Harrison 0:17

Welcome back to another Lightning Talks podcast with me, Harrison Mills, and as always, Mike Penny Walls. Penny, how you doing, mate?

Mike 0:27

Uh I'm good, thanks, Harrison. I think uh it's we've seen each other a lot now. You know, hockey season's back. We went a few months, I think we saw each other sporadically. Now we've uh three nights in a row we're chatting together and talking all things slightly in Lifestack MK Lightning.

Harrison 0:43

Honestly, it's uh we're gonna get to know each other a lot better now, aren't we?

Mike 0:47

I think best buds now.

Harrison 0:49

For sure. And as we said last week, this is now gonna be a weekly episode where we talk everything about Lifestack MK Lightning, uh, talking about the previous weekend's games as well as next weekend's games with potentially an interview in the middle, which we do have for you today. So, what we'll do to start with is we'll start looking back at the weekend that has just been, and we'll start off with the Saturday game against the Rostock Piranhas, and we'll go through what we how we thought the game went and just what sort of things we saw that we liked, and maybe some things that we might see differently going through the season. Does that sound alright? Sounds good with me. Perfect. So we'll start off with the um icing list. So for the lightning, no Malik Martelli, no Max Stewart, and no Danny Waite on the Saturday night. Um, and it was Jared Whale starting in net, so good opportunity for the Lightning fans to get their first taste of what Jared Whale can do. And if I'm being honest, I think he made a good account for himself.

Mike 1:58

He did. I know the stats tell only a part of the story, but he had to make a couple of big saves, and he made a particular great glove save to deny. Uh I think it was Ludnowsky in the first period. It was a great glove save that he made, and I thought he did very well when you consider that last season he only managed to play three games due to injury. He didn't look like he was off the boil at all. He looked really good, very strong post to post and covering the goal and quite a similar style, I think, to uh that of Jordan Headley. But I think the fans were very much impressed with him. And after he made that first big save, uh he's already got his chance sorted, and the fans were joining in with it. So yeah, it was a very good and promising debut, I think, from Whaler.

Harrison 2:45

There certainly was, and I mean it was that lateral movement. I think I mentioned it a good few times on commentary as well. But it's that sort of movement and that confidence on the puck. There was a couple times where a British netminder may have covered the puck up, and Jared Wales calmly passed it to the side to try and create an attack. So it's a very different style of netminding, but there are a lot of similarities, as you said. Um, in terms of the lines, the top line ended up starting out with David Thompson, Jared White, and Sean Norris. And we saw that line before face off and thought that was that looked quite tasty. But I think the main line that stood out to us was more that second line, that Brady Johnson, Liam Stewart, and Jordan County line, which seemed to cause a lot of problems.

Mike 3:35

For sure. Uh a lot of speed, a lot of aggression on the four check, and it was three guys forwards who cover every bit of the ice, but forward and back, a very good two-way game. And they look like they've had instant chemistry as well. I know that Liam's game with us last season against Swindon, he was on the line with Jordan County, and it was County's assist that got Liam his goal against the Wildcats, but they looked like they'd been skating together for seasons upon seasons. And Brady slotted in perfectly, and his work ethic every single period over both games over the weekend was really, really good to see. And I think he's gonna be a firm fan favourite just for his work ethic and what he puts into the game.

Harrison 4:21

Yeah, I mean, we said it a lot as well. I think he was unlucky to not come away with a goal across the weekend. Um, and then defensively as well, you had the likes of uh Kel Beatty partnering with Ed Nags, which um one thing that we mentioned before the game as well was how we've got a lot of attack-minded defencemen, and they were being partnered with a lot more of the defensive style. Um, so Ed Nags the more stay-at-home, Kel Beattie the more attack-minded, and it did just seem to keep the balance quite well across the entire game.

Mike 4:55

Definitely, I think all three of the defensive pairings were very well balanced, and likewise they work well with the forward. So we saw a couple of times Kel did like to venture forward, as did Archie Hazeldyne as well. And if that happened, one of the wingers would drop back into that defensive zone, so we were never left with, say, one D-man up against the two or three uh forwards from Rostock because when they transitioned and broke out, they did break out very quickly and they passed the park very well.

Harrison 5:25

Yeah, and that first game was overall was a very physical one, very feisty one. And I mean, where do we where else can we start other than uh a cheeky little fight very early doors between Kel Beatty and Rostock's new import sign in Mark Kleinekovas?

Mike 5:44

Uh yeah, and I know we asked a question when we had uh Kel, the Hammels, and Max Stewart's on. We did ask which one of them would be the most likely to have the first fight this season, and all four of them said it was going to be Carter, and so they got that one wrong. And it I think we were a bit surprised as well to see that it was Kel that uh went with uh Kalani Kovas. But good little tilt. I think it probably did just go in favour of the Rostock man, probably on points. But Kel dug in there considering he gave good or was half a foot in height to the big Lithuanian and definitely uh was second best in the reach department. But he hung on well there, he he stayed on his feet for the entire for the duration of it, and it lifted the crowd as well afterwards. You saw Kel chewing up the crowds, and I think that just added to the intensity. We said it on the comms, but it had that feel of a playoff game, especially with like the shot blocks and the hits that were going in and the speed it was playing in. You wouldn't have thought it was Lightning's very first preseason game.

Harrison 6:47

Yeah, you really wouldn't have. And Rostock were throwing bodies um in the way of the puck to stop shots on net, and I think lightning, we mentioned it first as well. Lightning started very strong, it was a very good start for uh the hosts, and it was up there, it was the lightning that got the first goal as well. Disco, as always, operating in front of the net, and it was a blind pass from Jordan County, just opened it up. Disco had to get puck to twine, and he did.

Mike 7:17

He did, and Stuy does what he does best from that range. You know what's going to happen when he gets the puck in that sort of air, just out between the slot and the crease. He fired it past it and found the puck past uh Rodin Schumacher. And what a fitting way he gets the opening goal because he's always a pop, he's a popular player. He got the crowd straight into it, and it was the first break in play, if I recall, as well. The first breaking play was uh disco store disco scoring, so maybe there was a bit of a cheer with relief as well because the uh the drummers could take a break from doing the let's go lightning chant as well. But uh a great start, and it was such a fast start to the game as well. We're wondering how it would be. But lightning started on straight out of the blocks really, really fast.

Harrison 8:04

They really did, but the lead didn't last a huge amount of time. It was uh the player that we probably expected to get on the score sheet for the piranhas. It was Jesper Orval, um, whose shot was rebounded back to him to find an empty net, and it and then he gets his second one as well, not too long after that. So, not the greatest on on the defensive side, but again, it's early doors, so you can understand why stuff happens really.

Mike 8:39

Yeah, yeah. The first goal was an unfortunate bounce on the power play, and a player of uh Orval's quality, he was gonna bury that, and it Jared White had no chance, and then the second one he just kind of ghosted in, had a bit of space, and I think the two opp two times that over the entire 120 minutes and both games that uh Jesper Orwell had a bit of space and he uh found the net both times. So, credit to the lightning that it was two little lapses, probably expecting pre-season for that to happen. I imagine Pete Russell was probably a bit disappointed, but uh apart from that, they kept him relatively quiet for the rest of the rest of the game that that game and then also for the second game as well. So, if a player of that quality that's to off your cap and say well done to the lightning defence for that one because Orval's their top scorer, and he is a quality Swedish hockey player.

Harrison 9:31

Oh, 100%. And after a period that ended 2-1 against the Lightning, the Lightning took the second period 2-1, so they went into their second period break at at 3-all after some how do we say some some little bit of chirps in from David Thompson after he scored his beautiful goal in the top corner. And I mean, what can you say about David Thompson really?

Mike 9:56

I mean, David Thompson, I think, in that period, and I think I said welcome to Milton Keynes, he introduced himself to the Lightning Faithful. I think he guaranteed himself a good few extra replica jersey sales as well. I'll be intrigued to know from Dave Bunyan at the end of the season who uh was the most popular player for shirt number choices. There could be a good few contenders, but Dave Thompson definitely gave himself a good goal, but he's he his goal was superb, but as was uh Jared White. But I think that second that second period there was only one player everyone was talking about in that interval, and that was the lightning's new number 23.

Harrison 10:34

Yeah, it was it was uh a very, very um good start, really, for for David Thompson. He's opened his account as well, which I mean we weren't expecting him to take too long in doing so. Um, and then we're going to the third period, and the third period has um was a little bit of a mixed one as well. There wasn't many goals in it, it was quite a tight affair, and then about eight minutes into the game, a little bit of a uh a late hit by Sean Norris, which seemed a little bit unfortunate timing, really. Um, and then yeah, everything kicked off from there.

Mike 11:15

Yeah, I I don't I I know it's been addressed in Rostock's statement, uh, but there was no ill intent from Sean. In real time, it looked quite nasty. Then we actually slowed down, and again it looked like um Kalani Kovas had lost an edge just going into the zone. Sean was already committed to the hit. It was against the board, so I think you could probably say it may have only been a two-minute minor, but I think five minutes were boarding. Sean didn't seem to protest it too much. I think he knew it was late, and fortunately Kalani Kovas wasn't hurt. That's the most important thing. The player's safety and well-being, and he was able to continue the game and was able to play the next night. And uh yeah, for Lightning did very well because obviously, then after result happened, it was uh four and three power play for a bit for the lightning. Then they had a three-minute penalty kill, which they I think they did a fairly good job in in killing there. Then, unfortunately, then just after that penalty was killed, was then a bullet winner from from Volk that that won it, and it was a a great winning goal to score. I know it was against the lightning, but there was nothing that Jared White could have done about uh Jared Wells he could have done about that in the in the goal because that was a bullet.

Harrison 12:28

Yeah, I mean we said it on comms, we saw the slap shot coming, and it was just like anyone else would have just wrist shotted it. Anyone in the NIHL would have gone for a wrist shot, but yeah, Janis Volk had the time and space to take a slap shot, and the piranhas took the Saturday game, four goals to three. But in terms of the lifestack MK Lightning, I think it was a good show-in for sure, very physical game. Um, but then we move on to the Sunday, same opposition, um, Jordan Hedley starting in net this time. Um, not ice in list. This time was Sean Norris, Malik Martelli, Lewis Conroy, and Max Stewart. There was a little bit of a drawing of William Nowick, who um is uh playing with the MK Thunder but made an appearance for the lightning and he didn't look out of place at all either.

Mike 13:19

No, no, he had to be put in a very good performance. I think I think he did get credited on the game sheet as well with one of the goals. I do think though, watching it back on the highlights, it was definitely Cammy Hamill, but he would he could have scored a hat-trick though, though it could he put in a greater short performance, got in some great scoring opportunity positions, and uh unfortunately Sebastian Albrecht in the net for Rostock was making some good saves and kept the score line lower than what it was at the end of the day. And I thought Albrecht had a pretty good performance in the end considering the shots he faced, and he could have conceded more, and yeah, though it could have caught a few of them.

Harrison 13:59

Yeah, for sure, and again yesterday's game was a very different game to what the Saturday night was, much less physical, a lot more technical, and lightning seemed to have a lot more time on the puck, and that suited them massively. And you can tell that by the score line, it ended 7-0 to the Lifestack MK Lightning, couple goals from Disco again. He's uh found his form early doors, and it's good for him to get on the score sheet. Um, and you also had uh Harry Gulliver get on the score sheet, as well as Jared White getting his second in as many nights. Cam Hamill, as you mentioned, and then the number six, the new signing, who had arrived about what, six to ten hours earlier?

Mike 14:51

About that, yeah. I think he'd literally got through uh got through customs, got to Milton Keynes, had a quick chance to have a quick nap, and then was uh straight at the rink, ready to uh lace them up and start the game against Rostock.

Harrison 15:04

Yeah, and I mean he made a good account for himself as well, got on the score sheet early doors, got the first goal. The one player I want to mention from that game, because it was quite a quiet game, there wasn't really much to talk about in the Sunday game. The one player I think had a really big impact is Archie Hazeldyne, made really some really good assists in that first period, and he just seemed to have settled in after the first game. The first game I think he was a little bit battled out of the game, but the second game he really stood out and I think he showed the quality that he has.

Mike 15:37

For sure, and uh he had great vision to set up Danny Waite, and also for the pass to set up Harry Gulliver uh for the for the second, and I think he's assured himself, and I've I'll be very surprised if we don't see him on the power play line next weekend as well. He looked really good on the blue line for the power play, and I think he'll be a focal point and almost a quarterback on that power play unit. And uh yeah, he put in a very assured performance, and that's exactly I think what Pete Russell was wanting from him and wanted to see from him, and he but he didn't shy away from the physicality and the defensive work on both nights as well. So I I think that's he was doing exactly what Pete wants him to do to improve his game, and I think he could be a very, very good signing.

Harrison 16:18

100%. And I mean, if you look back on the weekend as a whole, 10 goals scored for the Lightning. I think if you're Pete Russell, that's quite a successful first weekend in the sense of you've had two very different styles of games, and you've come out of them with two different performances, but also two very good performances in both styles.

Mike 16:41

Definitely, I think you'll have learnt a lot uh from both games on there, as you say, two very different games, two very contrasting games, but that's probably good for a coach because it's learning from both sides, and uh you can only play and beat what's in front of you. And uh they did that on the Sunday, and I thought it was a very professional performance, very assured from the lightning, and it uh lifted the crowds because they went away with a victory and it uh bodes well for the rest of preseason. I mean, it's a good early marker as well to set the tone going into the start of the season.

Harrison 17:13

It certainly certainly does, and um we mentioned that we have a guest on.

Mike 17:18

Yes, yes, we do. Uh uh, so yeah, we and uh we thought we'd speak to this man. Uh he's only been in he's been in the country less than still under two days. Uh he had a great debut, but uh yeah, joining us on the podcast, we have the Lightning's new number six, Danny Waite. Danny, thanks so much for joining us on the podcast. I know it's been a bit of a whirlwind, 48, 72 hours uh for you, but how are you?

Danny 17:48

Yeah, I'm good. Well, first of all, thank you guys for having me. Um I'm happy to be on the podcast and I'm happy to be here in uh in Milton Keynes. And yeah, it's been uh pretty crazy uh last couple days for me. Um I was just at home training, waiting to uh get the notification that my you know visa was all good and I can head over here. And um, once I kind of got that good news, I booked my flight right away. And um yeah, flight was pretty easy, just six hours from New York and landed Sunday morning and um suited up Sunday night and and played the first game and um then spent today just kind of getting my room organized and um doing doing all the other stuff to to help get settled in. So it's it's been good.

Mike 18:33

I it it was a pretty good dream start for you as well on on that debut. You got a goal fairly early doors. I've we even said on the podcast uh that's with probably a bit of jet lag as well, but you still got a sweet one time on that power play and a great assist from Archie on that. Um were you expecting to get those many minutes in that opening game? And was it a great delight to get your name on the sc on the scoreboard straight away on your first game?

Danny 19:01

Yeah, it was fun. Well, first of all, it was a great pass. Um, and I didn't even know if he saw me or not, but he fed it right in my right in my wheelhouse, so that was nice. And yeah, no, I didn't really know what to expect. Um, I don't know if I was gonna play a lot or not, just kind of getting off the flight, but um the whole day was kind of a whirlwind for me, and I think once I got on the ice, that was kind of the most like normal I felt since since being in in um the UK. So yeah, I mean, once I got out there, it was just hockey, and um, I was happy to suit up and you know, I haven't played a game since you know March of last year, so it was good to get out there and kind of get my feet wet and um yeah, really happy to score too. I mean, um I don't think I had my best game. I think definitely had uh a little bit heavy legs, and um, as the game went on, I was you know, kind of felt a little bit tired and not getting a lot of sleep and you know, didn't eat my normal pregame meal and stuff like that, but um, I was just happy to get through it and um kind of just trying to continue to get better and and get more settled in here, and I think that um kind of as a couple next few weeks pass, I'll uh kind of start feeling better and feeling like myself. But yeah, I mean I'm not gonna say it wasn't a good start. It was it was nice to get on the score sheet and um it was nice to see our team win. And uh yeah, I thought we you know played it played a really good game. So um yeah, it was good.

Mike 20:27

And normally I've like what we've done on the previous episodes. We've sort of asked uh a bit about your style of play and how you play the game. The fans would have got a bit of a glimpse of that, but those that were at the grink yesterday and watching on the stream, they would have seen that. Um but I want to talk about your your journey into hockey. Obviously, we'll mention your dad's big famous player in the NHL. Uh was it really him and seeing him that got you into into playing hockey?

Danny 20:57

Yeah, yeah, I know it was. Um, you know, I grew up with hockey everywhere. My dad was playing my entire childhood, and um, you know, just kind of going to the rink with him and um kind of seeing, you know, how cool the lifestyle was to play professional hockey was something I really liked, and um just always been my dream to play hockey as long as I could and um at the highest levels I could. So um yeah, that's that was kind of always the dream. And in terms of my style play, I think that um I think I'm uh kind a little bit similar to my dad in the sense that we both we both love to pass and make plays, and um, I think I see the ice pretty well and um love making plays, but I also love to get to the net, love to score, um, like to shoot. And um yeah, I also just coming over from college, I kind of learned that you know it's good to have some physicality in your game too. So I'll throw my body around, you know, lay some hits once in a while and um just kind.

Mike 22:00

play with that edge so um I think that kind of sums it up yeah and I mean we'll go through your sort of like journey as you started hockey and I mean you one thing that stands out really is playing for the national team at under 17 level and playing with players the likes of Jack Hughes like that's something that must have stuck with you especially watching him get gold earlier this year yeah no it definitely did um it was yeah it was really cool to get to play on the um US development team and um a bunch of really good teammates um you know Jack Hughes Matt Boldy Trevor Ziegris guys like that that I that I played with and I think that um you know I learned a lot from them and um it was really fun to get to you know practice and play with those guys for two years and um obviously really good players and I think they've that program experience really helped me um become a better player too and um kind of just you know learn learn from watching those guys and how good of players they are just you know what it takes to be a good player and um yeah so kind of just a blessing that I got to experience experience that brilliant and we'll talk about coming over to to the UK and coming to Milton Keynes and uh prior to site to your signing did you know much about hockey over in the UK and had you heard much about Milton Keynes before you you played in front of the the packed drink uh yesterday honestly no I uh I didn't know much about the UK at all I've I've gone all over Europe um playing in different tournaments and you know Finland and Sweden and and places like that but I've actually never been to um the UK and when the opportunity presented itself this summer to um get to come over here I was really excited.

Danny 24:22

Um I think my first exciting thing was just realizing that you know people speak English here. So I was like wow that's that's really nice that I don't have to go somewhere and you know try to communicate with people that don't speak my same language. So that was awesome. And then um the more research I did the more I saw about um Milton Keynes and the city and um talk to a few guys that have played in this league too and they just kind of talk about how how amazing the the fans are and um just how like you wouldn't think of of the UK as a as a hockey like a hockey place but it I mean from what I saw last night it people do really like hockey here and um I've only been here for two days but it's definitely so far it's um overseed my expectations for sure and um it's making me feel like I definitely you know made the right choice to come here and um also just our team was uh all the guys were super welcoming to me and um kind of made me feel like I've been here for you know a few months. So I think we have a really good group and um more importantly I think we have a really good team too just from what I saw on on Sunday and uh just looking forward to a good year and hopefully we can um you know do some damage in this league and and have a really good year.

Mike 25:39

And I think we will yeah and I was I was going to ask about obviously settling into the team because normally you'll have a couple of training sessions before the first uh game is played you literally came straight from the airport kind of got checked in uh to your new house and then you were pretty much straight to the rink meeting your teammates for the first time and then like an hour or so later you were lining up for the opening face off uh on on the top line with uh with with two other guys I think it was Carter and uh David Thompson that you were you would you originally started on the line with and so it was really good just to to hear how welcoming the whole team was especially as you were probably saying hi I'm Danny and then straight away you have been on the ice with um yeah yeah no I think uh honestly I was pretty nervous like I landed here and um was just really tired didn't get to eat much and and get settled in at all and I got to the rink and didn't know anybody.

Danny 26:37

So um it was definitely a little nerve wracking experience but as soon as I got in the locker room and all the guys went came up to me and were just telling me that they were uh you know excited to meet me and um happy to have me here and that just made it a pretty seamless transition and um and then once I got on the ice it was just you know playing hockey which I've done my whole life and that was uh that was a pretty easy thing to do um after meeting the guys and yeah definitely a whirlwind of a day um but it's something I'll I'll never forget so it's it was it was pretty fun.

Harrison 27:11

That's great to hear.

Mike 27:12

And I want to just ask quickly as well is there any reason behind the number choice uh the number the number six yeah I I uh I've kind of been a bunch of different numbers and I was number seven um when I played on the Penticton V's in the BCHL um in Canada and I had never been a like single digit number since then but I really liked how number seven looked and I saw all the number options and number six was close to number seven and um looked pretty cool and and then when I bought my jersey on I was like you know what like I actually really like this so um yeah I mean I'm happy it there's nothing really behind number six but um I think it looks pretty good and uh I'm happy to have it great to hear it I obviously I I'd not too for sure if you're aware the uh the number six at Milton Keynes especially for forwards uh there's a a very big hero uh British player that played in the number six before Milton Keynes uh uh Michael Wales absolute icon and a hero there so uh I probably didn't know the expectation on there but straight away your debut you get the goal the fans definitely were buzzed to see you on the ice so I think uh you've already done that number justice that did you know much of the history of the number of MK before when when you picked it I I had no idea of the history until right now and um now I'm happy that I I have it so that's that's pretty cool uh that's a cool thing um don't know much about him but I'm sure that I've got a some big shoes to fill and I'm gonna do my best to try to do that and um yeah no I didn't know before this but now I now I know so that's that's pretty funny. No that's great to hear that and obviously you've been in the country for a few moments but what have you been your initial impressions of the the facility uh at Milton Keynes adults as well skating out obviously you had no idea about those fans but now that you've you've been there you've played in front of it you've been on that ice you've heard them from the stands was it uh a bit of a surprise uh coming from like Canada and the USA where hockey is such a big sport in comparison to in the UK where it is but football which is the the big sport here yeah yeah definitely um the fans were great i mean you know they were doing they had some chance they were doing during the game and and before the game and um just a really different feel than what I was used to playing in college.

Danny 29:45

Um in Canada and America the fans are pretty you know they get they get rowdy and they get crazy when you score but other than that it's it's pretty quiet um and just hearing the chance over here was was pretty cool. I've never experienced something like that. And um it was really cool to be a part of that. And then in terms of just uh the facilities and being around Mill and Keynes, the first thing I realized was just how much nicer people are here than um if I was in New York City walking around and I was talking to you guys about that before. But um everyone's just super nice in the streets here. And um first thing everyone says to me is where are you from? I think it's because my accent I sound a little bit different. And um so I'll try to try to start sounding more uh British over the next couple months so I stop getting that question but um people have been great and then uh the rink I loved it's uh it's not a huge rink but the fans pack it and it makes for a really cool experience and you kind of feel like the fans are on top of you when you're playing and um it's a cool thing to uh to be a part of and um yeah I love the rink. I love skating on the ice the ice was great um the boys were saying that um you know there was never that many compliments on the ice but I coming from North America this the ice was a lot better than you know any of the rinks I have skated on so maybe the guys over here are just used to like really good ice or something because um I was really impressed with that so but yeah nothing but good things to say about um the area and the rink and and everything so far.

Mike 31:51

Great to hear uh we'll just go back a little bit uh before joining on here that you said about uh growing up in a amongst hockey uh were there other players that you watched and just thought wow I I want to play play like him and sort of who sort of did you idolize growing up because obviously uh your dad played on quite a few teams with quite a few different individuals so there must have been a f a number of guys you probably saw and met that probably lasted made a lasting impression on you yeah definitely um I mean there's a ton um obviously my dad is probably is is the big one but I I won't say much about him because that's common sense um but Matthew Kachuk someone in the NHL uh I grew up with him my dad played with his dad in St.

Danny 32:40

Louis and um I always kind of wanted to play like him he plays a really um you know he's not afraid to throw some hits and and get physical but at the same time he's uh he scores he can score from pretty much anywhere and he's uh he makes a lot of plays he sees the ice well um so that's one person and then um kind of a a ton of other guys that I like I mean Nikita Kucharov is in the NHL and he uh he's just my favorite player to watch because he's so good and um I don't think you know me or anyone else can can really play like him. He's one of a kind um but I definitely like watching him and picking up little things he's the smartest player um in the world by by a long shot if I'm being honest. And um it's cool to kind of just see the plays he can make and how smooth he is with his with his stick and um his skating ability and so that's something I think that I try to emulate in my game just kind of have that smoothness and um you know make plays when I can and and just kind of always be scanning the ice and trying to find my teammates. So I I've I've got to ask what is your favorite LHL LHL team yeah um well it's kind of funny because growing up my dad you know he played on uh five or six different teams so wherever he was that was the team I loved and you know now he's working with um the San Jose Sharks so I think San Jose is probably my favorite team now just because I want to root him on and um but also on top of that I love watching the Sharks play. Macklin Celebrini is obviously you know one of the best young players in the NHL. I love watching him and yeah I mean I just want to see uh whatever you know team my dad is affiliated with have success. So um hopefully they're gonna be as good as as they as I think they're gonna be the next few years. And um it's always fun watching them.

Mike 34:43

I'm not sure how much of them I can watch this year because they're gonna be playing at like you know like 4 a.m our time most nights so probably won't get to catch many games but if they play you know in the afternoon over overseas hopefully I can I can catch one late at night but um yeah they're my team for sure I know Pete uh likes watching a lot of the NHL so uh you may well have Pete Russell saying oh did you see this this game did you see this one so uh it it might be it might be worthwhile seeing obviously if they're doing the road trip on the east east coast it might oh you have the five hour time difference so you might be able to catch a one or two then as well uh and yeah DJ Burt will be very happy our DJ's a San Jose fan so he'll be uh he'll be buzzy when he see when he hears that as well so he'll probably play a couple of tunes for you now as well I'd obviously you but you may notice it though there's an abundance of different NHL uh teams and fan bases in the UK uh you'll probably see an array of NHL shirts here the different rinks as well as like the Milton Keynes jerseys as well so uh you'll probably be prepared for a a couple of questions from certain from a few fans because I know your dad's played for a couple of popular teams here in in uh Milton Keynes uh the Islanders and the Oilers especially there's quite a few oilers and islanders fans in MK so I'm sure you'll probably be have uh a couple of questions and a few handshakes of a few fans when when did you uh get to meet them and uh on the uh escape the players did you get a chance to chat to some of the fans afterwards and um and how did you find chatting to them?

Danny 36:16

Yeah I did yeah ton of ton of really nice people um kind of chatting with a bunch of different people and some people were definitely knew who my dad was and were asking me about you know certain NHL stuff and um stuff like that. But no it was it was great to meet some of the fans and kind of just hear how passionate they are about the team and um really cool to be a part of to be a player on a team where you know you have such passionate fans and um yeah I mean I probably talked to you know over a hundred people that were just telling me how excited they were to have me and how um you know they love coming to games and and they grew up coming to games and uh yeah it was pretty special to see how much they um you know love hockey in a country that's you know hockey you wouldn't think hockey's a big deal but um from what I I saw I think it's a bigger deal than people think for sure. Yeah and um one thing that I want to also talk about as you've mentioned it there your teammates as well has anyone stood out to you so far as teammates and anyone sort of been that person that maybe you've lent on in this first just over 24 hours or so that you've been here yeah honestly like I I don't even know who I would call out because like every single guy has been so nice and has came up to me and made sure that you know I know who they are and um yeah I mean I mean everybody's just been super welcoming and and on the ice too just watching all the guys play like we have a ton of really good players and um yeah I think uh I think that the twins are probably the two that that come to mind just because of how much how much fun they have on the ice and in the locker room and just around the rink. But um yeah just everybody's great guys and I'm really happy to be a a part of a group like this. I think it's um I think we're gonna have a really fun year and good year on the ice and off the ice and um you know I've I've played for a bunch of teams where you know you have 17 18 really close guys and then a few guys that are kind of doing their own thing and um I think with this team you know I think we're we're all going to be really close and I think that's a special thing to have when when you have a team that's fully bought in and really close and you know wants to win but also wants to have um you know a fun time and and a fun experience. So I'm looking forward to the rest of the year.

Mike 38:46

That's great to hear it obviously enjoying what you're doing is is key. Uh and leads into this question as well really well have you got any personal goals or objectives uh for the season yeah yeah I think just um kind of coming over here and showing what type of player I am um I don't have anything in my head like in terms of um individually at all but I think that I just want to play as good as I can so I give our team the best chance to win every night.

Danny 39:17

And I think that that's why uh I was brought over here. I think that's why everyone on our team is here. Everyone's here for a specific reason. You know people have different roles for sure but everyone on a team is really important and um I just want to do what I can and play my game so that I can help us have the most success we can have. And um you know I take I obviously I take pride in playing well individually but um you know everything I do individually is for the wholesome team and um I take a lot more pride in you know being a part of a good team than you know just having a good year on a bad team. So uh most important thing for me is definitely just winning as many games as we can and you know trying to win the entire league and have a have a dominant year.

Harrison 40:04

Well thank you very much Danny for joining us on the podcast lovely to speak to you and uh well hopefully he gets a little bit of a rest now don't you think oh definitely up I mean what a boy I the fact he didn't sleep over on that red eye as well that is incredible he didn't even look like he was jet lagged as well but he said he was he felt quite uh felt quite bad about his performance I if that was him having a bad performance I can't wait to see him when he's on his A game that's gonna be amazing oh absolutely absolutely and so the first part of the podcast obviously we were looking back at last weekend this time we are now looking forward to the weekend ahead and it is the second round of preseason fixtures for the Lifestack Milton King's Lightning and it is a double header against our old friends in Peterborough it is a classic Ashes Derby this is the epitome of a preseason not friendly oh for sure I mean if you thought it was uh physical against a team we had never played before last weekend the visit of the Phantoms you just know what to expect it's gonna be fireworks got to be talking points it's got to be a good atmosphere whether it's pre-season or a playoff game lightning versus Peterborough always delivers it really does and there's been quite a lot of changes at the Phantoms over the summer I think they've uh not many people have really noticed the sort of amount of change that they've had but we'll just quickly go through some of the changes and the players that they've lost so in terms of netminder wise and the changes there Luke Clark and Ryan Brainbruh are no longer at the Phantoms Luke Clark is now a Harangay husky and Brainbrh is permanently with the Phantoms too and they have brought in Matt Hennessy from the NCAA third division who in that division 94.4% save percentage and a 1.87 goals against per game those are some pretty good stats going into this new season yeah yeah for sure and obviously losing uh Hayden Levine as well as uh Clark and Bainborough as well you just knew that uh the netminder was going to have to be a big good solid acquisition we were expecting it to be another import and the import netminders who have played at Peterville have all delivered they've all been very good so and Hennessy's stats on paper look really really good so I'm looking forward to seeing how he plays uh but I'm guessing he'll I'm assuming he'll probably all get the start uh if not in Milton Keynes we'll definitely get it at Breton yeah 100% so it'll be interesting to see what uh what he brings to the Phantoms that maybe the Hayden Levine didn't and just to see what that sort of difference is. In terms of defensively um Preston Tombs is now permanently with Invicta dynamos.

Mike 43:02

No Svenskatonis left them for Romford Raiders that was the one that I think caught me by surprise during the summer and those were the two sort of defensive losses shall we say and they've brought in um Riley Riley Bradford a 16 year old on a two way with the Phantoms 2 and the one thing we have to get credit give credit to the Phantoms for is just that connection and that sort of youth setup because they've brought so many players through oh for sure I mean Peterborough has got such a good academy and it's probably something that's a bit of an envy for fans in Milton Kings and you look at some of the names that have come through that academy right back to the likes of your Davy Clark the Ferraras the Buckmans there's some solid players that come through you look at that team and there's a number of them not just playing this that have gone up to the elite league. Lewis Hook is another one as well we could rattle off a good five solid lines of the Brit players that have come through that Peterborough Academy. We've got we've benefited from a couple of we've got Archie Salisbury playing for us we had Jarvis Hunt last season it's it's something to be envious of and that uh prospect that they give to free players is really really good to see so we we know that uh those kids coming through they'll be uh big names in a couple of years time and hopefully now that we've got someone from that in charge of Milton Keene's youth development Joe who came through at um Peterborough hopefully bring some of that knowledge and some of those secrets over there and hopefully in a few years time we'll see the same and we're starting to see it already we saw it with Noick we're seeing it with Conroy some good storm players coming through as well to replace that's to be like the same as likes of Lee Jameson and Ross Green.

Harrison 44:47

Yeah and that's what we're wanting to see out of MK Storm but you've got a good Credit to the Phantoms for that they've had that in place for such a long time, and it's such an established youth setup. And the other defenceman they brought in is Henry Noole, number four, Nottingham Bourne, and he is on a two-way with the Panthers as well. He played in the Swedish under-20 last year. There was a bit of hype around him as well. So that's a good incoming defenceman to shore up the defence when you've got players like Tom Norton and Callum Bouglas who are getting on a little bit in terms of that age. So it's good to have some youth to bring forward and try to be the new Tom Norton because he is a bit of a legend in Peterborough.

Mike 45:30

Yeah, yeah, for sure. And obviously he had a bit of an injury last season, and you could tell that they missed his leadership and his presence on the ice. Same as when Bouglas, I think he was off on a uh he he got an injury and he had paternity leave, I believe, as well. So he when them two are missing, you can see there's an issue that they missed that leadership. So they're wanting to bring through the next ones, and yeah, you're leading off of two very good Brit defensemen. They've got some solid uh defensive attribute attributes on that team. I think no interesting to see that because another number of other teams have gone that import D-man route, but Phantoms like Lightning have gone with the one import Netminder and the four import forwards.

Harrison 46:13

Yeah, and you also got to look at some of the D-men that they've already got, like Billy Thorpe and uh Brad Bowering as well, who at this level have kind of established themselves as top brick demon in this league. So they've got quite a decent brick core, couple new unknowns coming through, um, but they're gonna cause problems, and they're gonna be the Peterborough that all Lightning fans and all NIHL fans really already really know.

Mike 46:39

Yeah, you know what you're gonna get with Peterborough, they're very, very tough to beat at home. That that home rink for them is an equaliser, and they're very, very good on home ice and away from home. They're not there to entertain the opposition crowd, they're there to for one job and one job only, and that's to get the two points and get out of there with a win. And we could expect the same again. They'll look to try and frustrate lightning, they'll look to throw the that flowing hockey that they like to play and put them off their game. And it'll be interesting to see how lightning raises the challenge, especially against that decor.

Harrison 47:10

For sure, and well, moving on to the forwards, this is where a lot of the changes have really come in. So, Ralph Socenas, the number 33, has moved to Solent Devils. Uh, number 95, Jasper Foster, making quite a surprise move to the Bristol Pitbulls. Who I mean, I don't know about you, but Jasper Foster for me was just he was one of the names that I always associated with the Phantoms.

Mike 47:35

Yeah, yeah, he was part of the furniture, I almost thought, uh at Peterborough. But it could be a good move for him and for Phantoms if he goes away for a year, has a slightly different role at the Pitbulls, and he may come back. We we don't know, but sometimes for players who have been a one club man, if they go to another club, it can sometimes just give them a new lease of life and they find out stuff and they learn about themselves in ways that they may not have done had they stayed at the same team in almost their comfort zone. So uh yeah, yeah, good luck to to Jasper Foster. I think quite a few in Peter will be looking out for him and seeing how he develops down at the pound.

Harrison 48:10

Oh, 100%, and then the big loss Camhuff making the move up to five flyers in the EIHL. Head coach, also obviously, is Tim Wallace. And Camhuff made a good impression even in the last the first two weeks of preseason with Fife, and we were all wondering whether that move was going to work out, but he certainly deserved it after the record-breaking year he had last year.

Mike 48:37

Yeah, he scored for fun at Peterborough last year, and on the line with Larkin and Ferrara, he was just absolutely phenomenal. And obviously, Tim had seen a seen and coached against him uh for a couple of years at this level, knew it was the type of player he wounded up in Fife, and so far he's done a good job and had a good start to life playing with the Flyers. And yeah, I I'd say I wasn't surprised by it. I know a few people were, but I've he's got quality, and I think he was built he could have made that step up to the elite league so far. He seems to be doing a good job there.

Harrison 49:12

100%. I think Fife is the sort of place that he'll suit as well. It's not one of the big rinks, it's not one of the bigger teams. Um, he's gonna sit in probably that second or third line and just do a real business for the Flyers. Other movements uh out are Corey McEwen, who has retired, obviously had a bit of a stint at the lightning as well. We wish him nothing but the best in his retirement. Zay McKenzie is now permanently with the Coventry Blaze. Um Alex Rushby has made the move to Widness on a two-way with the Hull Seahawks. So it'll be interesting to see if the Seahawks give him a little bit more ice time than what the Phantoms did. But he is another one with a lot of a bright future.

Mike 49:54

Yes, uh obviously Hull have that connection with the Manchester storm as well. So playing at Widnes and Hull, I think Rushby may have one eye just along the M62 at maybe turning up for the storm at the AO Arena. Uh and I think he's a young, talented kid. He's he could easily make that. That the ceiling is there is no ceiling for him at the moment in his talent there. So I expect good things from him, and I think he'll do quite well with the ice time at Hull and at Widness this season.

Harrison 50:21

Absolutely, and the points he puts up in NIHO1 North, if that continues, then as you said, there is no ceiling to what he can achieve. And the final one didn't ice for the Phantoms yet last season, but he was on their roster. Nathan Salem, back from injury, which is good to hear. He has made the move to the Sheffield Steel Dogs. So that is the players that they've lost. Couple of the forwards that they have brought in. Uh, number 18, Frankie Yardley, also another 16-year-old on a two-way with Phantoms 2, and that just reiterates our point from earlier. Number 12, Nathan Pollard, was Phantoms 2 uh player coach and has now made the move to being back with the Phantoms on a permanent basis. So that's an interesting one for sure.

Mike 51:07

Yeah, definitely. And I remember when Nathan played at this level before he had the talent there, he's done some wonders with the Phantoms 2 team. Uh, it'd be interesting to see how he does and steps up to national level here and uh what the responsibilities for him will be. And I think he's part of the coaching setup as well, there as well for this season. So it'd be interesting to see how he does. He knows a lot of the youngsters there, he's helped bring them through with the Phantoms 2. I think it could be quite a shrewd move on Ashley Tate's part by bringing Nathan back into the setup.

Harrison 51:36

Absolutely, and a few more. Ewan Hill made the move from Romford Raiders and joins um the Peterborough Phantoms as well as Adam Berg, new import forward, uh, former WHL and U Sports, played over a hundred games in the ECHL as well, and also made nine appearances for Nottingham Panthers a couple seasons back as well. So it'll be interesting to see what he can do. And then Dominic Gabaye, the latest player to make the trade from Milton Keynes to Peter Brugh, was the top point scorer for the Lightning last season, and I feel like he's probably that half replacement.

Mike 52:14

You'd assume so he's he gets goals at this level, he knows this level inside and out, and he's reunited with Ash Tate as well. A good bit of business from the Phantoms to bring goodbye in there, and you know what you're gonna get from him. He he's over a point per game. You saw the points he put up at the B's. I I think that's a good move there, an import that knows the league, and I'm looking forward to see what Berg offers as well. He has got some potential and good talent. So Phantoms' forward lines, yeah, they've lost the scoring of half, but I think they've possibly added extra balance to some of the lower lines, especially with the addition of Hill as well, who's a very good Brit.

Harrison 52:52

100%. And we'll just have a quick look at their last weekend at the their first preseason was against the Romford Raiders, Ewan Hill's old side, and it wasn't the best weekend when it comes to the Phantoms. On the Saturday night, they hosted the Raiders and lost 6-3, and then on Sunday they lost 8-4. So an aggregate really of 14-7. Not the best starts for the Phantoms. Obviously, not too much you can read into pre-season, but it's going to be quite a different weekend this weekend to lost.

Mike 53:27

I I think so, but obviously, if you want to start, if you're going to lose some games, you want to have it done in pre-season. It's the chance to address the issues, try and see where the problems were. I imagine it'll probably be a busy week for them in training. But whether it's preseason, Phantoms do this, they've had a few games before where the weekend before they've played the lightning, they've had a loss, and then they come out against Milton Keynes a completely different side and turn up and just they almost forget what happened the previous weekend because they do an absolute number on Milton Keynes. I think last season they were on a losing streak and then they snapped it at home against us. So yeah, it it just they they raise the game when they play Milton Kings, they don't like to lose to the Lightning. They like to always get the get one over us, and we like to get one over them, and this weekend I think will prove nothing different. And I think if Barney Sari continues his retrainer for him, he had a good couple of performances at the weekend and got a couple of goals. I think that could be a good strength, and they've got some fret on the lines, and good to see Sari. He's had a couple of seasons. He's looks like he's this could be the breakout season for him.

Harrison 54:31

Well, I think that about wraps up this episode of Lightning Talks. Thank you very much, Pimmy.

Mike 54:36

Thanks, Harrison, and uh look forward to seeing you all this weekend against the Phantoms.

Harrison 54:41

Yeah, and if you haven't already got your tickets, do go to the website mk-lightning.co.uk. There's some good seats still available, so you want to get them early doors before they sell out because as we've said prior, there's never a friendly between these two sides. And then in just over a week's time, it is the first league fixture. It is MK Lightning, it is Leeds Knights, it is always a Barnstormer. So make sure you get your tickets for that first league game on the 19th of September. Check out the socials as well, make sure you listen out for the Lightning Torks podcast. We'll be bringing this to you every week, looking back on previous weeks and looking ahead to the following week. And also highlights on the Rostock Games. The first fixture on the Saturday night has already been released on YouTube. The highlights for that one, the Sunday night will be released at 7pm on Wednesday, the 9th of September. That'll be it from us. Thank you very much, and we hope to see you at the weekend.