Tom Watkins is relishing the “massive challenge” of guiding the senior Great Britain side, after being named Assistant Coach, alongside Head Coach Pete Russell.
The pair, alongside Richard Hartman from Edinburgh, were unveiled as the national set-up’s new coaching team this morning.
Watkins will combine GB duties with his position as Head Coach of English Premier League leaders Telford Tigers, starting with the World Championships in April.
And he is looking forward to testing himself alongside some of the world’s top coaches.
He said: “It is something you naturally hope for, but not anticipate.
“There are a lot of good coaches out there, but working with Pete was a big pull for me.
“I am really excited to get involved and start working with the players.
“It is a massive challenge, and a different level of ice hockey altogether.
“Representing Great Britain was a huge source of pride when I was a player and it is the same as a coach.”
Watkins, who represented the national team at both under-20s and senior level, will sit down with the rest of the coaching team this week.
They must now begin the task of selecting the squad for their next major tournament in Holland, when they will be looking for promotion to Group A in the World Championships.
Watkins added: “I am very honoured to get this chance. Going away with the under-20s team, I have taken a lot of satisfaction from working with some excellent players.
“It is a great opportunity just to coach at senior level. It is a massive step up and I am really pleased.”
Tigers owner, Red Hockey CEO Wayne Scholes welcomed the appointment of Tom Watkins as the GB Assistant Coach, as a reward for his hard work with the Telford club.
Scholes said: “Tom is an integral part of the success here at The Tigers and fully deserves the opportunity; his dedication, organization and his talent are exceptional and we have no doubt that Tom will prove himself on the international stage just as he is doing here in the UK with The Tigers.
“We have got some extremely talented players here in Telford this season, but Tom has moulded the team in a very short time into an exceptionally good unit.
“His preparation is incredibly thorough, and this shows in how we have been playing. The Great Britain team is fortunate to have him on board and I’m personally really excited to see the GB team go from strength to strength”.
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