Braehead Clan player-assistant coach Brendan Brooks has backed new captain Ville Hämäläinen to succeed in his new role.

The Finn, who only arrived at the club last week, was announced as the skipper earlier in the week, taking over from Brooks, who fulfilled those duties so far.

And he admits he’s happy to pass the ‘C’ on as the Clan get ready for two big games against Edinburgh Capitals and Fife Flyers this weekend.

“Ville’s a hard-working guy and I know John had him in mind, speaking to him earlier in the year,” Brooks said.

“It was easy for me to hand it over as I was brought here to be player-assistant coach. Sometimes juggling the captaincy too can be tough and I’m pleased Ville is able to help out.

“For me, something needed to change and if it makes our team better, then I’m all for it. We needed a new lift and a new voice and I believe this is a great thing.”

Brooks looked ahead to Saturday’s home game against Edinburgh Capitals and is hoping for an improvement on their last showing in front of their fans.

Last Saturday’s 7-1 humbling by Fife Flyers was an eye opener for everyone connected with the club, especially for coach John Tripp who apologised to the fans afterwards.

Although Edinburgh, with three wins in their last four, will look to keep that run going, Brooks says his team are out for redemption.

He added: “It’s a very important weekend. Last week was a big disappointment for everyone, fans included, but we get the chance to redeem ourselves.

“Anything that could have gone wrong for us last Saturday did. The first four or five shifts, we looked full of life and had good chances.

“When Fife scored their first one, it took the wind out of our sails a little, because we were going well. Then they got the second and you felt everything drop a bit.

“Edinburgh are a better team than last season and we owe the fans and ourselves one on Saturday. We’re keen to show what kind of team we can be.”