REST ASSURED, Leeds Knights players will not be complaining about ice time this weekend.

With four of their roster out in Romania with Great Britain Under-18s - it would have been five had teenager forward Danny Harrison then his replacement Frankie O’Sullivan not both suffered season-ending injuries - the Knights are down to the bare bones for this weekend’s double-header against defending NIHL National play-off champions, Milton Keynes Lightning.

As it stands, the Knights sit top of Group B on six points, with the Lightning immediately below on four, the same as Telford Tigers and Hull Seahawks below them.

There are various permutations of what can and can’t happen depending on results in the final weekend of group games.

But, in simple terms, Leeds know a win of any kind will be enough to take them through to the Final Four Weekend in Coventry next Saturday.

Of his regular roster, head coach Ryan Aldridge has just seven forwards and five defencemen at his disposal - not forgetting netminders Sam Gospel and Dan Norton, of course.

He is expecting to add a couple of bodies from Leeds Knights 2 to the squad for tonight’s trip to Buckinghamshire, but was expected to make the call on who following Friday evening’s practice session.

Regardless of who makes the Knights’ bench, they are going to have to get to Coventry the hard way.

GRIT AND DESIRE: Leeds Knights'players are going to have to put in the hard yards across two nights against Milton Keynes Lightning in order to make it to Coventry. Picture: Kev Bland/Knights Media.

placeholder image — GRIT AND DESIRE: Leeds Knights'players are going to have to put in the hard yards across two nights against Milton Keynes Lightning in order to make it to Coventry. Picture: Kev Bland/Knights Media.

“We need everybody going,” said Aldridge. “It’s going to be a tough ask. There will be a lot of ice, a lot of hockey for everybody. We’ve just got to manage the game the right way at all times. It will be tough, but we’re going for it.

“It’s a tough one but when the boys in our room play with the right level of grit and desire, we know we can beat anybody.

“We’re going to bring a couple of young guys in to help out, but it’s going to be a bit of a mix, every line is going to be a mix-up on both nights.

“The boys have just got to roll with it, have trust in it and in themselves, work hard and see what we can accomplish.”

BIG WEEKEND: Leeds Knights' head coach, Ryan Aldridge. Picture: Rob Halls/Knights Media.

Following a 2025-26 campaign which saw them finish sixth in the league standings, Lightning come into tonight’s first game desperate to salvage something from a so-far disappointing season.

Great Britain head coach Pete Russell – Aldridge’s brother-in-law – is taking over in the summer, returning to the club where he coached previously between 2015-18, including two years in the Elite League.

Since then, he has led GB in three top-tier World Championship campaigns, with a fourth coming next month in Switzerland. Many of Lightning’s players will therefore be keen to make a good impression as Russell pieces his roster together for the 2026-27 season.

“I think Pete’s around them quite a lot at the moment, so guys are trying to impress,” added Aldridge. “Like Telford, like Hull, they are another good hockey team, a very good hockey team, who are probably not where they should be.

“But they can beat anybody on their night and so they should because they have a very deep, solid line-up.”