SWINDON Wildcats skipper Jan Kostal says the club need a roster full of captains if they are to taste success in the NIHL South this season.

The Cats begin the new campaign this evening when they host Milton Keynes Thunder at the Link Centre (face-off 6.15pm) before travelling to Gillingham tomorrow to take on Invicta Dynamo (5.15pm).

Czech ace Kostal is back at Swindon for a fifth straight season in 2017-18 and will lead the team into battle on the ice for the fourth year in a row after being re-appointed as team captain in the off-season.

After switching to the NIHL in the wake of the dissolution of the English Premier League over the summer, Swindon are expected to be amongst the front runners for honours this term, although Kostal thinks that can only happen if every single player leads by example.

“I am looking forward to the season. We have some new players this year and I hope we are successful,” said Kostal.

“We have been waiting for a while for trophies and hopefully they are going to come this season.

“I am very happy that I can be captain again. I want to put everything on the ice.

“We have some young guys so I can give advice to them but it’s just a letter on the shirt. It doesn’t matter who is the captain, we all need to be on the ice and playing like one man.

“I can promise that we will play every game as hard as we can at 150 per cent. We will just have to see how we get on during the season but my wish is to be at the top of the league.”

One big change following the switch to the NIHL is that the Cats will have just two imports on their roster this term compared to five in 2016-17, with Kostal joined by Max Birbraer.

Apart from the fact there are also plenty of new teams to face, Kostal says it is too early to judge what other new aspects Swindon might have to get used to in their new surroundings.

“We will be lower on imports this season but it’s difficult to know how the league might be different, I think we will only know the answer after a couple of games,” said the 37-year-old.

“Hockey is the same at every level because the rules are the same so I am sure it is not going to be too different.”