Sheffield Steelers forward Jason Hewitt says he owed it to himself to see if he could cut it at the top level again.
The veteran is loving life in orange after re-joining his old club for the Elite Series, a club with whom he served between 2006 and 2016.
And he revealed he had apprehensions over whether he should be involved, but his experience in the Spring Cup convinced him his season shouldn’t end there.
“If you’ve said to me a year or two that I’d be back playing for the Steelers again, I’d have said you were crazy,” Hewitt told this week’s BIH Show. “The year just gets stranger and stranger, but it’s worked out nicely.
“Going into the Elite Series, I was a little apprehensive. I wasn’t sure if I’d had my time and whether I should leave it, but playing in the Spring Cup with Sheffield Steeldogs, I felt good and wanted a challenge.
LISTEN NOW: Jason Hewitt on this week’s BIH Show
“Playing against some of those GB guys again recently gave me that taste to see if I could still do it at this level. I’m glad I did and I know I would have been kicking myself if I hadn’t.
“The body’s holding up alright. I’ve a few niggles, but that’s going to happen when you play as often as we have, but I feel like I’m contributing and loving the opportunity to play with some great players.”
Hewitt picked up eight points in his first nine games in the competition as he rolled back the years with some good performances for Aaron Fox’s side.
As for whether a more permanent role with the Steelers would be on the cards, he was quick to rule it out, focussing more on his job and a possible return to the NIHL instead.
Will Hewitt keep wearing the Steelers orange after the Elite Series? (PHOTO: Dean Woolley)
But he wouldn’t mind a souvenir to finish with as the tournament moves into its latter stages.
“There was never an aspiration to make another run at the Elite League,” he added. “I walked away from it for a job with Bauer and I’m making a career out of it now.
“They’ve been great with me, allowing me to take the time off to take part in the Elite Series. The goal was to come in, make a good show of myself and then, more than likely return to the NIHL.
“You want to win anything and do your best and the goal here is to win it. We have the players to do it and I like to win. I’ve been lucky enough to have been able to do that through the years so it would certainly be nice to add another one. It’s a small tournament, but it would be a nice feeling.”
The full interview with Jason Hewitt is part of this week’s edition of The BIH Show, available to watch on YouTube or download the audio version, available from all podcast providers.
