Jason Hewitt

Jason Hewitt
Born (1983-08-28) 28 August 1983
Manchester, England
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 188 lb (85 kg; 13 st 6 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Right
EIHL team
Former teams		 Sheffield Steelers
Manchester Phoenix
National team  Great Britain
Playing career 2000–present

Jason Hewitt (born 28 August 1983 in Manchester, England) is an English professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Sheffield Steelers in the EIHL

Hewitt began his fledgling career with his local junior team, the Altrincham Aces after having watched the Manchester Storm. He would prove to be a productive and keen forward, and in the 2000/01 season was called to represent his country at Under 18 level.

This brought him to the attention of the Telford Wild Foxes, who in 2003/04 finally signed Hewitt. After just one game at EPL level however, he would be signed by the Manchester Phoenix to play in the EIHL, the highest level of ice hockey in the U.K. Hewitt would become a regular player for the Phoenix under head coaches Rick Brebant and Paul Heavey. Hewitt iced in 56 games for the Phoenix and although he only managing to score 3 points in that time, he brought energy and determination to the team. Hewitt's efforts helped the Phoenix into the playoffs, where he would score two points in six games prior to Manchester's elimination.

Unfortunately for Hewitt, the Phoenix organisation suspended playing operations in the summer of 2004 due to financial difficulties. He moved to sign for the London Racers, again at EIHL level. Again Hewitt played on a regular basis, scoring 9 points and totalling 79 penalty minutes in 48 games. He was re-signed the following season, but after 23 games the Racers organisation was forced to suspend playing operations due to the lack of a suitable ice surface.

Again Hewitt was forced to find a new club, and he took the opportunity to sign for his third EIHL club, the Basingstoke Bison. Hewitt only spent a short time in Basingstoke, moving to the Sheffield Steelers, and so would play for three different clubs in just one season. Hewitt settled far better in Sheffield, and after playing out the 2005/06 season in Yorkshire, was re-signed to again play for the Steelers in 2006/07.

Hewitt again improved his points production and became more physical for the Steelers, managing to total both his highest points tally in his professional career (17) and the greatest number of penalty minutes he had taken in a season (100). He was again re-signed at the end of the season, and would again repay the confidence shown in him with further improvement, now scoring 10 goals and 12 assists as well as managing 106 penalty minutes. This improvement would help the Steelers to win the EIHL post-season playoffs in the 2007/08 season.

As expected, Hewitt once again re-signed for the Steelers in the summer of 2008, going to again increase his productivity and have his best ever season for Sheffield. The team would also lift the 2009 EIHL Play Off trophy. This led to Hewitt once again confirming his contract with the Steelers for the 2009/10 term.

At the end of the 2009/10 season, the newly formed Braehead Clan expressed great interest in getting Hewitt's signature, and were joined in the chase by the Cardiff Devils. However on 18 May 2010, Hewitt pledged his services to the Sheffield Steelers for the 2010/11 season, becoming coach David Matsos' 8th signing.

Jason has remained a vital part of the Steelers line up since, winning several more championships along the way, and celebrates his Testimonial year in 2015/16.

Career stats

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2003-04 Telford Wild Foxes EPL 1 0 0 0 46 - - - - -
2003-04 Manchester Phoenix EIHL 56 1 2 3 52 6 1 1 2 0
2004-05 London Racers EIHL 48 7 2 9 79 - - - - -
2005-06 London Racers EIHL 23 5 4 9 30 - - - - -
2005-06 Basingstoke Bison EIHL 9 0 0 0 4 - - - - -
2005-06 Sheffield Steelers EIHL 19 0 3 3 26 - - - - -
2006-07 Sheffield Steelers EIHL 52 8 9 17 100 - - - - -
2007-08 Sheffield Steelers EIHL 48 8 8 16 96 4 1 1 2 0
2008-09 Sheffield Steelers EIHL 52 8 10 18 42 4 0 2 2 8
2009-10 Sheffield Steelers EIHL 51 11 12 23 160 - - - - -
2010-11 Sheffield Steelers EIHL 53 14 28 42 118 - - - - -
2011-12 Sheffield Steelers EIHL 54 10 21 31 105 - - - - -
2012-13 Sheffield Steelers EIHL 60 7 17 24 69 2 1 0 1 6
2013-14 Sheffield Steelers EIHL 64 9 16 25 91 4 1 1 2 6
2014-15 Sheffield Steelers EIHL 52 7 12 19 60 4 0 0 0 6

External links

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