Welcome back to #40 Josh Hickman, who will return to Milton Keynes for his third season with Thunder. After initially signing as a forward, he moved into a defensive role last year and provided consistency and a strong physical presence on the blue line, whilst still demonstrating the qualities of his offensive game. Josh recorded 8 points in 29 games for the club last season, and is a favourite amongst fans.

Another strong retention for the club as we move into a new challenge in NIHL 2 South this year, Josh’s importance away from the ice is also not to be overlooked. His willingness to support our younger players and his leadership skills within the room are invaluable and everyone is looking forward to having him back as part of a roster that is growing stronger by the week.

Josh is confident heading into the new campaign:

I’m really looking forward to being back with Thunder and being part of the the new era for the club. This will be a really strong season for us and as well as the potential to achieve big things on the ice as a team this season I am also excited to be back to help develop the younger players into their full potential!

Head Coach Will Fry on Josh returning to the Thunderdome:

Josh turned into a bit of a swiss army knife for us last year, he proved his quality offensively but played a very significant role in our defensive group as the season progressed. He has a good read on the game and brings strength to all aspects – from securing the in tight net battles to quarterbacking the powerplay he is a reliable option and I’m glad that he’s agreed to return. We’ve made great additions to the defensive group this year which will hopefully unlock Josh to play his natural offensive game more and I’m sure we will see a much larger points register from him than his part two seasons with Thunder.

Josh’s Home & Away jerseys are available now for own and loan, at a cost of £80 each. Please email mkthundericehockey@gmail.com to reserve yours today.