Longstaff happy with Whitley roster as Pye, Queenan and Maddock all commit to Warriors

Whitley Warriors are pleased to confirm that blue liners Dan Pye and Josh Maddock along with young winger Callum Queenan will all be part of the clubs squad for the 2015/16 campaign. All 3 were part of the Whitley set up last term as Warriors finished in 6th place in the NIHL North standings.

The 2015/16 campaign will be Dan Pye’s 2nd season in Warriors maroon and gold as the big defenceman signed for the club in the summer of 2014 when he moved back to the north east from the Isle of Wight. Dan’s ability to read the game and his physical presence are amongst the attributes that make him one of the toughest NIHL North defenceman to come up against and his presence on the Whitley blue line next season is a huge boost to the entire Warriors organisation.

Icing in defence alongside Dan Pye will be Warriors long serving d man Josh Maddock who has been with the club for around the last 6 years. Josh has a wealth of experience to call upon as he has well over 100 appearances in ENL/NIHL hockey despite only being in his early twenties and his presence in Warriors squad gives the Whitley defence a further boost. Josh shared his thoughts on icing for Warriors in the 2015/16 season

“Once I heard that Lobby (David Longstaff) was taking over it was pretty much definite that I wanted to re-sign, I’m looking forward to hearing some fresh ideas and getting some extra guidance on how to further improve my game.

“As far as aims for next season go, I think we have to look at least getting back into a play-off spot and giving the fans something back for all the support they give us.”

Callum Queenan will also be part of the Warriors set up next season, Callum enjoyed a hugely successful campaign last year as the youngster burst onto the NIHL North scene with a string of highly impressive displays. The teenager netted 4 goals for Whitley and picked up a further 7 assists in his first full season in senior hockey. Callum’s efforts were rewarded with a call up to the GB under 18 squad for their World Championships in Estonia and he also picked up the Pro Hockey News Young Player of the Year Award for his performances in NIHL North for the Warriors.

Warriors new player/coach David Longstaff spoke about how his squad is shaping up ahead of the 2015/16 season and how pleased he was that Callum Queenan has chosen to remain with Warriors this campaign.

“I think our recruitment is going pretty well I’ve spoken to a lot of the local lads who are all keen to ice for Warriors next season.

“I’m pleased we’ve been able to secure the services of Callum Queenan, he had offers to go elsewhere and start to earn money out of the game however I’ve spoken to him about how I’d like to help him improve as a player and he’s keen to progress at Whitley. In a year or two’s time he may well move away as his career progresses however at this moment in time I feel that staying with Warriors is in his best interests as he will continue to see plenty of ice time and as much help as we can give him.

“Securing the services of our more experienced players such as Dean Holland, Jamie Tinsley and DJ Good is also pleasing as all of those guys have great experience at NIHL North level. I’ll be looking at getting the right players in the right lines so we can be the best we possibly can be out on the ice.

“A number of players who I need to know a little bit more about have expressed an interest in joining the club and we will be holding trials in due course were these players can come along and show us the qualities they have to offer. It would be great if one or two of these players had the necessary skills to join the Warriors roster for the coming season.”

Warriors will be announcing a further signings next week as player/coach Longstaff continues to build the Whitley roster ahead of the 2015/6 campaign.