Leeds Knights: Cole Shudra loving life in the middle of import duo Grant Cooper and Zach Brooks

He admits that it has, naturally, helped make him a better, all-round player, even though he perhaps didn’t get as much game-time as he would have wished over the course of what is now just over four seasons with the South Yorkshire club.

Shudra, 24, is on a two-way deal again with the Steelers this season, although it is Leeds Knights who - like for most of last season - have first call on him.

And while Shudra will still be hoping to pick up as much top-flight ice time as he can again this season, he is more than happy with how things are progressing at Elland Road under head coach Ryan Aldridge.

Perhaps it was his experience of the EIHL and regular contact with import players that prompted Aldridge to put Shudra in-between his two import forwards at the start of pre-season.

Whatever the reason, Shudra is simply loving playing alongside Canadian duo Grant Cooper and Zach Brooks.

Pre-season showed the potential the trio had for racking up points, something reinforced by last weekend’s performances as the Knights beat Telford Tigers 7-4 before an impressive 6-2 win on the road at Raiders IHC.

Grant Cooper - already so impressive during the warm-up Yorkshire Cup against Sheffield Steeldogs and Hull Seahawks - led the way in scoring for the Knights with four goals and two assists, with Shudra just behind him with 3+2, with Brooks chipping in with four assists.

Head coach Aldridge has already spoken in glowing terms about the trio, something echoed by Shudra.

“It’s going really well,” beamed Shudra. “It’s not too often that you get with two brand new linemates and you immediately have that kind of chemistry you’re always looking for. From that first pre-season game to now, we have only got better.

“We move the puck well, we all kind of know where each other is in the zone and I think we’re all smart hockey players and that certainly helps when everybody is on the same page.

“It is natural chemistry that just works but they are two very good hockey players, smart hockey players, so when you’ve got three guys who know how to play and can play together, good things will come from that and we’ve just clicked right away.”

During the summer, Aldridge will no doubt have contemplated splitting his imports across two lines, but once he saw how well they worked with Shudra, he had no option but to keep them together. It’s a call which Shudra is happy to benefit from.

“The better the players that you play with and train with, makes you better too and all three of us seem to complement each other in different ways, we all have different attributes,” added Shudra.

“For the past few years, I’ve played and trained with a lot of good players but to get the chance to play with guys like Coops and Brooks regularly and to have the trust from Ryan to play in between them both is a big confidence boost for me.”