being given the green light to open along with other leisure facilities from July 4 in last week’s announcement by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, there seems a steadily growing belief across the sport that some kind of season will take place. One indication of that is a noticeable, albeit gradual, increase in the amount of player signings being announced across various levels of the game, so there seems no better time for the Chiefs to join the party, particularly when that signing involves keeping hold of a player regarded as their No 1 priority.

“There are a lot of good British goaltenders in this league, you’re never going to play a team that doesn’t have a quality starting goalie,” said Zajac.

“So the standard is high but, for me, Gossy is right up there. He showed that time and time again for us last year.

“He was our No 1 priority when it came to re-signing guys. It goes without saying that he was our player of the season, he gave us a chance every night.

“We’ve spoken at length since the end of the season and we both feel that the team we are putting in place this time around is going to be a lot more competitive. He’s a young guy, a very competitive guy and, like me, somebody who wants to win.

“He maybe wanted that reassurance that it wasn’t going to be like it was last year where everything was an uphill battle, what with the rink situation and being behind the eight-ball.

“He’s now confident with the team that we’ve got going forward that we’re going to be competing at the other end of the table now. That is a challenge both himself and me are looking forward to.

“One of the main factors in making sure we are going to be more competitive this year was making sure that we kept him on board - I’m delighted we’ve done that.”

Zajac has targeted a younger, faster team for the club’s second campaign and is genuinely excited about the personnel he already has in place, combining a solid, retained core with plenty of new faces.

Not surprisingly, given the uncertainty that still exists surrounding when next season starts, there are still a handful of places to be filled, but Zajac is pleased to have got such a key position tied down so early, with Gospel - who will continue to train with hometown Elite League outfit Nottingham Panthers - providing the cornerstone on which the rest of the team can be built around.

“He’s a guy who puts everything into it,” added Zajac.

“It’s not just what you see out there on the ice on a Saturday or Sunday - he lives and breathes the game and he took some big steps with us last season. He’d been up in the Elite League with Nottingham, and was getting some really good training and learning a lot from some top goaltenders last season and before that even.

“But he’ll be first to agree that he needed to be playing those regular minutes again and that showed as the season went on, he just got better and better for us. He’s going to be a cornerstone for us. Any coach in the league would want to build their team around him.

“It might be a cliche but it is often said that your goaltender has got to be your best player and that it is the most important position.

“That rings true with Sam and, with him on board, we know we’ve got one of the best goalies going.”

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