Fife Flyers’ new coach pledges team with ‘unyielding work ethic and passion’

He also becomes assistant GM, working directly with new owner Max Birbraer as the club prepares for a new era.

Russell comes to Kirkcaldy with a wealth of coaching experience spread across the NCAA, ECHL, Slovak Extraliga and most recently, the Alps Hockey League where his team, Rittner Buam faced off against the Cardiff Devils in the third round group stage of the 2024/25 IIHF Continental Cup Competition.

The new man behind the bench said: “I am very excited to begin this new journey with Fife Flyers. The new ownership group has been outstanding in developing a vision to return Flyers to a level of pride.

“We are building a roster that will reflect the values you will find in the community of Kirkcaldy. We will attack games with an unyielding work ethic and passion. You will see players that have pride in pulling Flyers’ sweaters over their heads. We intend to make Fife Ice Arena one of the most challenging places to play in the league, with the home team known for its speed, grit and relentless style of hockey.”

Russell, who hails from Kamloops, British Columbia, was ‘coach of the year’ with Michigan Tech in the NCAA in 2006/07 - as a defenceman, he also laced up for them and skated in the ECHL and AHL. Last season he led Rittner Buam to the Italian Supercup Championship.

At Elmira Jackals he coached Flyers’ netminder Shane Owen, and also Lucas Bloodoff - brother of former Fife forward Evan Bloodoff.

With Russell at the helm of the dressing-room, Birbraer in charge as president and GM, and Gareth Chalmers on board as chief commercial and operations officer, the new structure of the club is starting to emerge.

Fans can expect season ticket news imminently along with the first signing news as a new team starts to emerge ahead of the publication of the 2025-26 EIHL fixtures.

Birbraer said: “I am extremely excited to be able to secure Jamie as our head coach and associate GM. From the first conversation, I immediately felt we were exactly on the same page, not only about how hockey should be played, but the type of team we would like to build here in Fife.

“We both felt that this is a tremendous opportunity of having a blank canvas where we can put our own stamp on. The fact that Jamie has successfully undergone a full re-build process several times in his extensive career holds huge value as that’s exactly what is happening here in the Kingdom of Fife.”

He said Russell had the skills and experience to “put together a team which reflects the identity of what truly is a hockey town” adding: “Hard work, passion, fearlessness, are just some of the building blocks of our new identity.

“We are planning to balance this with skill and entertainment which we think is a winning formula in terms of giving our diehard supporters the match night experience they deserve. During the due diligence process, one common theme kept coming through. Jamie is a true leader. “