Leeds Chiefs only have eyes for what is up above them, says Luke Boothroyd

As the first quarter of the season mark approaches this weekend with games against Hull Pirates and Swindon Wildcats, the Chiefs sit second-bottom of the standings in their debut campaign.

And while that may not bear the look of a particularly positive situation, the Chiefs captain believes there is justifiable optimism within the team that securing an end-of-season playoff spot is well within their grasp.

At no point in any of their eight defeats so far have Sam Zajac’s team felt out of place or been overrun by teams whose pre-season preparations and ongoing practice schedules give them a distinct advantage over a Chiefs team still without a rink and which has to make an arduous round trip to Blackburn for their one on-ice training session.

Such adversity - it’s not yet clear when the Chiefs will be able to stage a game at their Elland Road rink - has only served to strengthen the players’ resolve, insists defenceman Boothroyd, something which has fed into their on-ice displays.

“Some of that adversity does inevitably bring you together and our room has a really good atmosphere,” said Huddersfield-born Boothroyd, who won two league titles and a playoff trophy with Manchester Phoenix in the now-defunct English Premier League.

“We are starting to show that we’re getting into our stride a bit and more than capable of competing with all these teams.

“And as good as all of the teams are in this league, unlike last year where you would sometimes go into games knowing it was going to be a tough night, this season we’re going into every game believing we have a chance to win and believing we can turn any team over.

“We’ve hung with the likes of Hull, Swindon and Telford and that is with less preparation than those teams.

“We haven’t really been blown out or taken to the cleaners so far, we’ve always kept it close.

“Some of the things are out of our control, but once we get into more of a rhythm like I think we are already starting to show, I think we’ll have few problems.”

While the British game is relatively unique in the world of ice hockey in that regular season honours enjoy greater prestige over the post-season - in many other countries, greater emphasis is placed on the playoffs - Boothroyd said a top-eight spot was a realistic target and probably represented the team’s best chance of success.

“The playoffs are definitely within reach, it’s a minimum target for us,” added the 32-year-old former Great Britain international.

“Reaching the post-season would be a good outcome for us in our first season - something we’re definitely looking to achieve.

“I don’t see any reason why we can’t make the post-season. As we’ve already seen, anyone can beat anyone this season, so once into those playoffs, you never know what could happen.”