ZOETERMEER, Netherlands – Doug Mason starts a third stint as head coach of the Netherlands’ men’s national team. He will succeed Chris Eimers, who resigned after the last-place finish at the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I Group B in Belfast.

The 62-year-old will be supported by three assistant coaches from Dutch club teams: Mike Nason (Heerenveen), Bohuslav Subr (Tilburg) and Joshua Mizerek (Tilburg). Nason already served as assistant coach during the past two seasons.

Mason moved to the Netherlands in 1979 playing nine seasons for the Tilburg Trappers. He then started coaching in the country for clubs and the national association including positions as head coach of the U20 national team in 1986, 1990, 1991 and 1997 and later also had stints with club teams in Switzerland, Germany and Austria where he will continue to coach the Graz 99ers.

The native of Sudbury, Ontario, was the head coach of the Netherlands’ men’s national team for six years between 1994/1995 and 1999/2000. He had a second stint in the 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 seasons. During his 14 years as head coach in the top German league DEL he also got the chance to be behind the bench of Team Canada at the Deutschland Cup as an assistant coach.

43 candidates have been named to the men’s national team including the new coach’s son, Steve Mason. Doug Mason will meet the team first time during two exhibition games against neighbour Belgium on 11 November in Mechelen and one day later in Geleen.

The Netherlands aim at promotion back to the Division I and will host the 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division II Group A in Tilburg, 23-29 April 2018. Australia, Serbia, Belgium, Iceland and China will be the opponents.