The Deeside D1 Dragons have announced that
record breaking points scorer Jake Witkowski has extended his contract and will
remain with the North Wales club until the end of 2027/28 season.
Jake Witkowski
(Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)
The popular American forward is currently
in the middle of a 2-year deal but has agreed an extension for another season after
that.
Witkowski hails from Melrose, Massachusets
and played 5 seasons of college hockey in the US before coming to the UK midway
through the 2022/23 season to join Leeds Knights in the NIHL National
Division.
He switched to the Moralee Division
Dragons for the 2024/25 season and was top points scorer with 52 goals and 58
assists in the team that finished 4th in the league.
Last season, he was the club’s top scorer
again and broke a 10 year old league record for points in the Moralee Division
with 66 goals and 72 assists in 36 games, helping the Dragons to a runners up
spot in both the league and play offs - and also winning silverware with the
Welsh Cup and Moralee Cup.
Having recently achieved his Level
2 Coaching Qualification, Jake will continue in his role as a Player/Coach,
providing valuable support and experience to the coaching staff both on and off
the ice.
Off the ice, he will also continue
as the club’s Director of Business Operations playing a key role in growing the
Dragons’ profile and helping the club go from strength to strength.
The sport of ice hockey in the UK tends to
be organised on an amateur basis – especially at the lower levels of the NIHL –
with players signing and re-signing for their clubs from season to season,
which leads to an annual “free for all” every summer.
In order to avoid this type of uncertainty
and to ensure continuity among the playing staff as the club progresses, the
Dragons signed a number of their players on two year deals last season and Rhys
Edwards, Damarni James and Noah Percival have also signed extensions to their contracts
to remain with the club for the next two seasons.
Talking about the latest announcement,
Witkowksi said: “I am super excited to extend my contract for another year and
be with the guys for the next two seasons. I am really looking forward to
getting back to the Den and seeing all the fans there in September”.
