On the back of a prolific NIHL Cup Series campaign, AIB Milton Keynes Lightning is delighted to welcome Sam Talbot to the 2021/22 Lightning team.

20 year old Sam spent the majority of his junior career in the Swindon system, with a season in the Ontario U18 system in 2017/18.  On his return from Canada he spent some time working with MKL Head Coach Lewis Clifford as part of MK Thunder, before moving onto Slough Jets where his prolific scoring talents really began to emerge.  After 99 points in 44 league games for the jets, he spent time in the 2019/20 season in the NIHL National with Basingstoke Bison where he picked up 10 goals in 29 games.  Sam has kept his legs moving with some appearances for Slough in the NIHL Cup Series during the pandemic, where he scored 36 points in 14 games.

Cliff gave us the lowdown on Sam’s signing: “I couldn’t be happier to have signed Sam for the upcoming season.  I was lucky enough to have Sam for part of a season when I coached Thunder a few years ago, and even as a 17 year old he was an impact player for us on a team that was in a league with some of the powerhouses that we now compete with on a regular basis.  Sam is a natural centreman who thrives on the responsibility of being the lynchpin of his line, he has high aspirations for his career and I believe they are all realistic with his high skill level, work rate (on and off the ice) and his commitment to being the very best he can be.  The MK fans will love what Sam brings to the team and I can’t wait to see him pull on the jersey in September.

Sam is looking forward to getting back to competitive play: “I’m excited to finally being able to get back out there and playing. It’s been a long time coming and I can’t wait to get started.  We have a good group of guys this year and I’m looking forward to competing for silverware!”

Cliff finished by sharing his views on how Sean might be perceived: “The MK fans will love what Sam brings to the team and I can’t wait to see him pull on the jersey in September.”

Sam will wear the number 98 jersey for which the Own and Loan is now available.  Please email dave@b2promodesign.com for details!

We have two other ways you can support Sam and the club too!  You can become Sam’s sponsor with your name or company name read out every time he is mentioned.  Get the details here.

Or why not sponsor Sam on the kit grid, with options starting at just £10.