The Smith Recycling Milton Keynes Lightning have today announced that defenceman Ed Knaggs has joined them ahead of the 2020/21 season.
Knaggs, a 5-foot-11, 165lbs left-handed blueliner returns to the Lightning after spending the last two seasons with the Bracknell Bees, where he has established himself as a solid defensive player with a fair amount of offensive upside at this level.
During the 2019/20 NIHL National season, Knaggs finished as the fourth-highest points producer for the Bees, registering 32 total points with three goals and 29 assists - good for the seventh-highest among defencemen in the league.
The 22-year-old is well known among Lightning fans after working his way up through the Milton Keynes youth hockey system before playing for both the Milton Keynes Thunder and Lightning, the latter of which he last played for during the 2017/18 EIHL season - a year in which he predominantly played for the Peterborough Phantoms in the second tier.
His return to the club will see the Lightning have something they didn't during head coach Lewis Clifford's first campaign in charge - a left-handed shot on defence.
Speaking of his signing of Knaggs, Clifford explained: "There were a few areas I felt we needed to strengthen in at the end of last season. A left-handed puck-moving defenceman was high up my list of priorities. Having known and coached Knaggsy since he was a very young man I knew he ticked the right boxes."
"Knaggsy is a calm head, he plays with his head up and can make plays from the back end as well as joining the rush and pulling the strings on the PP."
He added: "I’m very much looking forward to having Knaggsy back in our team and to seeing him back at the club where he started."
Speaking of his return, Knaggs commented: "I am really excited to have signed back with MKL. Milton Keynes is where I first started playing hockey so will always feel like home."
"When Cliff approached and explained his plans for the upcoming season it was a no brainer."
