Mikey Power admits he felt 'the time was right' to return to a gold and blue jersey and sign for the Everyone Active Raiders for the 2022-23 season.

Power, 22, played his early junior hockey in the Romford system and represented England U13s at the World Pee-Wee Championships in Quebec in 2013.

And he says it will be great to play alongside some familiar faces from those early days, saying: "Growing up in Romford was great, it was one of the best junior programmes in the country.

"I played on some great teams with great players that I will be joining up with again on the Raiders.

"It feels great to be coming back to the Raiders.

"I’ve spoken to Sean [Easton] the last few summers about the possibility of coming to Romford when the time is right. I definitely feel this is the right time.

"The squad is looking strong this year, I’m excited to join the boys battling to win every game this season."

Power spent two years playing in Slough after the old Rom Valley Way rink closed, then moved to Swindon's Okanagan Hockey Academy and helped them win the England U18 title while also being named an EIHA U17 All-Star.

Power topped the U18 league's goal and point-scoring charts for successive seasons and made his senior debut for the Swindon Wildcats in 2016-17, helping them win the National League Cup and Autumn Cup the following season.

He also represented Great Britain U16s and England U19s, before moving to the USA to play back-to-back seasons in the WSHL, appearing for Utah Outliers, Bellingham Blazers, Wichita Jr Thunder and Oklahoma City Jr Blazers.

After a campaign with the Pueblo Bulls in the USPHL Premier, he returned to the UK to skate for Bees IHC and Milton Keynes Lightning last season and scored 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in a combined 56 games, with 110 penalty minutes.

Now he looking forward to showing the Raiders fans what he can do, as they battle it out in an enlarged 11-team National League following the addition of Bristol Pitbulls and Hull Seahawks.

"My experiences in hockey have been great so far," he added.

"I would describe my playing style is more of a physical game, I like getting involved in the physical side of the game and scoring goals is something that I also enjoy.

"The Sapphire is a great rink with a good atmosphere. It was extremely difficult to come in as an opponent last year - the fans make it very loud and tough to play.

"Every time I played here, it always made me want to come back and play for these fans."

Power's arrival follows the return of another former Romford junior in Harry Gulliver and leaves Raiders with few spots to fill on their roster.

The club are holding a Jersey Reveal event at the Golden Lion pub in Romford on Sunday (July 17, 4pm) and will play their first game of the campaign on September 3 when they visit Peterborough for a challenge match.

Raiders will then host the Phantoms the following night and meet Bees IHC in the Everyone Active Shield on the weekend of September 10-11, before league action starts a week later.