D2 Dragons Continue To Build Roster

Deeside D2 Dragons' Charlie Spridgeon (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

The D2 Dragons development side continue to build their roster for the 2026/27 Laidler Division season and have announced the return of three more senior players.

Charlie Spridgeon was one of the first players to join the original Deeside Ducks team – as the Laidler Division outfit was originally known when it started in 2024 - and has played 51 games over two seasons for the D2 side, scoring 13 goals and 27 assists, to add to his 105 games beforehand over 5 seasons with the senior Dragons.

Popular enforcer Karl Bacon returns for his second season with the development team, having played in 31 games last season - scoring 3 goals and 14 assists and notching up an enthusiastic 78 penalty minutes.

Charlie Nicholson is also back for his third season with the development team, having been another original Duck.

He has also played for Deeside junior teams for the past three seasons and is a good example of how the D2 side gives promising young players an opportunity to improve their game by playing up a level with regular senior league hockey.

Nicholson has made 33 Laidler Division appearances over the past two seasons, scoring 2 goals.

Lewis Baldwin Joins Deeside Dragons

Lewis Baldwin
(Photo by Geoff White)

The Deeside D1 Dragons have announced the signing of defenceman Lewis Baldwin for the forthcoming 2026/27 Moralee Division season.

Baldwin brings a huge amount of experience to the Dragons, having played some 350 games at NIHL National Division level with over 6 seasons with Leeds and also two seasons in the erstwhile EPL with Hull Pirates, Manchester Phoenix and Sheffield Steeldogs.

He has also played 2 seasons in the Moralee Division with Blackburn Hawks and Solway Sharks, was a double trophy winner with Widnes Wild during the “Covid” series and spent the latter part of last season with Billingham Stars.

In an impressive senior career dating back 11 years, Lewis has notched up 67 competitive goals and 180 assists and also played for Great Britain in two World Championships at Under 18 and Under 20 level.

Talking about Baldwin’s signing, Dragons Head Coach Mike Clancy said:

“Lewis is a player we’ve admired for a long time. He’s played a lot of hockey at a higher level and brings real quality to our defence. He’s calm on the puck, makes smart decisions, moves it quickly, and can contribute offensively while remaining solid in his own zone.”

“We felt our defence improved massively last season, and adding someone with Lewis’ experience and ability gives us another huge boost. We’re delighted to welcome him to Deeside and can’t wait to see him in a Dragons jersey.”

 

Dragons Returnees

A number of last season’s players who were already signed up for the Dragons on two-year deals are due to come back for the new campaign.

Ryan Jones, Matt Wainwright, MJ Clancy, Ross Kennedy and Ethan Mayoh have all signed contract extensions which commit them to the club until the end of the 2027/28 season.

Sledge Hockey 2026: Weekend Round-Up #11 (1st August)

The Sheffield Steelkings maintained their 100% record at the top of the British Para Ice Hockey League with a comprehensive 1-13 win over rink-mates Sheffield Steelkings B (the Stings) at iceSheffield on Friday night.

The Steelkings goals were nicely spread across the team with strikes from Matt Clarkson (3), John Plummer (3) Rachel Oakley (2), Bill Hardy (2) and one each for Gary Farmer, Daniel Clarke and Russ Clarke.

Jake Oakley scored the only Stings goal in the 28^th minute, thus depriving the impressive Kings netminding partnership of Jonathan Gill and Damien Barker of another shut out.

The table-topping Steelkings now have 14 points from their 7 league games to date, 6 points ahead of Cardiff Huskies, who have also played 7 games and have accrued enough points to guarantee their place in the play offs.

The Sheffield A team haven’t lost a league game since June 2025 when they suffered an overtime loss away to Cardiff and they will be hoping to finish off the regular season with a 100% record this time around as they take on bottom team Peterborough Phantoms in their last league game this Saturday 8^th August.

While the title race may already be sewn up, there is still plenty to play for in the remaining games of the regular season as three teams are chasing the two final play off spots.

The top four teams in the final table will qualify for the end of season play offs, which are to be played at the Lee Valley Ice Centre in East London over the weekend of 12 and 13^th September.  The final league placings are important as they decide the match-ups for the two semi finals and the higher finishing teams get a theoretically easier draw by being paired against the lower sides, with 1^st playing 2^nd and 3^rd playing 4^th . 

The remaining league fixtures for the 2026 BPIHL season are as follows:

• Saturday 8^th August: Sheffield Steelkings A v Peterborough Phantoms
• Saturday 15^th August:  Sheffield Steelkings B v Cardiff Huskies
• Sunday 16^th August:  Peterborough Phantoms v Sheffield Steelkings B
• Sunday 30^th August:  Peterborough Phantoms v Manchester Mayhem

For more information about the British Para Ice Hockey League, check out the official website at www.paraicehockey.co.uk