Leeds Knights captain Kieran Brown earns first senior Great Britain call-up for World Championship training camp

The 22-year-old has enjoyed another stellar campaign for the Knights, leading them to the NIHL National league title and with the chance of a double still on after they made it through to the Final Four Weekend in Coventry.

Brown has led the league in scoring for a second successive season, plundering 121 points in 56 games, including 57 goals.

The former Sheffield Steelers’ trainee was unlucky not to get selected for the GB squad which competed in the Euro-Hockey Challenge back in February, but head coach Pete Russell has decided he wants a closer look at him ahead of the World Championships which take place at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham between April 29-May 5.

As a result, Brown finds himself in a long-list of 32 squad which will be cut to 22, plus an emergency netminder, ahead of the tournament.

The former Bradford Bulldogs’ junior will hook up with former Steelers’ team-mates and GB veterans Jonathan Phillips, Robert Dowd and Davey Phillips.

Steelers’ Evan Mosey and Sam Jones are also named, as is Brown’s former Knights-team-mate Brandon Whistle, who has enjoyed a great season under head coach Aaron Fox after making the switch to the Elite League full-time last summer.

Former Steelers’ players Liam Kirk, Ben O’Connor and netminder Jackson Whistle are also named.

GB are scheduled to play four warm-up games before Russell and his assistant coaches Adam Keefe and Corey Neilson decide on their final roster.

"We feel we have selected a quality group of players for training camp,” said Russell. "Cutting players from this roster is going to be tough for the coaching staff, but that's a great position to be in.

"The four games will be vital in our preparations for the World Championship and it's fantastic to be hosting such a prestigious tournament on home ice."

Full GB long-list squad – Netminders: Ben Bowns, Jordan Hedley, Jackson Whistle; Defence: Josh Batch, David Clements, Nathanael Halbert, Evan Mosey, Ben O’Connor, Sam Jones, David Phillips, Mark Richardson, Sam Ruopp, Josh Tetlow; Forwards: Ollie Betteridge, Kieran Brown, Cam Critchlow, Johnny Curran, Ben Davies, Robert Dowd, Sam Duggan, Mike Hammond, Robert Lachowicz, Ben Lake, Liam Kirk, Matthew Myers, Cade Neilson, Sean Norris, Brett Perlini, Jonathan Phillips, Ross Venus, Josh Waller, Brandon Whistle.