Whitley Warriors are delighted to announce the signing of experienced forward Chris Sykes from Teesside club Billingham Stars.
Sykes, 34, began his hockey career in Sheffield, making it to senior level with Sheffield Spartans of the then ENL and Scimitars of the then EPL. He represented Great Britain at Under-18 and Under 20 levels before grabbing some Elite League experience with Hull Stingrays. Two seasons at Sutton Sting in NIHL N1 preceded his move to Billingham Stars in 2014, where, apart from a handful of games for the now-defunct Leeds Knights of the NIHL, he has remained since.
His ability to rack up points is not news to Warriors fans, who have seen him score against Whitley on many occasions. He has been a player that Warriors fans have loved to hate but would secretly have loved to have in Maroon and Gold. That chance is now here but even so, Sykes knows that it may be difficult to win over some fans. However, he is ready to prove himself to the Whitley faithful.
“Moving from the Stars to the Warriors may raise a few eyebrows because of the rivalry, but I’m here to play hockey and win trophies,” he said. “I know some fans won’t be happy to see me in a Warriors shirt, and that’s their right. All I can do is work hard, be a good teammate, and do everything possible to help bring success to the team.”
Sykes’ move to Whitley once again pairs him with Canadian goal machine Iain Brown, who signed for Warriors earlier this month. Over the last two seasons, they have scored 407 points between them – a fact not lost on Head Coach Tony Hand.
“I’ve spoken to Chris a couple of times and I like what I hear,” Hand said. “He is exactly the type of senior player we need and will add points to the team and hopefully take us to trophies this year.”
Chris will wear the #92 shirt this season and is available to sponsor immediately at https://whitleywarriors.net/store/player-sponsorship/26-92-chris-sykes/.
Welcome to Whitley Warriors, Chris!
Photo credit: Slsportsphotos