HE may not have physically linked up with his new team yet but Swindon Wildcats new boy Matt Selby says that he already feels welcome at the Link Centre.

D-man Selby, who turns 20 next month, opted against a fourth season with the Basingstoke Bison to become a part of Stevie Lyle’s new-look Wildcats, the fourth new face to join the Swindon ranks after Neil Liddiard, Corey McEwen and Jordan Hedley.

Selby, who has made more than 100 appearances for Elite League outfit Coventry Blaze and was also named Great Britain U20 captain last season, first crossed paths with Wildcats player/coach Lyle at Basingstoke during the 2012-13 campaign and is full of excitement ahead of the latest chapter in his career.

“I wasn’t really expecting a call from Stevie but he told me about what he was doing with the team and it sounded good,” said Selby.

“I’m hungry and I felt like it was time for a change. Usually, at this point of the summer, you’re just happy to be in the gym but I just want to get out there now because I’m excited.

“I played with Stevie briefly at Basingstoke. I know guys like Ollie Betteridge and Michael Stratford from the GB U20s and I played with Aaron Nell briefly at Coventry.

“To be honest, you get to know a lot of players just from playing against them and I feel like I’ve been made to feel welcome already, even though I’m not there yet.

“I know that the fans are good at Swindon and the team looks like it’s going to be built to win trophies.

“I’m a defenceman and I’m always going to stick up for my goalie – if my goalie’s my coach, then that will probably help me get some brownie points too.

“I’m probably not going to go and score loads of goals. I’m going to play smart, be tough and help the team. I’ll try and contribute offensively if I can.”

Selby has built a reputation as a tough customer on the ice but Swindon chief Lyle isn’t expecting the former Basingstoke youngster to provide team toughness by scrapping with opposition players.

The Link Centre boss said: “He’s a good defenceman and he’s a tough guy but I don’t want him to drop the gloves – Sam Bullas will be the one doing the fighting.

“I’ve brought him and Neil Liddiard in to bring in a strong core defence because I felt other teams were able to crash the puck too easily last season when there was a rebound.

“I know Matt from when we were both at Basingstoke and there were a lot of teams chasing his signature this season.

“He’s another player that’s got good experience from playing for GB U18s and U20s. I think it helps to have guys in the team that have experience of international hockey.”