Winning culture of Knights enough for Staudacher to make the switch

Given the success Leeds Knights have enjoyed in NIHL National over the past three years, the pressure to keep that run going increases with the arrival of each new campaign.

- by Phil Harrison

For new import defenceman Matt Staudacher, that pressure does not represent a problem.

The 6ft 1ins American welcomes the challenge of trying to help the Knights add to the haul of three league championships, a playoff title and a National Cup that has been won under head coach Ryan Aldridge.

The 25-year-old left-hander will arrive in Leeds towards the end of August on the back of an impressive spell in the ECHL with New York Rangers' affiliate Bloomington Bison, playing their first-ever competitive season.

He started the 2024-25 campaign in Italy's second tier with the Brixen-Bressanone Falcons before heading back to the US shortly before the turn of the year.

Both teams had their struggles, leaving Staudacher excited to be joining a Knights team where the expectations are high.