Mac Howlett confident Leeds Knights have right ingredients for NIHL National success

Three-and-a-half seasons in the Elite League, two years playing junior hockey in Finland and appearances at four different World Championships for Great Britain Under-18s and Under-20s means Howlett arrived at Leeds Knights three days before Christmas armed with an already impressive cv.

Making the decision to drop down from the Elite League is a decision no British player will ever take likely, but Howlett believes he is joining a team in with a serious chance of landing silverware this season.

Two games in, has brought two wins for Howlett and his new employers and, with it, a return to the top of the NIHL National standings, a position the Knights have occupied for the vast majority of the 2022-23 season.

Understandably, Howlett is in optimistic mood ahead of a weekend that brings return derby match-ups with Sheffield Steeldogs and Hull Seahawks.

“I was playing on the powerplay in Dundee and everything, so I couldn’t complain,” said Howlett about his request to leave Dundee Stars, which opened the door for his move to the Knights. “The coach was great, but I just felt that I wasn’t enjoying the sport that I grew up loving.

“I’ve known Ryan for a long time and that was a big reason for me coming here. Ultimately, I just want to enjoy my hockey, score some points and win some trophies. I feel Leeds is the right place to do that.”

The mention of Knights’ head coach Ryan Aldridge brings a smile to Howlett’s face, the two having first worked together at the Swindon-based Okanagan Hockey Academy between 2014-16.

The ambitious Woking-born youngster then swapped England for Finland believing the home of the powerhouse hockey nation would aid his development more.

While not without the kind of difficulties any 16-year-old living away from his family in a foreign land would have to endure, it proved a more than satisfactory experience for the left-hander.

His return saw him jump straight into Elite League hockey with Glasgow Clan, where he remained for two seasons.

The seismic halt brought about by the Covid pandemic eventually brought an end to his time north of the border, but he quickly found another home, this time at the Guildford Flames.

A year later he was heading back to Scotland to the Stars, but it proved a much shorter stay this time around, although it has led to him being reunited with a coach he greatly admires.

Helping out on Aldridge’s own High Performance Hockey training camp for youngsters at Elland Road Ice Arena this week has quickly reminded Howlett of why he was keen to hook up with his former coach again.

“Ryan is relatable,” explained Howlett. “He’s played the modern game. He’s walked the walk and so you have to listen to him because he really knows what he’s on about.

“And he’s really detailed too. Growing up, quite a few, or most coaches in England haven’t played the game and they are not as detailed or as thorough (as Ryan).

“We’re running a camp right now and you can just see that it is different to any other camp that I’ve coached on before.

“And he’s a big part of the reason why I think, on paper, I think we have the credentials to win the league title. I don’t want to jinx anything but if everybody brings their game on every night we can definitely compete for some trophies.”