Coventry Blaze have confirmed Head Coach Chuck Weber will not be returning to the club for the 2016/17 season.

The 43-year-old American arrived on a short term contract mid-way through the 2014/15 season and guided the club to the Elite League play-off title.

He returned for a second campaign last season and once again took the Blaze to the final where they were defeated by Nottingham Panthers.

Weber said: “I want to say a big thank you to the ownership team for having given me this wonderful opportunity at the Blaze.

“It’s a fantastic club and my family and I have been welcomed and looked after from the moment we arrived in Britain.

“I’ve been given tremendous support from the fans here and Coventry Blaze will always have a special place in my heart.

“It’s the natural time for both the club and myself to go our separate ways for now, but you never know what may happen in the future.

“I shall certainly continue to help and support the club in any way I can and I shall be keeping an eye on results and how the club is doing.”

Blaze Director of Hockey, James Pease, added: “We knew all along that Chuck was likely to only be with us until the end of the season.

“Although he came to us with great experience, in terms of his coaching career, he is still a young man and we knew he wanted to continue to grow and develop as a coach through working in lots of different environments, countries and leagues.

“Coventry Blaze is only a tiny dot on the global hockey map and there is so much out there for him to experience and learn from so he can become the best coach he can possibly be.

“We were delighted he came back to do a full season after our play-off success and it has been a pleasure working with him.

“We have learned a lot from him, but I think Chuck will be the first to admit he has also learned a lot from us.

“It’s a relationship that has come to its natural conclusion for the time being, but who knows what may happen in the future?

“We part on the very best of terms and we wish him nothing but success and job satisfaction in his next role.”

Ex-Blaze player Danny Stewart is believed to be the front-runner to make a return to the Skydome as the new Blaze boss.

(Image permission: Scott Wiggins)