Lee Valley Lions

We can today reveal artist’s impressions of our home and away jerseys for the 2026-27 season.

Our jerseys will once again be manufactured by Cross Check Clothing, and will feature the logos of new club sponsor BarberSmiths and club charity Core Arts on the front.

They will also feature the name of club legend Eddie Joseph on the back.

As is traditional, our home jerseys will be white with green and blue trim, while our away jerseys will be green with white and blue trim.

We will be sharing details very soon of our own and loan jersey sponsorship scheme for this season – allowing individuals and companies to support both their favourite player, and the club, by sponsoring the jersey or jerseys of their choice.

Note that we expect the new jerseys to arrive in late September or early October, at which point we’ll post photographs of the final jerseys.

We’re delighted to announce the signing of veteran forward Matt Hepburn, who returns to the Lions after eight years away from the club.

Matt played four seasons for the Lions between 2014 and 2018, scoring 43 points in 73 games in a Lee Valley uniform across all competitions. He also wore an “A” on his jersey in both the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns.

He then moved to Haringey where he spent six seasons, before taking a year out of league hockey.

He’s now back with the Lions and will add experience and leadership to the team this season, whilst wearing the #11 jersey.

Lions head coach Simon Jones on bringing Matt back: “I am delighted to have Matt on board for the season. Matt brings high-IQ and energy as well as ability to the team. His experience means that we have another leader within the room and on the ice. He will certainly be a player that sets the tone for us as a team this year.”

Photo: Phil Hutchinson

We complete our roster announcements ahead of the new season as we confirm three young forwards have signed up, with Dylan Hollinshead and Hayden Allen re-signing and Jake Brown joining the club.

20-year-old Dylan Hollinshead signed with the Lions in 2023, and our #20 now enters his fourth season with the club, having already iced over 50 times in a Lee Valley jersey.

#9 Hayden Allen joined the Lions on a two-way deal from Romford juniors last season, icing 16 times for the Lions and grabbing his first goal away at Chelmsford. Now the 18-year-old signs up with the Lions full-time ahead of the new season.

Finally, 18-year-old Jake Brown joins us from Haringey juniors where he spent the last two seasons, and will wear the #27 jersey for the Lions.

Lions head coach Simon Jones on the three youngsters: “Dylan and Hayden have embraced their roles and development in recent seasons and add a lot of enthusiasm and energy to the room. This year will be another year working towards featuring regularly and focusing on developing their game.

Jake came through the juniors at Lee Valley and whilst I have not worked with him previously, I have been impressed with his attitude in sessions so far and think he will develop quickly this season.”

We can today confirm the addition of three new forwards to the Lions, as we welcome Dan Smith, Jack Lake, and Sam Wyatt to the club.

30-year-old Dan Smith, who will wear #83, played 33 games in NIHL2 for the Invicta Mustangs between 2015 and 2017, and now returns to league hockey after nine years away.

Our new #95 Jack Lake is 22 years old and will make his debut in league hockey after playing for the Medway Eagles rec side.

Finally, 24-year-old Sam Wyatt played 10 games for the Invicta Mustangs last season and now moves across to Lee Valley where he’ll wear #12.

Lions head coach Simon Jones on the three additions: “Jack, Dan and Sam join this season and I have already seen their commitment to their development through the offseason. They all have an excellent grounding in the fundamentals and are very coachable. I’m sure that the team and the fans will enjoy watching their development this year.”

We can today announce three more forwards for the upcoming season, as Luke Rose and Harry Wright sign on for their first full seasons with the club, and Jordan Turner returns after eight years away.

19-year-old Luke Rose joined us on a two-way deal with Invicta juniors just before the registration deadline back in January 2026, and iced for the Lions four times towards the end of the season. He’ll play full time for the Lions this season and will wear the #8 jersey.

Harry Wright came through Romford juniors and joined us on a two-way deal from Romford Buccaneers in NIHL1 last season, icing six times in a Lee Valley jersey. He also joins us full-time this season and will wear #18.

Finally, #77 Jordan Turner returns to the Lions for the first time in eight years, having played 36 games for the club between 2013 and 2018.

Lions head coach Simon Jones on the three signings: “A range of familiar faces that I’m glad are back on board this year.

Luke returns having signed part-way through last season. Luke is extremely coachable and gives his all on the ice. In the short time he has been with us his game has come on leaps and bounds and I’m sure that growth will continue this season.

Harry was with us on a two-way from Romford before taking time to travel last season. I am really pleased that he has joined us on a full-time basis this year. He adds quality as well as grit, embracing a range of role in all situations.

Jordan returns after a while away from Lee Valley and I’m looking forward to working with him. Jordan has good quality but also a fantastic work ethic to maximise his impact, underpinned by a positive attitude at all times to do his best for the team. When he came to the trials in the summer I was really pleased to see him interested in a return.”