“The season couldn’t have gone much better than it did. If you’d have asked me after the playoff finals I would probably have given a different answer, but we exceeded expectations,” explained Swindlehurst. “In the UK the biggest prize to win is the league, and we managed to do it on the last day of the Regular Season; the cup is very special to Belfast; we were one penalty shot away from winning the Continental Cup, and then lost the playoffs by just a goal. You want to do everything you can to win each competition, but we won two and came so close in the others it was a great season overall."

Belfast’s first league title since 2014 came in odd circumstances. The Giants were not playing on the final day of the Regular Season, and were relying on the result of Cardiff’s game going their way. “I’ve never heard of something quite like it! That Sunday evening we had our ‘End of Season Awards Night’, so we were all on the way to that but following the game,” he revealed. “Around five minutes after we arrived, we found out that Cardiff had lost and the entire place erupted! Of course we were all wearing formal suits - well, my white shirt got covered in lots of different drinks and was stained for the whole evening after, but it was a very special way to win! All of the players were together with the fans, you saw what it meant to everyone, and it was a unique experience from what you normally get."

It was the IIHF Contental Cup that led Belfast into the Champions Hockey League, a competition that was an eye-opener for the defenseman who grew up on the outskirts of Manchester. "For me, the Continental Cup was the first time I’d played against other European clubs in competitive games, we’re used to having teams over for pre-season but it’s obviously different in a competition like that. We took a lot away from it, especially the different skating and systems European teams play compared to ourselves. You get an idea of what other leagues are like, and it’s something we’ll take into the CHL."

Only a matter of weeks after the domestic season finished, Swindlehurst was part of the first Great Britain squad playing at the top level fo the IIHF World Championships since 1994. They went on to avoid relegation with a dramatic overtime win over France. "It still hasn’t really sunk in, and probably won’t until we start playing again. It means such a lot for everyone around the sport in the UK to get promoted last year, and then to stay up in the way we did is something I still can’t quite put into words," Swindlehurst stated. "It is something that both our club and national teams managed to do though - we surprise people, and hopefully we can keep surprising them."

Only a few days after that game, Head Coach Adam Keefe was then in Bratislava to see who his Giants side would face in the CHL. "As players, we were in the airport on the away back from Košice following the CHL draw being made. I’m not one of these sorts of players who looks in huge detail at the teams now, but we know that Nottingham played Luleå several seasons ago and have some experience from what other players have told us,” said Swindlehurst. “However, we just have to make sure we go and play everyone of the same merit. Of course we know we’re up against top teams, but our goal is to play with them and spread the message of the Elite League and Great Britain hockey as much as we can. Upsets have happened in this competition, and we’ll go into every game with the mindset of pushing for that in each game.”

Finally, as the city of Belfast prepares to welcome top-flight European hockey to Northern Ireland for the first time, what's it going to be like for the other teams in Group C? Swindlehurst concluded: "I think coming to Belfast will be a huge experience for the teams we’ll face. First, it’s an unbelievable city with so much culture that visiting fans will just love. Then, we’re lucky to have a great arena which is perfect for watching hockey in."