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After coaching the High and Mighty Coventry Blaze to their best ever finish in the Findus British National League in his first year as full time coach, Paul Thompson has now agreed new terms and will remain with the Blaze for the next three seasons.

Thompson will continue in his position as Director of Hockey Operations as the ambitious Blaze look to build on the successes of the past season. His appointment will also see him continue to oversee the development of the Blaze junior hockey system and he has already appointed Blaze player, James Pease, as Head Coach of that section of the Club.

Already the longest serving Head Coach in senior British ice hockey, the new deal will see him rewarded for his commitment with a full testimonial in the third year of his contract.

Club Chairman, Andy Buxton, is delighted that his highly rated Coach will be back on board for next season :-

"Paul has been the heartbeat of this Club for a number of years now, and as we continue to drive to take the organisation forward, we are very pleased that his enthusiasm and ability will be available to us for the next three years.

"I think it's fair to say that he has consistently over achieved as a Head Coach and that is one of the main reasons we wanted to extend his contract. With a three year appointment he'll have the opportunity to build more for the future as well as concentrating on the season ahead.

"Paul's an ambitious person, like the rest of the management team here, and although there may be other UK and European clubs who are interested in his services, we really believe that we are able to offer him a range of responsibilities that will both challenge him and broaden his range of skills. He agrees with that and sees huge potential for both the club and himself over the coming seasons, which is why he was more than happy to make this long term commitment to the club."

Thompson is now on duty as Assistant Coach of the Great Britain national team who will be training for a week in Nottingham before flying out to Hungary to compete in the World Championships. He is expected to start building the Blaze side for next season on his return.