Oxford City Stars are delighted to announce a new player to the roster, as we welcome Bailey Hind-Pitcher on a 2 way contract from NIHL National Club, The Bristol Pitbulls.
The 19yr old, 6'3 forward is hoping to slot straight into the lineup this weekend, pending completion of paperwork from the EIHA. Hind-Pitcher scored 10 goals and added 8 assists in 30 NIHL1 South games last season, including a phenomenal four goal performance on the road against the Slough Jets.
He spent his youth career between Bracknell and Slough and it was at the Slough where he found his form for scoring with 28 goals in 2017-18 and 25 in 2018-19 at youth level. Before Covid hit, he scored 13 goals in 24 games for the Bracknell Hornets in NIHL1 South before signing in Bristol.
Shane Moore, Head of Hockey Operations had this to say: "We are always looking to improve the roster, and we had Bailey on our radar pre season. He's a smart player and reads the game well, and has a fantastic shot on him. Having watched him in training these last few weeks, he's settled in nicely with the dressing room and I am excited to see what he can bring to Oxpens Road. This season he has stepped up to National league hockey, and no doubt his game has stepped up a level. I fully expect our roster to raise their games and this means we have players competing for roster slots ever week. We are still looking to bring in some more bodies, but want to make sure they are the right signings. Watch this space!" HP added: "Im really excited about Joining the Stars on a two way. My time will be split between Pitbulls National and Oxford, and Ill be looking to lead from the front when I'm here. I'm familiar with a-lot of the team already, and they have all welcomed me into the dressing room in practice. I think Oxford have a great core group of players here and I'm excited to help us push up the table. The team are competing with some of the top teams in the NIHL 1 recently with some close scorelines, and now is the time when we need to convert these into wins."
We hope to have Bailey in place for this weekends home game against the MK Thunder, if paperwork allows.