The Solway Sharks are delighted to confirm the return of Great Britain U18 defenceman, Kell Beattie on a 2-way with the Belfast Giants for the 2022/23 season.
Kell returns after a first senior season to remember for him, winning league titles with both the Sharks and Giants, a Challenge Cup with the Giants and a Playoff and National Championship with the Sharks.
The Belfast born defenceman is a product of the Belfast junior Giants, 18-year-old Beattie joined the Sharks in 2021-22, scoring five goals and adding nine assists for a total of 14 points in 29 games played and played a key part in the treble winning success the Sharks had last season as well as dressing 11 times in the EIHL for the Belfast Giants.
Beattie has also represented Scotland in the EIHA Conference at U11, U13, U15 and U17 levels- winning three Championships (U11, U13, U15). He was selected to the Team GB World Junior Championships squad in April, adding one goal and two assists to a solid defensive performance on the way to a bronze medal.
Kell is a young player who already has good experience. He skates well, sees the ice well and loves to compete and he improved as the season progressed last year with the training at Elite level and game time as a Shark. He will be expected to continue to kick on and show how valuable he can be to the Sharks this season as he continues his development on the 2-way again.
On his return to the Sharks Beattie commented “I really enjoyed my first season as a Shark and straight away I felt welcome and that allowed me to settle and focus on my hockey. The fact I was able to sign a 2-way with the Giants and Sharks was great for my development and gave me the best of both worlds and it was a season that I learned so much from as well as having unbelievable success. This season I want to continue learning and developing with both clubs and I know both Adam Keefe and Martin as coaches will push me to make sure I am developing. I want to ensure I am playing in all situations for the Sharks and getting the valuable game time to allow me to push on and try and get some game time with the Giants again as that was a fantastic experience last year. I now know the high standards set at both clubs and have enjoyed working with JT, Martin, Rob, and Adam and want to make sure I continue to perform at a high level and continue to bring success to both sets of fans”.
Solway Sharks Head Coach, Martin Grubb added “Kell came to us on the back of a recommendation from Jamie as he has watched his progress right through the Scotland program and when he came to our camp, we knew he would fit right in here and help this team. He came in and got good minutes straight away and this environment allowed him to play and learn without the pressure of the EIHL but also work with one of the EIHL’s best coaches in Adam Keefe every day. As the season progressed then Kell settled into his role and formed a good D pairing with Richard Bentham as he became a key member of our group. The 2-way really is a great development tool for Kell as his dream is to be a Giant and we want to help him achieve that and with the good relationship we have as clubs it gives him a great chance to succeed. The Giants are great to work with and have shown us lots of respect in trusting us with Kell and his development and we are excited to continue watching him mature and grow as the season progresses”.
Kell will be back in the number 12 jersey as he was last season, and his jerseys are available to own and loan. Please contact sharkssecretary@aol.com for more information on the owned and loaned packages.
Keep following Solway Sharks across all our social media channels and our website for all the news on the club as it becomes available.
