Young Sutton ice hockey player Philippe Valapinee believes switching from Streatham to English Premier League club Guildford is behind his elevation to the international ranks.

The 12-year-old Overton Grange student will represent his country at the 49th World Pee Wee U13 Tournament in Quebec in February - six years after being spotted at Streatham Ice Arena.

After making his England bow next year at the historic Colisée Pepsi in Quebec City, where about 2,000 youngsters from 16 countries will compete, Valapinee is targeting a slot in the Great Britain team for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia.

And the young centre thinks the fact he will only be 18 years old by then will not be held against him thanks to his switch to the Surrey side from Division One South side Streatham.

"I was trying skating when one of the Redskins coaches saw me and thought I had a good style for hockey and it has gone from there," he said.

"It is brilliant at Guildford because the coaching is far better.

"I have developed a lot more than I would have at Streatham and, when the e-mail came through saying I had been picked for England, I was very pleased.

"I want to play in the Olympics. I know I will still be young when they come around but, although I am quite small, the coaches say I have got one of the hardest hits in the league."

Valapinee, who also plays for the South of England regional team, is a big fan of American National Hockey League teams Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres, but has revealed he is not looking to forge a career in the game Stateside.

"If I want to play professionally in America, I have to be playing in their system from the age of 14 and I don't want to leave home yet," he added.

"It will be good just to play in the English League. For me, it is all about the Olympics."

He must raise £250 to help pay for the transatlantic trip.

"I have raised £36 so I think I will have to get a paper round to try to cover the rest," he said.

"It is hard to juggle school work, raising money and playing, but it will be a fantastic experience in Canada if I can manage it."