Clan set to appoint new head coach
Decision imminent as club considers shortlist
Braehead Clan are nearing the appointment of a new head coach following weeks of extensive planning.
The side have been without a coach since the end of last season, following which they announced the departure of Ryan Finnerty from the role.
Clan’s hockey and operations director, Gareth Chalmers, explained that they have been working through a shortlist of candidates, having been inundated with applications for the vacant position of the Elite League side.
With player recruitment also going on in the background, it is a busy time for Chalmers, but he insists that an appointment will be made in the near future. Chalmers said: “I appreciate everyone is very anxious and is wanting to know how we’re progressing with the appointment of a new head coach.
“I would like to reassure everyone that there has been a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes over the past two months.
“We’ve had a considerable amount of interest in the role which is testament to the reputation we have as an organisation throughout the hockey world.
“We went into the process knowing exactly what we wanted, so it’s taken us time to look at our options and ensure we carry out our research into each candidate.
“The head coach role in any organisation is without a doubt the most important, it’s the biggest decision we’ll make as a club as it effects what happens on the ice during the foreseeable future. We shortlisted candidates a couple of weeks ago and have recently been carrying out further due diligence on our options, negotiating and taking time making sure all the relevant boxes are ticked.
“I totally appreciate Clan fans are wanting news now, however I am confident we’ll have a conclusion very soon.”
Clan have managed to tie down Craig Peacock, Zach Sullivan, Jordan Buesa and Josh Grieveson for next season but sides across the league are also in the thick of signing players for next season.
And Chalmers insists the club are continuing to put their all into signing up new stars.
He added: “I can understand it is frustrating when players are signing for rival teams, however we’re fully up to speed with regards to what is happening on the player market.
“It’s imperative that the new head coach can sign the imports and build the team he wants. I’ve had discussions with all coaching candidates regarding signing targets and we’ve already got a few guys on hold and a number of options lined up The import market only really gets going during June, July and August so we’ll be hitting the ground running with regards to recruitment.” .“