StormCast Episode 19: Dudek feeling at home in Manchester

He may have found out about Manchester Storm fans the hard way, but forward JD Dudek has no doubt being back in the city was where he wanted to be.

The 30-year-old returned for the new season for his second campaign, but he remembers his first visit to the Storm Shelter as a Coventry Blaze player in March 2023.

But he was definitely happy to have them on his side when he returned to the UK last year to join Cameron Critchlow’s team.

Looking back at my first experience with the Storm fans was daunting, as an opposing player,

he said on the latest episode of StormCast

Having those rinks where people were on top of you and cheering was awesome.

You get a really good personal connection with the fans and I found that as a Storm player, where you’re not only wanting to do it for the coaches, but you can really feel the emotion from the crowd which is good.

It’s cliche but they care.  When you lose a game, it’s going to hit them the way it hits us and we all share the same emotions.

They’re riding that rollercoaster with us and we want to keep climbing to the top for them.  They’re with us for the ride and enjoying it the same way we are, which makes it really personal and close.

Now he’s back and for JD, there was never any doubt of where he wanted to be when discussions began about this season.

And despite entering a room full of strangers to begin with, he felt like he belonged as he got to know his team-mates.

I felt immediately comfortable when I came here,

he added.

In fact, it’s probably only the second time in my career where I came to a team and didn’t know anyone already there.

It was an easy decision for me to return and I wanted that since I set foot here.  It’s comforting, team orientated and I definitely wanted to be here for a second season.

All the guys were great as were the coaching team so they made me feel welcome and let me come in and do my thing and I was able to help the team any way I could.

How we’re built as a team and the structure we put in helps a lot.  It’s also free flowing enough that you can show off your own personal characters in your game and showcase your own skills. It’s a very team aspect where you are able to do that so I was more than happy to come back.

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