Davey Phillips on Great Britain ice hockey's World Championship ambitions and his desire to be there to realise them

The 35-year-old defenceman made a surprise switch to Belfast Giants last month, ending a seven-year stint with Sheffield Steelers who – no doubt due to the increase in import numbers to 15 – failed to come up with any offer to keep him in South Yorkshire for the 2023-24 season.

And while he may have ended 2022-23 empty-handed with the Steelers once again, it wasn’t a totally lost campaign for the Hull-born blue liner, who played a pivotal role for GB when they earnt a gold-medal promotion back to the top tier of the World Championships after a memorable week in Nottingham.

Having played three tournaments against world-leading nations such as Canada, Finland, Sweden and the Czech Republic since first earning promotion back in 2018, Phillips understandably developed a taste for the high life, one that he is desperate to experience again when GB head to Prague in 12 months’ time.

His chances of doing that will depend largely on GB head coach Pete Russell, who himself made a significant switch in terms of club hockey early in the close season when he was appointed as Cardiff Devils’ new boss.

As has been the case throughout his playing career, Phillips is taking nothing for granted when it comes to being on that plane to Czechia.

He knows it will require the same kind of consistent performance that he displayed throughout his time with the Steelers, consistency he hopes will help Belfast emulate last season’s stunning league, play-offs and cup treble, or at least come very close to matching it.

“I’d love nothing more than to play again for GB in that top group next year,” said Phillips, with the minnows drawn in Group A against Finland, USA, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Denmark, Norway and Austria.

“I think we’d all agree as players that the three years we spent up there was probably the highlight of everyone’s careers.

“As you can imagine, it was a fantastic experience and something I’d love the chance to do it again.

“We’ve got to make sure that we use the experience of playing at the very top and build off it as well.

"Don’t get me wrong, when we play the very top teams like Finland, Canada and the like it’s always going to be very difficult – but those games also hold you in good stead when you then go and play against the lower-ranked teams in your group, like Norway and Latvia.”

Reflecting on the week at the National Ice Centre when a 5-3 win over Italy on the final night secured the gold medal, Phillips admitted it was just the latest instalment of what has been a rollercoaster ride with the national team in the last few years.

"It was a tricky group that in Nottingham, because everyone was capable of beating everyone else,” explained Phliips.

"There were quite a few results that didn’t go the way people thought they would. It was a bit of a rollercoaster week for everyone really, in terms of emotions.

"And that last game, it was really overwhelming to be honest – to do it and get back up at the first attempt, it was all quite surreal. And then of course with Jonno (Steelers’ team-mate and GB captain Jonathan Phillips) retiring as well, it was quite an emotional night.

"But we’ve earned the chance to have another go at that level, put ourselves in a good spot.

"I still can’t believe we did it, but then the whole ride of the last five years with GB has been absolutely amazing – there have been ups and downs, mainly ups.

"Nobody would ever have thought we’d have got to that top group to begin with and then we spent three years there.

"It was so gutting to come back down but to get back up again at the first time of trying was just brilliant.”