The Solway Sharks are delighted to announce the return of impact forward, Lewis Houston for the 2022-2023 season.

The talented, right-handed forward is a product of the Solway junior development program where he consistently put up big offensive numbers before making the step into senior hockey with the Sharks. Lewis played NIHL1 North for 3 seasons with the Sharks before making the move to Leeds in the NIHL National League where he made an instant impact.

The 21-year-old, Dumfries born youngster is an exciting player who brings, speed, skill, and an ability to score big goals in big games as he showed when returning to the club last season and will be looking to bring the form that helped the Sharks win the treble last season.

Houston has represented Scotland in the EIHA Conference tournament at U11, U13, U15 and U17 as well as being part of the Scotland U19 team for the games against England and was part of the last Scotland team to win that game. He was also selected as part of the GB U16 team and played in 3 tournaments contributing 9 points in 13 games as well as representing GB U18’s in the World Championships in Hungary.

Houston earned his move to Leeds Chiefs in the 2019-20 season and made an instant impact scoring 22 points in 28 games and was a fans favourite before deciding to make the move back to Dumfries and the Sharks.

On his signing Lewis commented “I am delighted to be back for another season especially after the success we had last season. I have taken some time this summer to think about what I can bring to the team, and I am determined to make a bigger impact as we look to retain our trophies and go one better. This group of players have a great mentality, and we push each other to be better and hold each other accountable as we strive to maintain our high standards and that is why I want to be part of this team. I enjoyed the offensive responsibility I had last year and want to add to my points total and have fun playing. I know what Martin and JT expect from me and the team and I am excited to get the season underway again next week.”

Sharks Head Coach Martin Grubb added “Lewis is a player who we know can turn a game on its head with his speed, skill and work rate and we wanted to find a way to have him back in our line-up when he is available, and work allows. He is a player who has come through our junior program and knows what this club is all about and the standards we set, and he has proven in not only our league but also the National league and on the international stage how good a player he is. When he came in last season, he gave us something a bit different, but I don’t think we seen the best of Lewis and I know he is determined to show he has another level to his game. Lew is a winner, and he played a big part in both playoff triumphs, and I know he wants to win everything we can, and we want that type of person in our group.”

Lewis will continue to wear his now familiar number 16 jersey for the upcoming season. Lewis’s jerseys are available to own and loan now. Please email sharkssecretary@aol.com to discuss the owned and loaned packages available.

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