As the next step in our building of player talent pathways in Milton Keynes Ice Hockey, we are delighted to share with you the new details of a development partnership called the Milton Keynes Talent Pathway (MKTP) which we have designed, agreed and setup with Milton Keynes Thunder who play in the NIHL Division 1 South.
The MKTP builds on our first step, which was provide outbound paths for young hockey talent as they developed towards their potential as we have seen with Sean Norris, Sam Talbot and Zaine McKenzie making their Elite League debuts in the 2022/23 Season, as well as MK giving development to Mack Stewart and Jack Hopkins who were already signed with Elite League Clubs.
The next phase of MKTP aims to strengthen the links from MK Storm Juniors right through to these Elite League opportunities and will work as follows:
- Training up: A set of talented MK Thunder players will train with MK Lightning week-in, week-out, to give them exposure to the speed and skill of NIHL National.
- Two-way signings: Lightning will work with Thunder to scout, attract and sign players on two way agreements between Lightning and Thunder, bringing in additional talent to the Thunder and Lightning rosters.
- Junior to Thunder: Thunder has held open try-outs for junior talent to make the step up to Thunder and this will continue
- Attracting Junior Talent to MK: We are also working with Thunder to attract U18s who are local to MK but may be training with other clubs to come to MK (in some cases come back to MK) to build MK depth.
- Coaching development: All coaches will actively collaborate to share knowledge and attend their respective training sessions to begin to align systems, understand the depth in the MK system and develop their skills.
We are delighted that this will be led from MK Lightning’s side by Joe Wilson, who will work in close collaboration with Tim Wallace from MKL and Eliott Moran (MK Thunder Head Coach) and Lauren Cox (MK Thunder GM and Chair of MK Storm Juniors).
Joe has this to say about the programme: “Development in players is a must for any club if it is going to succeed long term. Developing people and players is something that has always been a passion of mine, luckily Tim shares this passion and we enjoy watching players progress to the next level and we have always spoken about what more we can do.”
“As a coach you have to look not only at what is coming immediately but also the future. We already have links with many Elite league clubs, therefore by creating the MKTP with Thunder we will be able to offer a pathway from junior hockey into senior.”
“After speaking with Lauren and Eliott from Thunder it was clear that we all share the same goal and that is making MK the best place for British players to come and develop. They have identified players already signed to them that will train with the Lightning, whilst Tim and myself have identified players we have positioned on 2 way agreements between the clubs. “
“The MKTP is a massive step for hockey in Milton Keynes. One I am pleased to have been part of setting up and driving and I look forward to seeing it build over the years.”
From MK Thunder’s point of view, Elliot Moran said: “Thunder are really excited this year that we are strengthening our links with Lightning to create a more robust and recognisable pathway for young talented players to move through the MK system. It also means that we able to attract players into the club on 2-way deals that Thunder would have struggled to bring in as a single entity, meaning that player will get more opportunity to develop and ice time, which will ultimately benefit both teams ”
And from MK Storm Juniors and Thunder Lauren said “When we met with Joe and Tim it was clear that our visions match well. Over the last 4 seasons, we have given opportunities to more than twenty MK Storm juniors. Having a clear pathway from Storm to Thunder, then Lightning and beyond is both exciting and significant for development. Let’s not forget the wonderful work that MK Falcons are already doing with the young women in Storm.”
“Having our clubs aligned for the advancement of the sport we all love is something I am honoured to be a part of. I would like to thank Joe and Tim for reaching out to us and I’m always grateful for the hard work and dedication that Eliott puts in.”
Finally, MK Lightning Director Tom Roberts said: “Having been a junior hockey player myself and been given opportunities to train and play up with the senior teams above me, I know first hand the benefits that a clear and supportive development environment brings. It’s a real honour to be able to work as MK Lightning to feed back into MK hockey development, and the MKTP creates a mindset, structure and leadership to progress juniors through to Lightning and beyond. It’s a pleasure to work with Joe, Tim, Eliott and Lauren to bring this to life.”
