TEENAGE D-man Oliver Stone will not be setting himself too many lofty targets despite securing a first-team contract with the Swindon Wildcats.

Stone, 17, is one of three talented Okanagan Hockey UK Academy players to be handed places on Aaron Nell’s Wildcats roster for the 2016/17 English Premier League season, alongside Kyle Smith and Ben Nethersell.

Blueliner Stone has featured for the Cats nine times over the past two years and has represented Great Britain at both U18 and U20 level, and was one of seven Swindon players in the latter’s squad for their World Junior Championship Division 1B campaign last December.

Wildcats player-coach Aaron Nell has high hopes for Stone next season but the youngster is keeping his feet on the ground.

“I’m over the moon to have signed for next season – it feels great,” said Stone.

“I have spent a lot of time with Aaron (Nell). I have spent a lot of time with the Wildcats and it has just made the whole transition easier.

“My main goal is just to keep improving, prove myself, and then hopefully increase my ice-time and my standard of play.”

Forward Smith, also 17, has featured five times for Cats over the last two terms and is thrilled to have landed a deal at the Link Centre.

“I’m more than happy. It’s great that I’ve been asked to play for a senior team and move up to a big team like the Wildcats,” said the GB U18 international.

“It is a lot easier coming into a team where you know a lot of the players and it was pretty easy to sign for the Cats. People like Tomasz Malasinski, Jan Kostal and Aaron Nell work hard and are always scoring goals – it is something I look up to and aspire to be like.

“Hopefully, I can grab a few points and do whatever I need to do to be able to win a game.”

Fellow GB U18s player Nethersell, who has made 20 appearances for the Cats over the past three seasons, has signed a two-way deal with Oxford City Stars in the National League.

The 18-year-old said: “It was a good option for me because I can train with the Wildcats and learn a lot off the top imports.”