Ice Blacks Announcement

27 October 2017

It is with great regret to inform the New Zealand Ice Hockey community that due to work and family commitments, Maru Rout has officially resigned as Head Coach of the New Zealand Ice Blacks.

This decision has not come easy as Maru’s dedication to the Ice Blacks and the New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation is unparalleled. We wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank

Maru and his family for this dedication and the countless hours given to the National Teams and Federation.

With years of service as a player and two fantastic campaigns as Ice Blacks Head Coach resulting in a silver medal at the 2017 IIHF World Championships and a fantastic Trans-Tasman Challenge series result, the NZIHF wishes Maru well and we look forward to seeing him back on the ice and bench in the very near future.

The NZIHF, Maru and team management have given their full support for Anatoly Khorozov to take over as Head Coach of the NZ Ice Blacks. Anatoly will continue the good work that he has done thus far. The application process for the Ice Blacks assistant coach role will be announced shortly.

The NZIHF wish Anatoly, Graham, Ross and the team all the very best for their 2018 IIHF World Championship Campaign, and gives full support for their programme.

Regards,

Andy Mills

International Ice Hockey

New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation