Leeds Knights: Bailey Perre happy to settle in for the long haul after impressive first season

It was never going to be a simple process for the then 18-year-old moving out of the comfort zone of his hometown of Swindon for the first time, either on and off the ice.

The one familiar face in the locker room was head coach Ryan Aldridge, who he knew well from his time coming through the Swindon junior system and then the Okanagan Hockey Academy, based out of the same Link Centre facility.

But, gradually, he began to grow into his new team, his new home, with the mid-season arrival of fellow Swindon junior Oli Endicott allowing him to blossom even more.

Wednesday’s news of his re-signing with the Knights for the 2023-24 season was universally welcomed by fans and fellow players alike.

That was because the development of Perre from the start to the finish of last season was obvious for all to see.

It is a progress he wants to continue next time around, with Perre hoping his performances for Leeds will warrant a place in the GB Under-20s squad for December’s World Championships in Dumfries.

The absence of Sam Zajac for the closing weeks of last season meant other defencemen had to step up and soak up the extra ice time and responsibility normally taken on by the popular veteran. More often than not, it was teenager Perre who did so.

Aldridge’s faith in him, did wonders for his game and wonders for his confidence.

“Just after Christmas I felt I had a bit of a rough patch in my game but then come the end of February it picked back up again and I think I really showed what I could do for the team,” Perre told the Evening Post.

“That’s kind of why I was getting more minutes towards the end of the season. With Sammy (Zajac) being out injured, Ryan was looking for somebody else and put his trust in me more - that made me more confident every shift I went out on.

“Sitting on the bench for long spells can knock you a bit mentally, but when your coach has confidence in you, it allows you to go out and play the best that you can as you know you’ve got their backing.”

Endicott’s arrival in early November meant Perre could resume a playing relationship that had existed since the pair were around six-years-old in Swindon. According to Aldridge, it also helped bring Perre out of his shell a bit more.

“We saw more of Bailey’s true character come out when Oli came in,” said Aldridge. “And his confidence had grown so much by the end of the year that he realised how important he could be for us if he competed and played hard every night.

“Over the course of the last 6-8 weeks, game in, game out, I would suggest he was probably one of our best defencemen. He was right up there.

“He was coming up against other teams’ top lines every night and holding his own - it was great to see.”

Perre acknowledged the positive influence Endicott’s arrival had on him.

“It was good for me personally,” he added. “Before then I was kind of a bit quiet in the room.

“Going into a locker room with no-one else that you know in there, you can kind of be in the background.

“But having Oli there, it warmed me up, having that familiar face - we bounced off each other like we always have since we first started playing hockey together all those years ago.”