Everyone Active Raiders have announced defenceman Callum Wells as the latest returnee for the 2022-23 National League season.

The 24-year-old, who was born in Harold Hill, played some of his junior career for Romford at the old Rom Valley Way rink, before its closure in 2013.

He was twice named an EIHA Conference U15 All-Star, then named an U17 All-Star after moving up the A12 to Essex rivals Chelmsford, where he spent four seasons and made his senior debut for the second string Warriors in National League Division Two in 2014-15.

Wells also represented Great Britain under-18s at the Division 2A World Championships, winning a bronze medal, and helped Warriors to the South East title in 2016 and the Chieftains to the Division One South crown a year later.

But he returned to a gold and blue jersey in 2017-18, when Raiders began playing out of the new Sapphire Ice & Leisure Centre in Romford town centre, and has gone on to score nine goals and 25 assists in 171 career appearances over the past five campaigns, including the shortened 12-game Spring Cup series played behind closed doors during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A steadying influence on the blue line, Wells has also earned a reputation as someone who is willing to step up for his teammates, and he joins captain Aaron Connolly, fellow defencemen Dan Scott and Tom Relf, forwards Jake Sylvester, Brandon Ayliffe, Jacob Ranson and Tommy Huggett and goalies Ethan James and Brad Windebank in agreeing to return to Sean Easton's roster.

Raiders, having missed out on the play-offs last term, will be keen to improve as they compete in an enlarged 11-team division following the addition of Bristol Pitbulls and Hull Seahawks, with more announcements due in the coming days.