Leeds Knights: New coach Ryan Aldridge excited about challenge

The 43-year-old will get to see first-hand the Knights’ players for the first time at training at Elland Road tonight.

His first game in charge will be Sunday’s home game against Basingstoke Bison.

Until last summer, Aldridge had spent six years as head coach at the Okanagan Hockey Academy, a full-time institution combining training with schooling and owned by Leeds owner Steve Nell, operating out of the same rink as Swindon Wildcats, the other club owned by Nell.

Prior to that, Aldridge was head coach of the Wildcats, beginning his stint there as a player-coach midway through the 2008-09 season, having left Basingstoke Bison, then playing in the Elite League.

Aldridge won the English Premier League regular season title and play-off double with Bracknell Bees in 2006-07.

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Knights’ owner Nell has installed Aldridge behind the bench in senior hockey again on a purely interim basis while he works out his long-term plans. From the initial surprise of getting a phone call from Nell on Monday, it has been a whirlwind few days for Aldridge.

“I’m looking forward to it,” said Aldridge, who in may last year was appointed assistant coach for the GB Under-16s.

“There is some seriously offensive talent there, which I’m looking forward to working with. Hopefully, I can be teaching them a few things, as well as the defensive core too.

“It’s definitely an exciting group to get to work with. Aaron Nell, the Swindon coach, said to me that if there was a team in the league that matches my philosophy and the style of play I like, it would probably be Leeds.

“I like to play very offensive hockey, playing in groups of fives instead of threes and twos.

“Steve has asked me if I can help out in the short-term and we’ll just see what happens. I’m really not looking any further ahead than that.”

Nell believes Aldridge is ideally qualified to take over the coaching role on an interim basis, while he himself covers GM duties, adding: “Ryan is somebody I have obviously known for a long time, through working together first at Swindon and then the Okanagan Hockey Academy based there.

“He is someone who I regard as an excellent coach, he knows this league, knows this level of hockey very well and he knows the players well. I am confident he’ll do a good job here.

“He will be meeting the players for the first time at training on Thursday and getting them ready for the home game on Sunday against Basingstoke.”