Leeds Knights boss Ryan Aldridge on why defenceman Dylan Hehir was and remains a 'must-have'

But the start of last season prompted the Knights’ head coach to question the young centre in relation to his younger brother, defender Dylan.

The older sibling - part of the Leeds organisation since the original Chiefs back in 2019 - had only tentatively recommended his younger brother to Aldridge as a possible two-way option for the 2022-23 NIHL National campaign.

A handful of practices quickly showed Aldridge what Dylan was capable of - certainly enough for him to offer the youngster a two-way deal with parent club Whitley Warriors.

But, once the Billingham-born blue liner played in the pre-season challenge games against Sheffield Steeldogs and Hull Seahawks, Aldridge’s opinion changed.

“All it took was those warm-up games for me to realise that I had to have Dylan full-time,” recalled Aldridge. “I rang Steve (Nell, Knights’ owner) and said ‘Steve, I have to have this kid, he’s brilliant.’

“He’s got the same mentality as Ethan, who I was a bit annoyed with if I’m honest because when I spoke to him about Dylan in the summer he didn’t really sell him, probably because he was worried that it might not work out.

“So he undersold him if anything and if I’d have known how good he was I would have taken him straight away.

“As it was, it worked out anyway, we had him full-time last year and he was a massive player for us, the same as his brother was.”

In their different ways, the Hehirs proved crucial elements of the Knights’ league and play-off winning campaign, almost ever-present, always highly effective.

It meant there was little doubt both would be asked back in the summer by Aldridge. There was also no doubt about their own desire to come back and pick up where they left off so memorably at Coventry’s SkyDome Arena on April 16.

Earlier this week - although not in the original intended order - it was announced the pair would indeed be returning for 2023-24.

Aldridge, who is set to announce more signings on Saturday, says the younger Hehir showed huge development in his game last season, something he expects to continue next time around.

“With Dylan, as with Ethan, everything is team-first,” added the head coach. “He’s going to block shots, he’s going to get hit, he’s going to jump in for guys if he needs to.

“There’s nothing showy about him - he’s probably wearing skates that are five years old - and so it’s all those little things that make him unique. He’s very low maintenance, in fact he’s zero maintenance, like his brother.

“And he sees the ice and the game so well. Sometimes he’ll make a play and there’s nobody else on the ice who would have done it.

“Is he a solid defenceman in our league and will he always be so? 100 per cent. Has he got the potential to get better? 100 per cent.”

For Dylan - who some diehard Leeds fans may remember from the couple of appearances he made for the Chiefs back in 2019-20 - his first season as a Knight could clearly not have gone any better.

Making the step up to NIHL National level on a permanent basis was a daunting prospect, but one he quickly grew into.

“I wasn’t planning on doing a two-way initially and then Ethan and my dad suggested that I go on a two-way and just see what happens,” he explained.

“Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed my time at Whitley Bay but that next step up was what I really wanted.

“I think it helped that we had those pre-season games first. It’s a lot faster than the level below and you’ve got to make decisions quicker, but I enjoyed having that challenge of stepping up from Whitley’s league.

“It was more competitive but it just came natural to me really, although playing with the players we’ve got here certainly made things a lot easier.”

Going forward, the younger Hehir believes he is in the right place to develop his game and his talent further. There is certainly no reason why he can’t go on to become one of the best defenders at NIHL National level.

“You always want to better yourself year on year, that’s all you can do,” he added. “I’m definitely in the right place to do that with the players that are around me and Ryan being such a great coach.

“Geographically, it’s also fairly close to home - certainly compared to most other places - so there is nowhere else I’d rather be.”