SOLENT RETAIN WEDGE

The Solent Devils are excited to finally reveal their latest addition to their upcoming 2025/26 squad!

Tonight, the Devils are proud to officially announce the re-signing of Forward Charlie Wedge!

Wedge adds speed and youth to their upcoming squad improving the squads depth.

The 2024/25 season was a breakout season for Charlie with a combined 40 points!

For the Solent Junior Devils (NIHL 2), Wedge scored at 2 points per game! He put up 13 goals and 7 assists for 20 points in just 10 games!

Wedge smashed his previous career best with the Solent Devils as he scored 20 points in 32 games! Charlie scored double digits with 11 goals leaving his previous career high at this level in the past. He also assisted on 9 goals for the team which cemented himself time on the teams top unit!

This upcoming season, Charlie Wedge signs another two-way contract with the Devils, allowing him to continue his development playing in both NIHL 1 and NIHL 2.

After re-signing with the team, we sat down with Wedge to ask him a few questions to reflect on his achievements and to look ahead of the 2025/26 season:

To begin the interview by asking Charlie about his re-signing,

Signing again for my 5th season with the devils was an easy decision for me.
Each year at the club, it gets better and better.
I can’t wait for next season to start!

Building off of his growing enjoyment of being apart of the club, we asked him what his favourite part of the past season was:

My highlight of the season was beating Streatham at home despite us being short benched!
It really showed how much depth the team has, and when big moments like this come around, everyone stepped up and got the job done!

As previously mentioned in this article, Wedge put up a career high in goals for the Solent Devils. We asked Charlie about this achievement and how his game has evolved.

It’s always good to get on the scoresheet and help the team and hopefully next season I can contribute more.

This upcoming season will be your 5th consecutive with the team, what is your main focus heading into this season?

Some silverware would be lovely, alongside focusing on getting consistent results against the top 3 teams all season round.

The Gosport Ice Arena has become an exciting place to play due to the passionate Devils supporters and the electric atmosphere they create. How has playing at home influenced you and the squad?

Playing at home is a surreal feeling!
If we’re ever down in a game we remind ourselves of all the fans that have come to watch that we can’t let down.
The team definitely play our best in front of our fans. It wouldn’t be the same without them.

Charlie concluded his interview with his message to the fans!

I am looking forward to seeing everyone again in September, bring the noise!

Charlie Wedge will continue to wear #22 for the Solent Devils.

Make sure to follow the Solent Devils Social Media pages to stay up to date with the latest 2025/26 season signings and news!

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CACKETT ADDS TO THE ROSTER

Wednesday 11th June, the Solent Devils announce another dynamic player who will join the rest of the squad for the 2025/26 season!

Tonight, the Devils are proud to officially announce the re-signing of Forward Oli Cackett!

The 2024/25 season was the first season that Cackett played for the Senior NIHL 1 Devils squad. Oli made the most of his two-way contract with the NIHL 2 team to earn his way onto the Devils roster for big games including making the team to join them for their push for the Britton Cup!

For the Solent Junior Devils, Oli had 13 Points in 15 games! With 3 Goals and 10 Assists.
For the Solent Devils, he picked up 7 points in his 31 games played. Of these points, 4 were goals! Picking up his First NIHL 1 point and goal in his first full season in the league!

The 18 year old also made an impact through his dedication to the team on and off the ice, being awarded the 2025 Shane Clacy Award at the Solent Devils Presentation Evening.

This season, Cackett signs another two-way contract with the Devils, allowing him to continue his development playing in both NIHL 1 and NIHL 2.

After his re-signing with the team, we spoke to Oli to ask him a few questions ahead of the 2025/26 season:

To begin with, we asked Oli, “What are your thoughts on being back with the Solent Devils for the 2025/26 season?”

Choosing to come back to the Devils this season was the easiest decision I’ve had to make!
The past season has been so enjoyable and I cannot wait to get started again!

Last season was your first season with the Senior team as well as your first full season in NIHL 1, how did you find your first with the squad?

For my first full senior season, I couldn’t of asked for a better team to do it with!
Through all the ups and downs we stuck it out together and ultimately played for each other and for the Devils fans.

“You mentioned the ups and downs, what was your personal favourite moment from your time with the team last season?”

I believe most people would say the same that our Cup run was definitely something to remember.
Going from being counted out, to making it to the Finals, although ultimately we didn’t win, I believe we all learnt how that felt and are going to come into next season ready to get the job done!

“Your hockey career saw a lot of development and progression this past season, what is your focus for the upcoming season?”

Our focus is to bring something back for the fans! Thats the ultimate goal in any season so this year is no different, and after our near miss last seasons we are definitely more determined than ever to bring silverware back to the thunderdome!

On a personal level I believe that last season was a great learning opportunity for me, however this season I’m coming in ready to make a difference.

“A lot of the players have mentioned how last season, the fans influenced how you guys performed on the ice, how was your first experience with the passionate supporters?”

They play a massive part in our performance, knowing that we have people behind us the whole way whether it be at home or all the way in Cardiff really gives us the motivation to perform to our best week in, week out.

To conclude, we asked Oli if he had any messages he’d like to say to the fans?
Cackett said:

Devils fans, I Can’t wait to get started on what is going to be an unforgettable season at the thunderdome!
I’ll see you all there!

Oli Cackett will continue to wear #80 for the Solent Devils.

Make sure to follow the Solent Devils Social Media pages to stay up to date with the latest 2025/26 season signings and news!

https://www.facebook.com/solentandgosportdevils

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DEVILS DOUBLE DOWN ON DEFENCE

Tonight, the Solent Devils continue to build their squad for the upcoming 2025/26 season!

This time around, the Devils add even more size and youth to their defence core with the return of Fan Favourite Defenceman #2 Kris Nekrosevicius!

The 2024/25 season was another successful season for Kris which saw him step up and play a career high in games for the Senior Devils while also playing at a point per game for the Solent Devils NIHL 2 squad.

Nekrosevicius had 5 goals and 6 assists for 11 points in 11 NIHL 2 games while also participating in 31 regular season games for the Solent Devils.
Kris also played in all of the Devils playoff and cup games helping to support the team, keeping the puck out of their zone and even assiting on a goal during the teams Cup push.

Kris signs another two-way contract with the Devils this upcoming season allowing him to continue his development playing in both NIHL 1 and NIHL 2.

After re-signing with the team, we sat down with Kris to ask him a few questions ahead of the 2025/26 season:

The 2025/26 season will be your 5th consecutive season within the Solent Devils system, What are your thoughts on being back with the Solent Devils for another season?

I’m glad to be back, I love the team and the atmosphere on and off the ice, as well the support from the fans!

We asked Nekrosevicius “You have been a part of a most of the Devils recent big moments in terms of pushes for silverware, what was your favourite moment of this past season and what did it teach you going forward?”, the Right Shot D-Man said:

My favourite moment from the past season was getting through to the Cup Final, I feel like the team really came together as we were all pushing for it.

I think the biggest lesson we were taught last season was not to get too complacent, but also to have more trust in the systems we had in place.

Building off of this, we asked Kris what his personal focus is for the upcoming season:

My focus for next season is to keep performing at a high standard and to help the team bring back some silverware!

We wrapped up our interview by asking Kris about you, the fans, heres what he had to say:

Playing in front of the Solent Devils fans is always a pleasure, hearing the horns and the cheers always helps to push us further.

(Message to the fans) Thank you all for your continued support, I’m looking forward to being back and seeing you all in September!

Kristijonas Nekrosevicius will continue to wear #2 for the Solent Devils.

Make sure to follow the Solent Devils Social Media pages to stay up to date with the latest 2025/26 season signings and news!

https://www.facebook.com/solentandgosportdevils

https://www.instagram.com/solentdevils?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

https://x.com/SolentDevil

BANNER BATTENS DOWN THE BLUE LINE

Tonight, the Solent Devils continue to add to their new 2025/26 roster by announcing another player! This time around the Solent Devils add to their upcoming Blueline with the return of Defenceman Tom Banner!

The 2024/25 season saw Banner join the Devils after spending most of his career in the Basingstoke system. Banner’s return to the NIHL 1 level had him join a competitive team who pushed for silverware and he was a big reason they were able to do so taking on meaningful minutes on the Devils back end.

Tom blocked shots and cleared pucks to allow the Devils to finish 4th in goals allowed across the entire league! In addition to this, some time on the Devils PK saw him contribute to help the Devils rank 3rd best in the league for penalty killing, only missing the top team by 0.16%.

Now, Banner re-signs on the south coast to continue building off what he learned last season and to help in the teams drive for Silverware!

Tom Banner’s Full Signing Interview:

Tom, Last season was your first with the team, how do you think you fit in and what made you want to re-sign with the team?

It’s a good group of guys.
Everyone is so welcoming, and it really shows both on, and off the ice.
The team is competitive within the league by always pushing each other to improve and bring their best game.

I really enjoyed playing for the Devils last season, so when I was asked to sign again, it was an easy decision.

We’ve got a strong team, and I’m looking forward to what’s ahead.
I’m excited to be back onboard, and ready to build on what we started last season!

Last season featured a lot of key moments which left the fans with something to remember, what was your personal highlight of the 2024/25 season?

Beating the Slough Jets in order to reach the Britton Cup Finals, especially when the odds were against us. That was the highlight of the season for me.
Looking ahead, I think we’ve got a real shot at winning silverware as we’re only going to get stronger.

Building off of this, we asked Tom to tell us what his personal focus is for the 2025/26 season:

My focus this season is on sharpening my defensive game and continuing to grow as a player. I’m looking to build on all of last year’s progress to keep pushing forward.

Banner concluded by reflecting on his experience with the passionate Devils supporters after his first season with the team,

The fans are amazing!
Their support means everything to us — thank you for being there every step of the way!

Tom Banner will wear #13 for the Solent Devils for the 2025/26 season.
His Jersey will be owned and loadned by Trident Specialist Soutions. Thank you Trident for your support!

Make sure to follow the Solent Devils Social Media pages to stay up to date with the latest 2025/26 season signings and news!

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TAYLOR LOCKS DOWN THE CREASE!

Tonight, the Solent Devils continue to add to their competitive 2025/26 roster by announcing another player!

This time around, the Solent Devils add with the re-signing of their primary Starting Goaltender… #92 Aaron Taylor!

The 2024/25 season was Taylor’s second as the Devils main Goaltender and it saw him step up to support the team to push for silverware, putting up career highs in games played as well as his statistics!

Taylor put up an impressive .926 save percentage in his 25 starts with a Goals Against Average of 2.68!
Aaron shut the door on 771 shots out of the 833 shots he faced in his 1,387 minutes and 31 seconds played!
This includes 2 shutouts!

Taylor also topped the league charts finishing 4th in the league in netminder save percentage!

Aaron did not shy away in big moments!
Taylor saved 150 out of the 164 shots he faced in the Devils cup run and in the Playoffs he put up a .924 save percentage in the 2 games with a shutout in game 1 of the Quarter Finals!

Now, Taylor re-joins Solent to continue building on the progress made last season!

We sat down with Aaron to ask him a few questions regarding his re-signing and ahead of the 2025/26 season:

What are your thoughts on being back with the Solent Devils for the 2025/26 season and what made you choose to re-sign with the Devils?

I’m really excited to be back this year, it wouldn’t feel right to be playing anywhere else; both the fans and boys are part of my extended family!

When asked about his highlight from the past season, Taylor said:

There was a lot of great moments from last year however I really enjoyed the win against Streatham on our Christmas Jersey Theme Night!
It was a great win and we got to skate with the fans afterwards to celebrate.

We asked Aaron “What’s something you learned last season that you plan to implement into your game come September?”

The league schedule got a little more intense last season, so I have been taking my pre-season training a little more seriously this year.

Building off of this, we asked Taylor what his personal focus is for the upcoming 2025/26 season:

My focus every year is to be as consistent as possible for the team,
my numbers last year were better than the season before, so hopefully I can stay on that trajectory.

At the Solent Devils Presentation Evening 2025, Aaron Taylor picked up 2 Awards!
The Players Player Award and the Supporters Club Player of the Season Award!

Anyone at the presentation evening will know how much it meant to me as I got a bit emotional, however for those that weren’t there, thank you and it’s a pleasure to have the opportunity to represent such an incredible club with great people on and off the ice!

Finally, Taylor concluded with a special message to the fans!

The fans are amazing, all the boys constantly talk about doing our utmost to pay them back for the support they show!
I seem to have my own little fan club down by the cafe stand that give me a renewed spirit every time I let one in that I’d want back.

We all want something shiny this upcoming season to pay the fans back for their continued support and as long as we keep coming close, I’m positive we will achieve that soon.

Aaron Taylor will continue to wear #92 for the Solent Devils in the 2025/26 season.

Make sure to follow the Solent Devils Social Media pages to stay up to date with the latest 2025/26 season signings and news!

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www.instagram.com/solentdevils?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

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HARCUP HERE FOR ANOTHER YEAR

To celebrate a bank holiday Monday, the Solent Devils are pleased to reveal another name who will be apart of their squad for the upcoming 2025/26 season!

This time around the Solent Devils add with the return of Forward Harry Harcup!

The 2024/25 season saw Harcup join the Devils after being with the Berkshire Bees for 3 seasons. Harcup made an instant impact on the team and finished the year 7th in team point scoring and 5th in team goals!
Harcup collected 21 points in the 35 regular season games he played. 13 of those points were goals with 12 of them being scored at 5-on-5 (even strength)!
Harcup was also apart of the Devils push for silverware playing in all of the Devils playoff and cup games!

Now, Harcup re-joins Solent to continue building off where they left of!

We sat down with Harry to ask him a few questions ahead of the 2025/26 season:

What are your thoughts on being back with Solent for the 2025/26 season and what made you choose the Devils?

I’m very excited to be back with Solent for the 2025/26 season!
It’s hard to say just one thing that made me come back when there’s so many.
Ultimately it’s the most I’ve ever enjoyed a hockey season and I’d put it down to that for the most part!

When asked “Last season was your first with the team, how did you find your first season with the Devils?” Harcup said:

I’m happy with the season I had, but I do expect a lot more from myself and I think that there’s a lot more to give this upcoming season.

Building off of this, we asked Harry what his personal highlight or favourite moment was from the last season:

My highlight of the season would be getting to the Cup Final!
Although we just fell short, we went against all odds to get there and that journey was pretty special!

Discussing his focus for the upcoming season, Harcup added,

My focus for the new season is, and will always be to win some silverware!
I will also be focusing on being more impactful in the game myself and look to improve on what I started last season.

Finally, we asked Harry about his experience with you, the fans, after his first season with the club!

The Devils supporters are incredible!
Turning up week in, week out, it really goes a long way in helping us go the extra mile and that extra gear on the ice.
I look forward to seeing everyone back at the Thunderdome come September!

Make sure to follow the Solent Devils Social Media pages to stay up to date with the latest 2025/26 season signings and news!

https://www.facebook.com/solentandgosportdevilshttps://

www.instagram.com/solentdevils?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

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