Signing Alert – Rhys McCormick

Rhys McCormick returns to Devils

The Solent Devils are pleased to announce the return of Rhys McCormick.

This season, we are delighted to announce McCormick will be sharing his time between Solent and Basingstoke as he secures a two way deal with Ashley Tait’s Bison.

Last season, McCormick played 27 games for the Devils, picking up 5 goals and 6 assists.  McCormick, has come up through the Junior system in Gosport, with 93 games, 25 goals and 38 assists.

“Rhys has great potential,”

says Devils head coach, Alex Murray,

“he was a Gosport junior so I have always had a great connection with him, we get on really well and he is someone who I would like to help develop into league one in the very near future.  He has a great shot and skates well, which are key attributes to get to the next level.”

McCormick says he didn’t hesitate in returning to the Gosport,

“Coming back to the Devils for me, was an easy decision after the successful season we had, winning the play offs and narrowly missing the league title by one point.  It was a huge achievement for us as an organisation.  The professionalism of this team is second to none, which, as a player wanting to take their career further I feel you need that level of professionalism.  I committed to the Devils at the start of the summer, but had a fantastic opportunity to take a two-way with the Bison, Alex [Murray] was very supportive in my decision to take it, which means a lot to me.”

Looking to the year ahead and what McCormick will bring to the team, he says

“I definitely expect a lot more out of myself this season, last season was a great learning curve for me, trying to soak up as much experience and advice from some of the core players in the team to enhance my development.”

Development is something Murray continues talking about

“Rhys understands that for him to be effective at senior level, he has to become more confident in his ability and the application of his skill set during games.  It’s easy to train well, but to implement that into a game environment when points or titles are on the line is no easy feat, and so we will look to work on that together this year.”

“I think I will bring a hard working attitude to the team,”

McCormick says,

“I’ve always liked to be a hard working player.  I personally bring a lot of speed with my skating ability, quick hands and my ability to shoot in my stride, also, being able to shoot the puck quickly if pursued.  I think that is something offensively I can bring to the team.  Ideally, I see myself as a two way player, but that’s something I still need to work on to piece everything together, along with the physical side of the game.”

These thoughts are clearly echoed by Murray,

“Rhys is progressing very well, considering he started the game as a teenager he is very committed and passionate about the sport and this will help with his development.  We look at all aspects of training, from physical to mental and to ensure he is ready for the challenge ahead.”

McCormick continues looking ahead

“This season, I feel will be slightly more challenging for us, with no disrespect to the teams in the league last season.  The other teams have improved their line-ups over the summer, and we have lost some key guys.  That doesn’t stop us from wanting to be – and having the ability to be – champions again.  Every team is going to want to beat the champions, that is in any sport, but as a team we have to take each game at a time, and stick to the systems Alex will put in place for us, by doing that I certainly feel we can carry on our success from last season.”

McCormick will be returning in shirt 29, and is currently looking for a shirt sponsor. If you would be interested in sponsoring any of the Devils shirts, or becoming a team sponsor, please contact devilssupporters@outlook.com