Great Britain has revealed its squad for the upcoming Final Olympic Qualifiers set to take place in Aalborg, Denmark.
This critical tournament will determine which teams advance to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
Under tournament rules, Great Britain’s roster includes 22 players, with Lucas Brine listed as the Emergency Reserve netminder.
In Group F, GB will compete against Japan, Norway, and hosts Denmark, with matches scheduled from 29th August to 1st September.
Pete Russell’s squad will kick off the competition on Thursday against Denmark, followed by a clash with Norway the next day. GB’s final game in the group stage is slated for Sunday against Japan.
Simultaneously, Group D will be hosted in Bratislava, featuring Slovakia, Kazakhstan, Austria, and Hungary.
Group E action will unfold in Riga, where Latvia will face France, Slovenia, and Ukraine. The winner of each group will secure a coveted spot in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
GB Roster
Netminders:
- Ben Bowns (Cardiff Devils)
- Jackson Whistle (Belfast Giants)
- Emergency Reserve Netminder:
- Lucas Brine (Glasgow Clan)
Defence:
- Josh Batch (Cardiff Devils)
- Nathanael Halbert (HKM Zvolen)
- Evan Mosey (Cardiff Devils)
- Ben O’Connor (Dundee Stars)
- David Phillips (Hull Seahawks)
- Mark Richardson (Cardiff Devils)
- Sam Ruopp (ERC Ingolstadt)
- Josh Tetlow (Nottingham Panthers)
Forwards:
- Ollie Betteridge (Nottingham Panthers)
- Ben Davies (Cardiff Devils)
- Robert Dowd (Sheffield Steelers)
- Sam Duggan (Cardiff Devils)
- Liam Kirk (Eisbären Berlin)
- Robert Lachowicz (Glasgow Clan)
- Ben Lake (Belfast Giants)
- Cade Neilson (Glasgow Clan)
- Sean Norris (Guildford Flames)
- Brett Perlini (Cardiff Devils)
- Cole Shudra (Sheffield Steelers)
- Josh Waller (Guildford Flames)
Coach’s Outlook
Head Coach Pete Russell acknowledged the magnitude of the challenge ahead, stating, “This is our biggest test since I have been in this role.
“It’s a super hard challenge to play Pool A nations after eight months of a season, nevermind with such short preparation time, but our players will give it everything they have.”
Russell also emphasised the difficulty of selecting the final roster, saying, “We can only take 20 players and three goalies, so there were some really hard decisions and some great people will not be with us this time.
“I take my hats off to the staff and players for everything and all their efforts this week – and we will do everything we can to make the country proud.”
Broadcast Information
All of Great Britain’s games will be broadcast live on Premier Sports, with commentary provided by Olympic commentator Aaron Murphy and former GB forward Paul Adey.
FIXTURES
Thursday 29th August
Norway v Japan – 15:30 face-off (14:30 BST)
Denmark v Great Britain – 19:30 face-off (18:30)
Friday 30th August
Norway v Great Britain – 15:30 face-off (14:30)
Japan v Denmark – 19:30 face-off (18:30)
Sunday 1st September
Great Britain v Japan – 12:30 face-off (11:30)
Denmark v Norway – 16:30 face-off (15:30)