Official Buildbase Coventry Bees Website: RICKY WELLS

RICKY WELLS - USA Age: 17

British career history: Making his debut in 2009

RICKY was born in New Zealand but races on an American licence and has already won a string of titles as his career has gathered pace.

The Bees have been taking a keen interest in his progress for over a year, and members of the management team have attended his meetings on previous trips to Europe, including his run to the semi-finals of the World Under-21 Championship last season.

Having agreed to join the club, it initially looked likely that Ricky would be loaned out to a Premier League club in order to gain more experience – but with the regulations ruling that out, he makes the step into the Elite League immediately, and everyone is excited by seeing one of the world’s hottest prospects in action.