The Hull Seahawks are delighted to announce the return of defenceman Jamie Chilcott for the 2022/23 season!
Local lad Jamie Chilcott returns to Hull after spending the second half of last season playing for local rivals, Leeds Knights. During last season ‘Chilly’ joined back up with former teammates Matty Davies and Jordan Fisher to help bolster the defence across in West Yorkshire, scoring 7 points in 23 games during his brief spell.
But Chilly is no stranger to ice hockey fans in Hull as this is where he learnt his trade going up through the ranks as part of Hull’s successful Junior Development Programme. This led to Chilly making over 100 EIHL appearances for the Hull Stingrays and Manchester Storm during the 2013 to 2016 period. In 2016, Chilly came home from Manchester to play for the Hull Pirates where he made 164 appearances over a 4 year time frame and also was named captain for 3 of those years, showing the leadership qualities he’ll also bring to the Seahawks this season.
The man himself Jamie Chilcott had this to say, “I’ve played with Matty for many years in Hull, Manchester and more recently, Leeds. He approached me at the outset when the possibility of a new team in Hull and return of the Seahawks first presented its self but I must admit, at that time, I was unsure if I would be able to commit to playing with my existing work and family commitments. We’ve obviously been in touch over recent months and now seeing the buzz around the team and the Seahawks brand, one last opportunity to play in my home town seemed too good to pass up. Matty, Joe, Ian Mowforth and the whole team have done a really good job at promoting the club and the Seahawks brand and effectively bringing that franchise back. For many years all the Hull lads have always said we’d like to see a return of the Seahawks. I don’t know why, I think the brand has just always been thought of as a winning team in Hull and I think the fans think the same way. Looking at the team taking shape, there’s no reason why we can’t bring that same winning mentality, right from the very first season.
Targets
I’ve sort of touched in this above, but at the outset I think the initial goal of the club was to first bring hockey back to Hull and make it sustainable. But now, looking at the roster, winning trophies is a genuine possibility, I think that’s what’ has drawn me in even more, just that chance to win again, and to do it for our home town.
Or maybe just not wanting to miss out on what could be a winning inaugural season! Winning a side, I want to help Matty and the whole club in making this work and bringing hockey back to Hull.”
Matty Davies had the following to say about Chilly’s return to Hull, “Chilly is the player I’ve played with the most in my career on this team, I know what he can bring to any team so I’m happy to get him signed and have him with us for this season!
He’s an experienced and smart D man that is never in a rush because he’s smart enough to not ever have to be.
He has played in the Elite League and also has played in a 4 D unit in that league which shows his quality. He’s a guy that has a busy job these days but can still do more than enough to prove he’s a top quality D man. Last year he signed for Leeds half way through the year without being on the ice for two years, he was a little rusty for a couple of weeks but then was one of our best defenceman for the remainder of the season!
He’s someone I trust as a person and know he’ll give me his best every time he plays. He will also be a massive influence in the changing room with his experience and past role as the captain in Hull for many years.
I’m so happy to finish the defence signings off with Chilly and I believe we have a really solid 6 ‘D core’ that can be really strong and effective in this league.”
Welcome to the Seahawks, Chilly!