A familiar face returns to Solent!
THE SOLENT DEVILS ARE DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE THE RE-SIGNING OF BRITISH CENTRE MARK PITTS.
Pitts returns for his seventh season with Solent.
Including the playoffs, Pitts made 32 appearances in last years campaign. In that time, Pitts scored 14 goals and provided the assist on 30 more.
So far Pitts has racked up 75 goals and over 180 assists during his time with Solent demonstrating why he was presented with the Coaches’ award in 2020 and in 2022 received the Best Forward award in recognition of his absolute commitment in every moment of every game to the win.
Pitts is a vetted player for the club with statistics such as:
#10 in all time appearances
#8 in all time goals
#4 in all time assists
#5 in all time points
Pitts ended the season by announcing his retirement from the sport, a formality to allow him to focus on other commitments. But now he has come to the team ready to go again.
When asked about his return, Pitts said the following,
Feels good coming back to solent, I have lots of close friends who I’ve known for a long time, so it’s a very familiar and comfortable environment to come back to.
Choosing to return hasn’t been a straightforward decision. I have a lot of other commitments outside of hockey, and it can be a juggling act trying to fit it all in. But hockey has been a part of my life for a long time, and quite simply, I missed it and missed the team. Being in room and with the boys is good fun and a great distraction from some of life’s stresses.
When asked about what Pitts hopes to bring to the team, he said,
Moving forward with the devil’s, I have 7 seasons playing for Alex, so feel like I understand his systems and style of play well and will hopefully be able to help some of the younger guys adjust and adapt.
No personal goals as such, but I have built some good chemistry over the last few seasons with certain guys, so hopefully, will be able to hit the ground running, steady the ship and consolidate the devil’s position as one of the top teams in this league.
Head Coach, Alex Murray said the following,
I’m delighted to be able to bring mark back following an indifferent start to the season.
Out of all the retired players, Mark was the one who continued to train and skate throughout the summer, so there was always a hope he would reconsider.
When asked, what Pitts will bring to the team at this stage, Murray stated the following,
Mark brings so much energy on the ice as well as a leader in the room we have been missing since his departure.
Pitts will ice for the Devils in his iconic shirt number #5 and he is looking for a shirt sponsor!
