Southern four return

The Black Sticks Men have retained plenty of experience along with some exciting young prospects in the 2017 National Squad.

The 23-strong squad is led by four players who have amassed more than 200 tests caps in Simon Child (274), Shea McAleese (243), Nick Haig (200) and Arun Panchia (205) with plenty of experience alongside them.

Southern foursome Hugo Inglis, Nick Ross, Kane Russell and Blair Tarrant return.

Canterbury defender David Brydon and Auckland striker Kim Kingstone are new faces, having been named to the national squad for the first time.

Twelve players in the new group competed for the Black Sticks at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, while the remaining two spots will be filled in the coming months bringing the squad up to 25 athletes.

Hockey New Zealand High Performance Director Terry Evans said it was great to carry through the core of last year’s Olympic squad.

"It’s great to have the commitment of the senior guys and will be exciting to watch several of the young players evolve with more time in the black shirt."

With the departure of Colin Batch, recruitment for a new head coach is in progress and it is hoped an appointment will be made as soon as possible.

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