The Milton Keynes Lightning are an ice hockey team founded in 2002 and then again in 2019 in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. The Lightning (2nd franchise) currently play in Britain's second-tier professional league, the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL), since the 2019–20 season. The Lightning (1st franchise) previously turned up in the top tier Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) from 2017–2019 , and the tier-3/tier-2 English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL) from 2002–2017. Their home rink is 2,200-seat Planet Ice Arena Milton Keynes, known locally as the MK Arena or the Thunderdome.
Club history
[edit]
Foundation
[edit]
Founded in 2002, MK Lightning moved into the empty space left by the departure of the Milton Keynes Kings. The MK Kings were involved in a dispute with rink operators Planet Ice, which led to their relocation to Solihull[1] in May 2002. There they became the Solihull MK Kings before being wound up in April 2003, after a single season.[2]
2002–2006: The early years
[edit]
The demise of the Ice Hockey Superleague in 2002/03 led to major restructuring of Ice Hockey in the UK. The Milton Keynes Lightning became a founding member of the new Elite Ice Hockey League but competed in the lower English Premier Ice Hockey League. The first Lightning squad was made up mainly of young local players, one Finnish import, Mikko Skinnari and three Canadian imports, Nick Poole as Player Coach, Claude Dumas, and Dwayne Newman. Lightning finished their maiden season in 2nd place, behind Peterborough Phantoms. The two teams met again in the playoff final, with Lightning winning. A rivalry quickly grew between them as they continued to dominate EPL Ice Hockey,[3] MK Lightning were crowned league champions in 2003–04 and 2004–05 as well as dominating the Playoffs until 2006. During this period there was a heavy reliance on Player Coach Nick Poole and Telford born Gary Clarke for points scoring.
2006–2008: League struggle
[edit]
The 2006–07 season saw Lightning struggle for the first time. A lack of quality new players, core older players leaving, predictable tactics and an improved opposition being the main drivers. The team ended the season in 5th place[4] and were eliminated from the Playoffs in the first round.[5] 2007/08 saw the situation worsen, with a league finish of 6th. This resulted in a roster overhaul for the new season.[6]
2008–2010: Return to success
[edit]
The Lightning squad for the 2008–09 season included several experienced ex-Elite League players, young British talent and new European imports including Lukas Zatopek, Andre Smulter and Joakim Wiklander as an injury replacement for Ales Perez whose career was ended by a serious shoulder injury. After a slow start the team dominated the second half of the season and finished runners-up behind Peterborough.[7] They then met again in the playoff final with the Phantoms winning the encounter.[8] Lightning became the team to beat in 2009–10, despite Elite league Basingstoke Bison and Manchester Phoenix joining the EPIHL. Further squad strengthening in the form of former AIK player Monir Kalgoum and the addition of netminder Alex Mettam helped Lightning dominate and a home win against Swindon Wildcats in March 2010 saw the EPIHL league trophy return to Milton Keynes.
2010–2015: Near misses, unexpected changes and disappointment
[edit]
Despite the addition of Slovenian International Blaz Emersic, an inconsistent 2010–11 season saw Lightning finish 5th in the league and lose the play off final to Guildford Flames. 2011–12 fared no better, with the team again finishing 5th; having led the league in December. The team lost in the playoff quarter finals to eventual winners Slough Jets, despite taking a three-goal lead into the away leg. The 2012–13 season brought upheaval when just ten games into the season marque signing Adam Calder suffered a catastrophic hip injury which ended his career. Then in January 2013 Nick Poole who was by now considered a Milton Keynes Lightning legend unexpectedly announced his immediate retirement from playing. Lightning finished in 4th place and lost to Guildford Flames in the play off semi-finals.
The disruption continued in 2013–14 as home games were played in Coventry due to the renovation of the Milton Keynes rink. Due to a lack of practice ice time, the team struggled for consistency but finished in a credible 4th place. They were also the runners up to Basingstoke Bison in the cup. The 2014–15 season started with Lightning continuing to play out of Coventry. Indifferent early form left the team languishing near the bottom of the league. The refurbishment of the Milton Keynes rink was completed a month into the season and the first game back on home territory was played on 18 October 2014 against Sheffield Steeldogs in front of a capacity crowd of 2,500. Despite the return to home ice; Lightning continued to perform poorly. The loss of key players through roster changes and a series of injuries increased pressure on an already struggling team saw Lightning finish the season in 7th place, their lowest ever position. Despite poor league performances, Lightning defeated Guildford in the playoff quarter finals before losing to Manchester Phoenix in the semi-final game.
2015–2017: Management change and new partnerships
[edit]
At the end of the 2014–2015 season it was announced that head coach Nick Poole would take over the duties of General Manager from Vito Rausa and be replaced by Team GB coach Peter Russell. This was shortly followed by the announcement in May 2015 that Milton Keynes Lightning would be forming a partnership with Elite League side the Coventry Blaze.[9] This partnership lasted just one season. The 2015–16 season also saw a change from the traditional white, black, and gold colours to a white, black, and blue combination which reflected the sponsorship of local company Smith Recycling. Despite a promising start, the season ended with MKL managing just a slight improvement on their previous years final position, finishing 5th. Lightning went on to qualify for the Play Off final, losing to Guildford Flames 6–2. At the end of the season it was also announced that from the start of the 2017–2018 season, Milton Keynes Lightning would play in the Elite Ice Hockey League.
In November 2016, Nick Poole stepped down from the role of General Manager, citing that he wanted to pursue new challenges with his family outside of hockey. Lightning secured a 2nd place league finish in their final EPL season and on 18 March 2017 won their first EPL cup in a penalty shootout against Peterborough. In the playoff campaign, Lightning finished 2nd in their group, winning 5 out of 6 games to qualify for the finals weekend. Lightning would then go on to win their 5th playoff title, beating Guildford 8–3 in the semi-final and then defeating Telford in the final 7–2.
2017–2019: Elite League Hockey
[edit]
Following the announcement in May 2015, Milton Keynes Lightning formally joined the Elite League for the 2017–2018 season. With this also came a change in ownership. Planet Ice, the Milton Keynes rink operators who had run the franchise since its temporary use of the Coventry Sky Dome during the 2013–2014 season sold the club to the Midlands-based husband and wife team of Graham and Monica Moody. Lightning's inaugural season in the Elite League had a promising start but poor away form and a series of disappointing results left them languishing near the bottom of the table at the turn of the new year. The situation worsened in January when US Import Matt Nickerson had his contract terminated after an altercation with a Guildford Flames fan when leaving the ice. In February 2018 it was announced that Coach Peter Russell would be leaving the club by mutual consent at the end of the season and replaced by Canadian Doug McKay. The team finished 11th in the league and outside of the play off places.
After a poor start to the 2018–19 season, with the team languishing at the bottom of the league, Doug McKay himself parted company with Milton Keynes Lightning in November 2018 citing 'personal reasons'. Coaching responsibilities initially passed to players Ryan Lannon and Tim Wallace, with Wallace taking sole charge for the remainder of the season in January 2019. In March 2019 it was announced that MK Lightning's two-year stay in the Elite League would come to an end and that from the 2019–2020 season the team would complete in the new National Hockey League, a two import league equivalent in the British ice hockey structure to the defunct English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL). The reason behind this return to the second tier of UK Ice Hockey was financial. Lightning finished the season a disappointing 11th, 24 points behind 10th placed Dundee Stars.
2019–2022: Back to its Milton Keynes roots and supporters ownership
[edit]
Soon after the completion of the 2018–2019 season and the decision to leave the Elite League, Milton Keynes Lightning announced that Lewis Clifford would be the Head Coach for the inaugural season of the new NIHL National league. Clifford had been a stalwart of the Milton Keynes Thunder team, Assistant Coach to Nick Poole at Lightning and then Head Coach at Thunder. However, before the commencement of the season, preparations were thrown into disarray with revelations of unpaid wages/reimbursements for both former players and off ice staff, outstanding debts to suppliers and poor stewardship by the owners. This led to the majority of the club's sponsors publicly denouncing the situation and declining to provide further support.
The rink operators Planet Ice also decided not to award the ice contract for the 2019–2020 season to Graham and Monica Moody but to the Supporters-based consortium formally known as the Milton Keynes Ice Hockey Club and colloquially as 'Lets Play Hockey' for them to ice a team in the NIHL National League. This consortium had been set up after the announcement that Milton Keynes Lightning would no longer ice in the Elite League and had, with the backing of Planet Ice unsuccessfully applied to operate a Milton Keynes Elite League franchise for the 2019–20 season. Shortly after the announcement, the English Ice Hockey Association confirmed that the team under the management of the Lets Play Hockey consortium had been accepted into the new NIHL National League. Once confirmation of the league place had been made, clarification was provided that Lewis Clifford would continue to be the coach under the new ownership regime. The new owners also confirmed that the team would continue using the Milton Keynes Lightning name. The 2019/20 season ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic with the team sitting in sixth position.
With the restrictions placed upon the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the 2020/21 season was delayed. However, Lightning participated in the Streaming Series along with Sheffield Steeldogs & Swindon Wildcats in November 2020 as part of the Return to Play programme. Full post pandemic league action commenced with the 2021/22 season. Lightning iced a strong side and whilst played some excellent hockey, failed to find the consistency required to challenge for the title. The team finished 5th after dropping off the pace with a few weeks remaining of the season. Following defeat to Sheffield Steeldogs in the play off final, it was announced that Lewis Clifford would be stepping down in his duel roles as General Manager & Head Coach following a management restructuring.[10] He was replaced by player/Director of Hockey Development Tim Wallace, who returned for a second spell as Player/Coach.[11]
Arena redevelopment
[edit]
In March 2013, Milton Keynes Council approved plans to redevelop the Leisure Plaza after failed attempts in 2006 & 2011. The development of the arena was funded by Morrisons Supermarkets and took 17 months to complete. This forced Lightning to play their home games at the Coventry Sky Dome during the 2013/2014 season & part of the 2014/2015 season. The team returned to the redeveloped rink which had been renamed the "MK Arena" on 18 October 2014 against Sheffield Steeldogs, in front of a sell out crowd in excess of 2,500.
Club honours
[edit]
EPIHL League: 3
Winner (3): 2004, 2005, 2010
Runner-up (3): 2003, 2009, 2017
EPIHL Playoffs: 5
Winner (5): 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2017
Runner-up (3): 2009, 2011, 2016
EPIHL Cup: 1
Winner (1): 2017
Runner-up (4): 2003, 2007, 2010, 2014
NIHL Playoffs: 1
Winner (1): 2025
Runner-up (1): 2022
NIHL Cup: 1
Winner (1): 2024
Runner-up (0)
Club roster 2022–2023
[edit]
Netminders
No.
Nat.
Player
Catches
Date of birth
Place of birth
Acquired
1
Jordan Hedley
L
(1996-08-07) 7 August 1996 (age 28)
Walsall, England
2022 from Coventry Blaze
31
Daniel Crowe
L
(2003-12-16) 16 December 2003 (age 21)
Newcastle upon Tyne
2022 from Nashville Spartans (USA)
Defencemen
No.
Nat.
Player
Shoots
Date of birth
Place of birth
Acquired
3
Tyler Nixon
R
(2001-07-26) 26 July 2001 (age 24)
Rotherham, England
2021 from Sheffield Scimitars
5
Ben Russell
R
(1994-03-24) 24 March 1994 (age 31)
Milton Keynes, England
2019 from Streatham IHC
15
James Griffin
R
(1993-04-08) 8 April 1993 (age 32)
Swindon, England
2015 from Coventry Blaze
19
Leigh Jamieson
R
(1985-07-30) 30 July 1985 (age 40)
Milton Keynes, England
2019 from Streatham IHC
21
Ross Green
R
(1992-02-19) 19 February 1992 (age 33)
Chelmsford, England
2019 from Milton Keynes Thunder
25
Ed Knaggs
L
(1998-06-13) 13 June 1998 (age 27)
Hemel Hempstead, England
2020 from Bracknell Bees
33
Milique Martelly
L
(2004-06-05) 5 June 2004 (age 21)
London, England
2021 from Streatham IHC
39
Sam Russell
R
(2000-08-10) 10 August 2000 (age 24)
Milton Keynes, England
2019 from New England Wolves (USA)
66
Lewis Christie
R
(1989-08-30) 30 August 1989 (age 35)
Edinburgh, Scotland
2019 from Free Agent
Forwards
No.
Nat.
Player
Shoots
Date of birth
Place of birth
Acquired
7
Deivids Sarkanis
L
(1994-11-07) 7 November 1994 (age 30)
Riga, Latvia
2022 from HK Mogo (Latvia)
8
Liam Stewart
L
(1994-09-04) 4 September 1994 (age 30)
London, England
2019 from Skycity Stampede (New Zealand)
10
Bobby Chamberlain
R
(1995-03-16) 16 March 1995 (age 30)
Hull, England
2020 from Hull Pirates
11
Callum Field
R
(2004-08-03) 3 August 2004 (age 21)
Northampton, England
2020 from Sheffield Steelhawks JIHC
12
Zaine McKenzie
R
(2003-08-20) 20 August 2003 (age 21)
Coventry, England
2022 Bees IHC
14
Hallden Barnes-Garner
R
(1998-02-28) 28 February 1998 (age 27)
Milton Keynes, England
2019 from Milton Keynes Thunder
16
Mack Stewart
L
(2004-08-18) 18 August 2004 (age 20)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
2022 from Belfast Giants
23
Jack Hopkins
R
(2004-05-08) 8 May 2004 (age 21)
Nottingham, England
2022 from Nottingham Panthers
28
Tim Wallace
R
(1984-08-06) 6 August 1984 (age 40)
Anchorage, Alaska, USA
2022 from Free Agent
86
Sean Norris
R
(1999-09-14) 14 September 1999 (age 25)
Ascot, England
2021 from Basingstoke Bison
89
Rio Grinell-Parke
L
(1999-02-25) 25 February 1999 (age 26)
London, England
2022 from Raiders IHC
98
Sam Talbot
R
(2001-04-10) 10 April 2001 (age 24)
England
2021 from Basingstoke Bison
Statistical records
[edit]
Top ten appearances
[edit]
League, Cup, Play Offs & Streaming Series Games; as at End of Season 2022
Player
No.
Nat.
Player
Active Seasons
App
1
Adam Carr
2003–2017 inclusive
687
2
Leigh Jamieson
2002–2004, 2009–2017 & 2019–2022
614
3
Lewis Christie
2008–2017 & 2019–2022
581
4
Grant McPherson
2006–2016 & 2019–2020
542
5
Nick Poole
2002–2015 inclusive
506
6
Ross Green
2008–2016 & 2019–2022
494
7
Ross Bowers
2002–2008, 2009–2010, 2011–2015 & 2019–2021
473
8
Michael Farn
2009–2017 & 2021-2022
439
9
Michael Wales
2003–2012 inclusive
385
10
Blaz Emersic
2010–2017 inclusive
382
Top ten points scorers
[edit]
League, Cup, Play Offs & Streaming Series Games; as at End of Season 2022
Player
No.
Nat.
Player
Active Seasons
Pts
1
Gary Clarke
2002–2009 & 2010–2011
767
2
Nick Poole
2002–2015 inclusive
728
3
Leigh Jamieson
2002–2004, 2009–2017 & 2019–2022
554
4
Adam Carr
2003–2017 inclusive
524
5
Blaz Emersic
2010–2017 inclusive
398
6
Greg Randall
2002–2006 & 2007–2009
260
7
Michael Wales
2003–2012 inclusive
259
8
Mikko Skinnari
2002–2008 inclusive
246
9
Andre Smulter
2008–2011 inclusive
229
10
Lewis Hook
2014–2018 & 2020
226
Top ten goal scorers
[edit]
League, Cup, Play Offs & Streaming Series Games; as at End of Season 2022
Player
No.
Nat.
Player
Active Seasons
Gls
1
Gary Clarke
2002–2009 & 2010–2011
436
2
Adam Carr
2003–2017 inclusive
248
3
Nick Poole
2002–2015 inclusive
211
4
Leigh Jamieson
2002–2004, 2009–2017 & 2019–2022
187
5
Blaz Emersic
2010–2017 inclusive
171
6
Andre Smulter
2008–2011 inclusive
111
7
Lewis Hook
2014–2018 & 2020
106
8
Ross Bowers
2002–2008, 2009–2010, 2011–2015 & 2019–2021
101
9
Greg Randall
2002–2006 & 2007–2009
98
10
Michael Wales
2003–2012 inclusive
96
Top ten goal assists
[edit]
League, Cup, Play Offs & Streaming Series Games; as at End of Season 2022
Player
No.
Nat.
Player
Active Seasons
Ast
1
Nick Poole
2002–2015 inclusive
517
2
Leigh Jamieson
2002–2004, 2009–2017 & 2019–2022
367
3
Gary Clarke
2002–2009 & 2010–2011
331
4
Adam Carr
2003–2017 inclusive
276
5
Blaz Emersic
2010–2017 inclusive
227
6
Michael Farn
2009–2017 & 2021-2022
179
7
Michael Wales
2003–2012 inclusive
163
8
Greg Randall
2002–2006 & 2007–2009
162
9
Mikko Skinnari
2002–2008 inclusive
155
10
Jordan Cownie
2013–2017 inclusive
142
Top ten penalty minutes
[edit]
League, Cup, Play Offs & Streaming Series Games; as at End of Season 2022
Player
No.
Nat.
Player
Active Seasons
PIM
1
Grant McPherson
2006–2016 & 2019–2020
1305
2
Michael Wales
2003–2012 inclusive
1131
3
Kurt Irvine
2003–2008 inclusive
1109
4
Leigh Jamieson
2002–2004, 2009–2017 & 2019–2022
1103
5
Lewis Christie
2008–2017 & 2019–2022
699
6
Lukáš Zátopek
2008–2014 inclusive
509
7
Ross Bowers
2002–2008, 2009–2010, 2011–2015 & 2019–2021
479
8
Nick Poole
2002–2015 inclusive
452
9
Matt Towalski
2005–2012 inclusive
446
10
Michael Farn
2009–2017 & 2021-2022
420
Top ten points to game ratio
[edit]
League, Cup, Play Offs & Streaming Series Games; as at End of Season 2022 (Players with under 20 appearances not included)
Player
No.
Nat.
Player
Active Seasons
Pts
1
Gary Clarke
2002–2009 & 2010–2011
2.03
2
Joakim Wiklander
2008–2010 inclusive
2.00
3
Robin Kovar
2019-2020
1.86
4
Greg Owen
2002–2003
1.74
5
Stefan Ketola
2005–2006
1.71
6
Monir Kalgoum
2009–2011 inclusive
1.67
7
Andre Smulter
2008–2011 inclusive
1.58
8
Tony Alasaarela
2007–2008
1.50
9
Stan Lascek
2013–2015 inclusive
1.45
9
Steve Moria
2005-2006
1.45
9
Antti Holli
2016–2017
1.45
Top ten goals to game ratio
[edit]
League, Cup, Play Offs & Streaming Series Games; as at End of Season 2022 (Players with under 20 appearances not included)
Player
No.
Nat.
Player
Active Seasons
Gls
1
Gary Clarke
2002–2009 & 2010–2011
1.16
2
Greg Owen
2002–2003
1.10
3
Stefan Ketola
2005–2006
0.86
4
Liam Stewart
2019–2022 inclusive
0.80
5
Andre Smulter
2008–2011 inclusive
0.77
5
Stanislav Lascek
2013–2015 inclusive
0.77
7
Milan Kostourek
2014–2015
0.75
8
Robin Kovar
2019-2020
0.73
9
Sam Talbot
2021–2022
0.70
10
Kamil Tvrdek
2012–2013
0.65
Top ten assists to game ratio
[edit]
League, Cup, Play Offs & Streaming Series Games; as at End of Season 2022 (Players with under 20 appearances not included)
Player
No.
Nat.
Player
Active Seasons
Ast
1
Joakim Wiklander
2008–2010 inclusive
1.59
2
Robin Kovar
2019–2020
1.14
3
Monir Kalgoum
2009–2011 inclusive
1.06
4
Nick Poole
2002–2015 inclusive
1.02
5
Tony Alasaarela
2007–2008
0.98
5
Antti Hölli
2016–2017
0.98
7
Markku Tathinen
2015–2016
0.91
8
Ales Perez
2007–2009 inclusive
0.89
8
Francis Verreault-Paul
2017–2018
0.89
10
Gary Clarke
2002-2009 & 2010-2011
0.88
Top ten penalty minutes to games ratio
[edit]
League, Cup, Play Offs & Streaming Series Games; as at End of Season 2022 (Players with under 20 appearances not included)
Player
No.
Nat.
Player
Active Seasons
PIM
1
Kurt Irvine
2003–2008 inclusive
5.38
2
Matt Nickerson
2017–2018
4.77
3
James Morgan
2006–2007
4.30
4
Steve Carpenter
2004–2005
4.06
5
Frankisek Bakrlik
2015–2017 inclusive
3.63
6
Daniel Croft
2007–2008
3.59
7
Francis Verreault-Paul
2017–2018
3.23
8
Michael Wales
2003–2012 inclusive
2.94
9
Tomáš Káňa
2019–2020
2.83
10
Michael Knights
2002-2003, 2004-2005 & 2006-2007
2.73
Top ten save percentages
[edit]
League, Cup, Play Offs & Streaming Series Games; as at End of Season 2022 (Players with under 20 appearances not included)
Player
No.
Nat.
Player
Active Seasons
Sav
1
Prezemyslaw Odrobny
2016–2017
92.35
2
Alex Mettam
2009–2013 inclusive
91.65
3
Jordan Marr
2015–2016
91.47
4
Barry Hollyhead
2002–2004 & 2006–2012
91.27
5
Stephen Wall
2012–2015 inclusive
91.13
6
Allen Sutton
2002–2008 inclusive
90.97
7
Miika Wiikman
2017–2018
90.22
8
Lee Lansdowne
2005–2006
90.20
9
Dean Skinns
2015–2016 & 2019–2020
90.08
10
Patrick Killeen
2018–2019
89.52
NHL drafted Milton Keynes Lightning players
[edit]
Player
Nat.
Player.
Active Seasons
Year Drafted
Round & Draft Pick
Team
Claude Dumas
2002–2003
1985
Round 5 Draft Pick 103
Washington Capitals
Janne Jokila
2012–2014 inclusive
2000
Round 7 Draft Pick 200
Columbus Blue Jackets
Martti Järventie
2015–2016
2001
Round 4 Draft Pick 109
Montreal Canadiens
Robin Kovář
2019–2020
2002
Round 4 Draft Pick 123
Edmonton Oilers
Ryan Lannon
2018–2019
2002
Round 8 Draft Pick 239
Pittsburgh Penguins
Matt Nickerson
2017–2018
2003
Round 3 Draft Pick 99
Dallas Stars
Andreas Valdix
2018–2019
2003
Round 4 Draft Pick 109
Washington Capitals
Juraj Gráčik
2011–2012
2004
Round 5 Draft Pick 142
Atlanta Thrashers
Stanislav Lascek
2013–2015 inclusive
2005
Round 5 Draft Pick 133
Tampa Bay Lightning
Tomáš Káňa
2019–2020
2006
Round 2 Draft Pick 31
St Louis Blues
Patrick Killeen
2018–2019
2008
Round 6 Draft Pick 180
Pittsburgh Penguins
Paul Phillips
2017–2018
2009
Round 7 Draft Pick 195
Chicago Blackhawks
Christian Isackson
2017–2018
2010
Round 7 Draft Pick 203
Buffalo Sabres
Robbie Baillargeon
2018–2019
2012
Round 5 Draft Pick 136
Ottawa Senators
Retired numbers
[edit]
Player
Number
Nat.
Player
Active Seasons
Acquired
91
Nick Poole
2002–2015 inclusive
2002 from Fife Flyers
18
Adam Carr
2003–2017 inclusive
2003 from Isle of Wight Raiders
9
Grant McPherson
2006–2017 & 2019–2020
2006 from Edinburgh Capitals
Head coaches
[edit]
Coach
Nat.
Coach
Active Seasons
Acquired
Nick Poole
2002–2015 inclusive (Player-Head Coach 2002–2013, Head Coach 2013–2015)