GB ICE HOCKEY:

Great Britain head coach Tony Hand has picked a 35-man preliminary squad ahead of this year’s World Championship (Division 1A).

GB will compete in the six-team tournament with hosts Slovenia, along Austria, Hungary, Japan and Ukraine, between the 15th and 21st April 2012.

The squad will be cut down to 23 ahead of a three-day training camp, which will run from the 10th to 12th April.

Hand said: “There is amazing competition for places and GB is as strong as it has ever been in terms of the talent we have to choose from.

“There are players who will be disappointed to be left out already and that is so different from years ago when the national side had many dual-national players.

“Doug Christiansen and I really feel we have a competitive squad this year and can build on the recent success of the national team.

“We have a job on our hands to cut the squad by 12 in time for the 10th April, but it is a good dilemma to have on our hands.

“The closer the World Championship gets, the more the excitement builds. There is loads of work going on behind the scenes to make sure we leave no stone unturned.”

GB preliminary squad

Netminders

Ben Bowns (Sheffield Steeldogs) Nathan Craze (Edinburgh Capitals) Stephen Murphy (Belfast Giants) Geoff Woolhouse (Sheffield Steelers)

Defence

Russ Cowley (Coventry Blaze) Corey Neilson (Nottingham Panthers) Stephen Lee (Nottingham Panthers) Danny Meyers (Nottingham Panthers) Ben O’Connor (Sary-Arka Karaganda) David Phillips (SønderjyskE) Kevin Phillips (Braehead Clan) Mark Richardson (Cardiff Devils) Mark Thomas (Sheffield Steelers) Jonathan Weaver (Coventry Blaze)

Forwards

David Clarke (Nottingham Panthers) Ben Davies (Cardiff Devils) Robert Dowd (Belfast Giants) Robert Farmer (Coventry Blaze) Owen Fussey (Coventry Blaze) Mark Garside (Belfast Giants) Jason Hewitt (Sheffield Steelers) Phil Hill (Cardiff Devils) Brent Hughes (Dundee Stars) Jeff Hutchins (Dundee Stars) Leigh Jamieson (Milton Keynes Lightning) Robert Lachowicz (Nottingham Panthers) David Longstaff (Guildford Flames) Bari McKenzie (Edinburgh Capitals) Lee Mitchell (Braehead Clan) Matthew Myers (Nottingham Panthers) Arron Nell (Swindon Wildcats) Greg Owen (Coventry Blaze) Craig Peacock (Belfast Giants) Jonathan Phillips (Sheffield Steelers) Colin Shields (Morzine-Avoriaz)