Great Britain ice hockey - Jonathan Phillips hopes to see GB mixing with world's elite for years to come

It has been a season of farewells for Phillips, who has retired from full-time hockey both on the domestic front after 17 years at Sheffield Steelers and on the international stage with GB.

And whereas the Steelers came up just short in sending their captain off into the sunset with another trophy to his collection, he was able to save the best until the very last, leading his country to promotion and a gold medal in Nottingham last week.

Backed by a passionate, sell-out crowd at the Motorpoint Arena, the hosts beat Italy 5-3 in the final Division 1A game, ensuring they finished top of the standings to secure an instant return to ‘Pool A’ following last year’s relegation in Finland.

There may well be a pang of regret when he watches his beloved GB team step out onto the ice to face the likes of Canada, Sweden and Finland in Czechia this time next year, but Phillips can turn to a collection of memories from his time with the national team most players can only dream about.

Many of them will come from the last five years, from the moment they earned a second successive promotion to take them back to the top division after 25 years away, until his tearful farewell on home ice just over a week ago.

And being able to emulate those three years at the top of the world game and by making it a regular appointment for even longer this time around, is crucial for the sport in Britain, according to Phillips.

“First and foremost you always want to win, whatever you’re doing,” said the 40-year-old winger. “Helping the boys back up to Pool A is massive, not just for the younger guys playing now, but the juniors coming through.

“You need GB to be in the biggest window possible for this sport to grow in this country. Things have got to change and one of the major steps in that is GB staying up in that top group year after year because I believe it gives you far more recognition as a serious hockey nation.”

And while he will be sitting back home in front of his TV watching next year’s events unfold in Czechia, Phillips believes the team-mates he has left behind have what it takes to get the job done and retain their elite status.

“You look at some of the guys on that team and there is some serious skill there,” added Phillips. “It is going to be great to see them getting rewarded with playing against the best in the world again next year.

“And with the experience some of those boys have gained over the last three years, they’ll be buzzing and I’m confident they’ll get the job done.”