Haringey Huskies announce the signing of former Haringey Racers captain Ali Band for the 2017/18 season.

The Alexandra Palace-based club welcome the experienced forward into the line-up ahead of their opening match away to Basingstoke Buffalo (September 9).

The 27-year-old made his senior debut in the 2005/06 season for the, then, Haringey Greyhounds at the tender age of 15.

Since then he has iced in various across the globe for the Lee Valley Lions, Winnipeg South Blues (Canada), Romford Raiders, Canberra Knights (Australia), Bristol Pitbulls, Invicta Dynamos and Cardiff Devils, but Haringey has always been his “home” having played his entire junior career at The Palace.

Head Coach Alan Sampson said: “Bandy missed most of last season due to suffering a concussion in February, so we have been careful to wait until he got the all clear to play from the league.

“Once we heard he was good to go we moved quickly to snap him up.

“Though he may not put many points up on the board, he is a natural leader that is always willing to put his body on the line for his team – whether that means blocking a shot, making a hit or dropping the gloves.

“We knew we needed to add a bit more toughness to our roster and Ali fills that void in abundance.”

The forward is never one to shy away from the physical side of the game and is the record holder in penalty minutes for the Haringey Racers.

He has spent 1,043 minutes in the box over his 279-game senior career.

While also scoring 12 times and picking up 41 assists for a total of 53 points.

Band added: “I’m delighted to be back on the ice this season, for a long time it looked like my career may have been over but now I’ve been given the all clear there was only one team I was going to play for – the Haringey Huskies.

“The Sampsons have put together a fast and gritty team, and I think we’re going to surprise a lot of teams this year.

“Every player wears their heart on their sleeves and that’s something I had to be a part of.”