Last month, the 42-year-old was appointed in the dual role of general manager and head of the national team programme for the men’s national ice hockey team in his home country.

Satan, a four-time Olympian and a member of the 2002 World Championships title winning side, takes over a Slovakian team who have disappointed in recent years.

They have not reached the quarter-finals of either the World Championships or Olympics since 2013.

In an interview published by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), Satan said he hopes to turn the team’s fortunes around.

“Obviously we’re going to try to get as far as we can,” Satan said, who played for 14 years in the National Hockey League and won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009.

“We’ll see what kind of team we will have.

“I don’t want to say numbers, but I definitely see us play in the playoffs in every tournament.

“If you don’t do that, then it’s hard to consider it a successful tournament.

“I’d like to see us in the top eight every time.”

In 2019, the IIHF World Championships are being hosted in Slovakia, with capital city Bratislava and Kosice staging games.

With this in mind, Satan said he believes the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang next year could act as a great preparation for the World Championships.

“Next year is an Olympic year and also a preparation for the season after with the World Championships on home ice,” he said.

“So that’s a goal in the longer term already during the next season.

“We want to have a team in 2019 that can excite the fans and play well at home here in Bratislava.

“We will be working on that goal, to be a good contender for the championship here.”