Cole Shudra becomes third Rotherham man in GB ice hockey squad

Kiveton Park's Cole Shudra has been called up for Great Britain to make his debut in the Olympic Qualifiers in Cardiff this weekend.He joins Maltby superstar winger Liam Kirk and Swinton's goaltending giant Ben Bowns.For Shudra, it is both an honour and the recognition he'd hoped for and symbolises his growth as a legitimate EIHL performer.

He received the call-up this week after an injury to forward Josh Waller.Solid performances in Olympic Qualifiers in Wales will make it hard for coach Pete Russell to displace Shudra in the line up for major future events like the World Championships in Prague in May.The 25-year-old Shudra played five times for the national team's U18s and made six appearances for the U20s, including winning a bronze medal in 2018.Domestically, he has not missed a game for his EIHL side Sheffield Steelers this year and has scored seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points in 44 games in all competitions.British head coach Pete Russell said: “We’re disappointed to lose Josh, especially at such a late stage.“But as one door closes another one opens. Cole has had a fantastic season with the Steelers and fully deserves his call-up to the full international squad.”GB will take on China, Romania and Serbia from Thursday to Sunday Feb 8-11, at the Vindico Arena in Cardiff.The group winners will progress to Final Qualifying in August 2024 – the final stage of qualifying before the Winter Olympics in Italy, which are due to start on February 6, 2026.

Shudra's selection hands a challenge to Steelers - they have had their entire GB skating contingent stripped from their line-up for this weekend's league games.

But Cardiff Devils and Belfast Giants, their rivals at the top of the division, have also lost four players

​