Pardubice was the place where you advanced to the top division. How do you remember the tournament?
It was a great tournament and my first as coach, it started a new era for Team GB and our journey to Pool A. The rink is great and we are very excited to be playing there again

This time you will play all your games in the main arena. How much did the team evolve since the last time in the Czech Republic?
The team has evolved a lot, we have learnt a lot since playing in 2011 and 12. We have several new young players, which shows progress for us and the start of another era…

Many players change their roles as time goes by and become coaches. You went completely other way and will play instead of coaching. What lead to this step?
I really enjoyed my role as head coach, I learnt so much from working with the players and we had a lot of success. There were several discussions, which took place. One was around leadership on the rink, we were missing a few experienced players and Simon who was the assistant coach at the time felt I could add value as a player. The other reason was more personal, it was my ambition to play Pool A since 1998 when I first played in IIHF in Bratislava. I knew with the right mindset, coaching and development programme for young players we could get there. The last time I played in the IIHF was 2008 also in Bratislava. I have worked hard during the last 9 months to get in shape and make the team. I actually announced I would play in 2012 when we got relegated from Pool A. I said we return to Pool A and I will play… I don’t think anyone took me seriously!

Won’t it temp you to intervene in a way? You were a coach for the players for quite some time, doesn’t it make it difficult for Simon Hehir?
Not at all. Simon is very experienced coach and player and we are lucky to have him onboard. He captained Team GB for 8 years and is still the second highest point scorer on Team GB. Simon will add a lot of value to the dressing room and on the bench.

Team GB starts the tournament against the US. Won’t it be sort of a shock after advancing from Division I?
There is no doubt it will be a challenge. It is a big step and we will compete the best we can. For some players it will be their first IIHF experience.

United States, Slovakia and Czechs, who have the home advantage. How do you see your chances in this group?
In 2012 we tied Czech’s in regular time and beat Finland – this would have been no more than a fantasy for us, however USA also blew us away with a big score line. Inline Hockey is like that, you just don’t know how it will go. We have more experience this time round – We are a pure inline team, most of the players play only inline, whereas Ice Hockey is day job for many of our opponents.

Team GB is like on a rollercoaster between Top division and Division I, is your main goal not to relegate this year?
If we focus on not getting relegated we are already defeated. The goal is to play our best hockey and compete with the best teams.