Peterborough Phantoms have confirmed Head Coach Slava Koulikov has signed an extension to his current three-year deal.

Koulikov signed a new contract after leading the Phantoms to the EPL play-off title in 2015, meaning his new agreement will now take him up to the end of the 2019 season.

Koulikov said: “There are many reasons that a commitment of the coach is good for a club. Firstly the players – they will feel more stable and will be able to commit themselves more.

“More importantly, we are able to execute long term plans. The owner made it really clear that he wants to me see out the next two seasons of my contract. He supports me as much as he can, which is great.

“My bigger concern was for my family because they come first. It was a tough decision to make for the whole family, because I’ve been travelling a lot and not seeing my daughter grow.

“Thanks to Dave, Jo & the whole organisation they made it work, and have helped us make the transition to come here with my family full-time.

“Now I’m just looking forward to concentrating on hockey and carrying on the work we’ve built here.”

Jon Kynaston, Phantoms’ Director of Hockey, added: “We’re delighted to confirm an additional year with Slava – we have a very solid working relationship and I believe we’re building strong foundations for the future.

“We are keen for Slava and the team to see stability, and the organisation committing ahead allows that and helps us plan medium term and not just short term.”

(Image permission: Tom Scott)