Roster 2023-2024: Rolands Gritāns
The Stars are delighted to announce that Rolands Gritāns will return to Billingham for his second season on Teesside. Widely considered to be one of the best ‘imports’ at this level, Rolie came to the Stars after spending three years at local rivals Whitley Warriors, swapping maroon for red. His start at Billingham was delayed due to an injury that kept him out for the first few months of last year, but once he got into the groove, Rolie proved his worth by becoming a rock at the back, marshalling the Stars blue line post-Christmas as Billingham went on their winning run in the build-up to the playoffs. The versatile Latvian can also play up front – a position he was used in at Whitley – and he certainly knows where the goal is. Rolie’s is bound to be one of the first names that Stars fans will have looked for as the summer announcements roll out, and Billingham could not be happier to welcome him back.
Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos
Gritāns Statistics
| Last Season | Career | |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 27 | 319 |
| Goals | 7 | 51 |
| Assists | 20 | 84 |
| Points | 27 | 135 |
| PIMs | 36 |
Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos
Elite Prospects: https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/34656/rolands-gritans
Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos
Rolie is on a much-needed holiday and will speak to Billingham Stars TV in the summer, in the meantime he shared his thoughts on re-signing for the Stars:
“It was an easy decision to return to the Stars. At the end of the season I already knew I would love to stay. I had a short conversation with Allen and everything was decided then. I missed a lot of last season but the games that I did play I enjoyed – it took me some time to recover after the operation but it was a great season overall! We had a really good result and I think next season will only get better.
We are all hoping to see the same support from the fans as we got last season – I am hoping for loud stands once again!”
Credit: Linda Crabtree
Your Stars will continue to unveil the new squad over the coming days and weeks – keep checking back for all the latest news from the Billingham camp over the summer.