The Cardiff Fire are thrilled to announce that 17-year-old defenceman Bodhi James has re-signed with the club for the upcoming 2026-27 season.
A product of the Cardiff Junior Devils development system, the local prospect returns to the Fire lineup after progressing through the junior ranks.
Bodhi successfully made the step up to senior hockey last season, splitting his time across three different teams to fast-track his development. James balanced his junior commitments with the Cardiff Junior Devils U19s, whilst also gaining invaluable senior experience with both Pitbulls 2 and the Fire.
In his debut senior year, Bodhi demonstrated his composure and vision on the blue line, suiting up for 4 NIHL1 games with the Fire while gaining vital senior exposure playing 16 NIHL2 games for the Pitbulls, furthering his physical and tactical adaptation to the adult game.
While finding his feet in senior hockey, Bodhi capped off a standout junior season by playing a key role for the U19s, with 10 points (1 goal, 9 assists) in 15 games, helping steer the team to a double as both the U19 Division 1 South League Champions and Division 1 National Playoff Champions.
To continue maximizing his development and ice time, Bodhi has signed on a two-way agreement with the Bristol Pitbulls NIHL2 for the upcoming season, with the Cardiff Fire serving as his main team. This partnership ensures the young prospect will continue to get valuable senior minutes across both clubs.
Head Coach Elis Sheppard on the re-signing of Bodhi:
Bodhi is a talented individual with a desire to learn and improve week in week out.
He possesses good size, speed and agility. He plays a strong βheads up hockeyβ game and will often position himself where needed.
Bodhi is a coachβs idea of the perfect player you can mould and coach to get the best version out of him. He was exposed to senior hockey last year and his game has already improved vastly. This season will be Bodhiβs full breakout year in NIHL1 hockey.
Everyone at the Fire would like to give a warm welcome back to Bodhi! #46
Player sponsorship opportunities for Bodhi James and the rest of the 2026-27 squad are now open. To secure your player sponsorship, please email stevie.lyle@cardiff-fire.com or Click Here for more information.
