Great Britain head coach Pete Russell has named his team for next month’s Olympic Qualifiers in Nottingham.
The IIHF Olympic Pre-Qualification Round 3 Group J takes place from Thursday 6th to Sunday 9th February 2020 at the Motorpoint Arena.
Great Britain, Estonia, Hungary and Romania will battle it out for a place in the final qualifiers in August for the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
There are first GB call-ups for Travis Ehrhardt, Brendan Connolly and Scott Conway.
Russell said: “Picking this group was tough but in a good way, as there was serious competition for spots.
“The guys who we have added into the group are having really good seasons so far and we could not ignore their progress at this stage.
“In-season tournaments are a little different from the World Championship and the in-form guys can help us hit the ice with strong confidence levels.
“It’s a short preparation and only three games that await us, so we have to be ready both mentality and physically right from the start.
“Some really good players have not made the 22 and I am sure those guys will finish the season strong to look to force the way back into the World Championship group.
“But right now it’s about the challenge that awaits us all in Nottingham and it’s not a easy one.
“We will, as always, respect our opponents and be backed by our own fans as the home nation. What a great opportunity and experience awaits us all.”
The tournament gets under way on Thursday 6th February with Hungary facing Estonia, before GB take-on the Romania in the evening.
After Friday’s rest day, Hungary will face Romania on Saturday afternoon, with Estonia against Great Britain in the evening.
The final day of the tournament is Sunday and Estonia round-off their matches by facing Romania, while Great Britain play Hungary.
Netminders
Ben Bowns – Cardiff Devils
Jackson Whistle – Nottingham Panthers
Defencemen
Josh Batch – Cardiff Devils
Dallas Ehrhardt – Manchester Storm
Travis Ehrhardt – Glasgow Clan
Steve Lee – Guildford Flames
Ben O’Connor – Sheffield Steelers
David Phillips – Sheffield Steelers
Mark Richardson – Cardiff Devils
Paul Swindlehurst – Belfast Giants
Forwards
Ollie Betteridge – Nottingham Panthers
Brendan Connolly – Sheffield Steelers
Scott Conway – Atlanta Gladiators (ECHL)
Ben Davies – Guildford Flames
Robert Farmer – Lausitzer Fusche (DEL2)
Luke Ferrara – Coventry Blaze
Mike Hammond – Lausitzer Fusche (DEL2)
Ben Lake – Belfast Giants
Matthew Myers – Cardiff Devils
Brett Perlini – Nottingham Panthers
Jonathan Phillips – Sheffield Steelers
Ross Venus – Coventry Blaze
