Leeds Knights: Delayed debut leaves Oli Endicott 'buzzing' to make his mark in NIHL National

If everything had gone smoothly with his move to the NIHL National leaders, the 18-year-old would have been lining up alongside his new team-mates for the first time at Milton Keynes Lightning on Saturday night.

But a delay with the processing of his International Transfer Contract (ITC) card following a three-month spell playing Under-20s hockey in Finland meant he was not cleared to lace up with the Knights last weekend.

Instead he was forced to watch from the sidelines as they suffered their first defeat of the 2022-23 campaign when they were edged out 7-6 in overtime at Milton Keynes Lightning.

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The following night, he was in Leeds to see the Knights bounce back as they ran riot against one of his former teams - the Bristol Pitbulls - establishing a 5-0 lead over the league newcomers after just 23 minutes, before going on to seal a comprehensive 7-1 triumph.

On both nights, he saw plenty to convince him that he had made the right decision to make the move to West Yorkshire for the rest of the season.

Several training sessions over the past few days alongside his new team-mates and under the watchful eye of a coach he knows so well in the shape of Ryan Aldridge have only served to strengthen that view.

“Based on the practice sessions and from what I’ve watched so far, I do think that when this team comes to play, they can beat anyone in the league - it is a really good team,” said Endicott, whose first game in a Knights jersey will be in the familiar surroundings of another of his former clubs, hometown team Swindon Wildcats.

“They’ve got a good fanbase here and you just know that Leeds is going to be a tough place to play. Last year when I came up here (with Swindon) it was tough. If they get one or two goals up, this building comes alive and the boys are buzzing. And I know Ryan knows what he is doing, so they are just going to be a very tough team to play against.

“I’ve settled in really well since coming up here. It’s a good group of guys, there’s good coaching and I’m looking forward to this weekend now that I’ve got the approval to play.

“Training has been great, the boys know I’m playing, so they seem pretty happy with that and I’m buzzing, so I’m pretty excited to get going and get that first game under my belt.”

Endicott is no stranger to NIHL National hockey, playing 30 league, cup and playoff games for the Wildcats last season, as well as making six more appearances on loan at Bees IHC. He also played 11 times for the Pitbulls during their last season in NIHL One South.

His move to Leeds means the Knights will have four of their roster missing next month, as he joins Archie Hazeldine, Tate Shudra and Carter Hamill as part of the Great Britain Under-20s squad competing at the Division 2A World Championships in Lithuania from December 11-17.

Hazeldine - who has spent more time playing with hometown club Nottingham Panthers in the Elite League this season - and Hamill will be familiar to Endicott, with all three being part of the GB Under-18 team that brought back bronze from the World Championships in Estonia earlier this year.

Home games against Peterborough Phantoms and Bees IHC, either side of a road trip to Raiders IHC, are the games the young Knights will miss, meaning Aldridge will be seen to avoid any further injury issues over the next few weeks, with Ethan Hehir already ruled out for at least another month with a broken toe.