Braehead Clan Hockey and Operations Director Gareth Chalmers has refused to rule out appointing a Player/Coach at the club, but says he would prefer a Head Coach in charge.
Clan are currently looking for a replacement for Ryan Finnerty, who exited the Braehead after four years at the helm at the end of the 2016/17 season.
Former Belfast Giants boss Derrick Walser and Nottingham Panthers Assistant Player/Coach David Clarke have both been linked with the job and Chalmers admitted there’s been plenty of interest in the post since it became available.
“I don’t think we’re ruling anything out in terms of a player/coach,” said Chalmers.
“In the last couple of years we’ve seen at Belfast and Cardiff with Derrick and Andrew Lord, if you bring in the right guy it can work.
“From a personal perspective though, I would rather have a head coach instead of someone whose time is split between being a player and a coach.
“We’ll more than likely go with a head coach, but I’m not ruling out a player/coach at this time.
“Overall, it’s going very well and we’ve had a lot of interest in the position. We’ve received almost fifty applications from North America, Europe and here in the UK so there’s been plenty of interest.
“There’s been a variety of candidates there with different backgrounds and plenty of experience that we’re looking for, so it’s progressing very well and now, it’s all about picking the right person.
“It’s not going to be a one-year, quick fix appointment. We want to bring in a guy and give them time and support to allow them to achieve the targets we have.
“It’s not one we want to rush. We have to try and take our time with this decision to make sure we get the right individual at the club.
“It’s difficult to explain the sort of criteria we’re looking for. Every club would like the ideal head coach, but we’re looking for someone with experience, that has a record of winning.
“We also want someone that can put an entertaining product on the ice. There are various different aspects we have to try and cover to try and find that candidate and compromise in other places.
“As an organisation, we have to try and find a way to progress to win that first major trophy for the club and we have that very much in mind.
“But it’s important, we’ve had a hockey club that has entertained for the last seven years, we want to continue that and the new head coach will play a big part of that.”
(Image permission: Al Goold Photo)
