Another England Call Up For Rhodes

Many congratulations to Third Year Rhodes Mitchell-King who has received his second England call up.

Rhodes, who has played for Coventry Blaze Ice Hockey Academy since 2010, has gained selection for this season’s England Under 14 Ice Hockey Team. He plays mainly as a defender, but is also well known for his offensive skills and has a widely regarded slap shot from the blue line. He trains regularly at Coventry's SkyDome and plays games all over the north of England as Coventry Blaze is deemed a northern club by the England Ice Hockey Association (EIHA).

Recent EIHA selection follows on from Rhodes' experience playing for the England Under 13 team in Quebec, Canada last February, where the England team played 11 games over 13 days ending with 7 wins, 2 draws and only 2 defeats. In their two tournament games, in the International C competition, they won the first match 7-2 and then narrowly lost the second game 6-5 to a goal in the last 9 seconds to the team who went on to win the International C final. The only other team that defeated England in an exhibition game went on to win its own International B final.

Both of England’s tournament games took place in the amazing, brand new 18,500 seater Videotron Centre, which had excellent modern facilities - large changing rooms, full catering provision, video replay scoreboard and all the razzmatazz of the North American sports experience!

This year the EIHA England Under 14 team will visit Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, during the Easter holidays. The selection process took place at trial camps last August, October and December, and Rhodes was delighted to be included in the final squad. We wish him well for the team's training camp where final preparations will be made before the trip to Prague.

We are certain Rhodes will enjoy the tournament in a city that is passionate about its ice hockey - our Careers and Design Technology department both fondly recall taking a group of Business Studies A level students to a league Ice Hockey fixture in Prague in the early 2000s.

Rhodes has previously represented the Midlands Under 11 & 13 teams at European tournaments and against the other Conferences at the UK Inter-Conference Tournament (North, Scotland, South West & South East), while his trials and training for Midlands teams involve a monthly overnight (11pm-1am) session at Nottingham!

Well done to Rhodes and other pupils who are combining their school programme with extensive training for sports outside Bablake. We look forward to reports on the England team's progress at Easter in Prague.