LUKAS Smital believes it will a “huge challenge” to bring success back to Slough Jets having been appointed the new head coach this week.

Smital will replace Tony Milton as head coach after his decision to step down due to his business becoming more successful.

He will also take over as junior head coach as Ben Pitchley heads back to Romford, while Joe Ciccarello remains at the Jets as assistant coach.

The former Bracknell Bees head coach is keen to work with the youth at Slough and he hopes there will be exciting times ahead for the Montem Lane-based club.

Smital told the Observer: “It’s a huge challenge for me. Obviously there’s going to be a lot of work to do but it’s exciting times at Slough.

“It is an opportunity for me to work hard and restore the club, make sure it’s moving in the right direction.

“One thing that I’m strong on is the way we train kids and what they’re thinking. It’s always good for a club to work with little kids all the way up to under-18s.

“It is what I’ve done at previous clubs and it’s good for the sport, keeping young kids involved.

“There are a lot of kids at Slough that I’ve only seen in one game to be fair, so I will look closer and see how prepared they are, but we want to turn it into a professional basis.

“If they want to play for Slough Jets then they need to be ready. We’re going to start with trials next week.”

He continued: “The senior side will just have a summer skate because I don’t believe in pushing them hard in June. There’s still two months to get back to fitness, strong and ready for the new season.

“I never set any goals, just take it little by little and try to get Slough back on the map. The club has had a lot of success in the past and I want to bring that back.”

The Jets will begin the new season in a temporary rink in Montem Lane, with the main rink set to re-open in March 2018 after a multi-million pound refurbishment.

Smital said: “It’s going to be nice when you look around and see over ice rinks dying having been around for such a long time.

“It’s so refreshing to see Slough with new facilities on the way, modern to accommodate players and fans. It’s exciting times.”

Check out our new Observer sports Facebook page. Search: Robert Observer Sport and like, follow and search today.