The Hull Seahawks are delighted to welcome Chris Wilcox back to Hull, but it will more often than not be in a different capacity to what you are used to seeing him in.
Before covid struck, Chris had been playing for the Hull Pirates for 3 seasons and became one of the most consistent players on the roster within that time knowing you would get an 8/10 every night. But last season Wilcox joined the Widnes Wild alongside reunited teammate Tom Stubley in the NIHL 1 division, where Chris was also named one of the assistant captains and helped guide them to a 3rd place finish in the league.
We caught up with Chris about his return to East Yorkshire, “I am extremely excited to be joining the coaching staff for the upcoming season and when Matty rang and outlined his ethos, vision and current signings it was an easy decision for me. I have known Matty for a long time and we have a good relationship and I believe my leadership skills and coaching style will complement his, which will be of benefit to the team. Whilst I will predominantly be on the bench on game nights I will be providing playing cover if and when needed and my aim is to help the team be successful, whether that is on the bench or the ice!”
GM Sport Matty Davies had this to say, “Chris is a huge signing for me and the club to get him behind the bench as assistant coach. Chris will be helping me with everything that’s happening on the ice which will give me more of a chance to concentrate on playing and bringing as much as I can to the playing side. This is a new role for me and I’m in no way saying I won’t need a lot of help this season in many aspects.
I’ve known Chris for 16/17 years and I played with him during my first season in the league in Solihull when I was 16. He’s always had my back, helped me along the way and also knows the type of person I am which will help during the season when tensions get high!
He has a great eye for the game following in his dads footsteps, Reggie Wilcox who was a brilliant coach himself. He is also giving up a lot in terms of his playing days to really commit to his role as the bench coach and if needed he can always put the kit back on and do a job for the team. Couldn’t be happier to have Willy on board with the lads.”
Welcome back to Hull, Chris!
Picture credit: Rachel Stork.
