Meet the Coaches
Martin Grubb
Martin is Dumfries and Galloway Council’s new Ice Hockey Development Officer and Solway Sharks Head Coach will look after all ages from Learn to Play to Learn to the Senior Sharks and is looking forward to playing an active part in the continued development of the Ice Hockey Programme and driving it forward to enable all players to strive to meet their potential.
Martin comes to post from the Fife Flyers where he has had a very successful time over the past 3 years including winning a Grand Slam in 06/07.
He is an extremely knowledgeable coach with a genuine and infectious passion for the game and likes nothing better than being on the ice with his players and helping them to develop not only as hockey players but also as people.
Martin’s coaching career started in Dumfries when he took charge of the junior set up at the end of the 1997 season and has blossomed from there including coaching Solway Sharks to the Scottish National League title two years running and Nithsdale Team of the Year.
He then moved back to Fife to coach within the junior programme winning various honours before taking the step up to the Flyers.
Martin has also been involved in the Scotland National programme for the past 7 years with mainly the Scotland under 17’s and 19’s and helped develop many of the players into Elite League and EPL players.
As a player Martin played for Fife Flyers and Dumfries Vikings before becoming Solway Sharks players coach before finishing his playing career with his hometown Kirkcaldy Kestrels.
Martin has also represented GB at under 16’s, 19’s and 21’s in both European and World Championships in various countries throughout the world and has learned something from the many coaches and players he has worked with throughout his 27yr career.
He has won every trophy available in Scotland and hopes to pass on his vast hockey experience to the Solway Sharks Club and help put the Sharks at the top of Scottish Hockey.
He is very excited by the challenge ahead and cannot wait to get started on the ice with everyone and is really looking forward to watching everyone succeed under his leadership.
Jamie Kerr
Jamie has played for the Solway Sharks his entire senior career. A product of local junior hockey, Jamie has many years of experience in the sport within the Dumfries Ice Bowl. Jamie has also been involved with the Learn to Play Program throughout the years and has been a welcomed addition to the junior Sharks' coaching staff.
Jamie Thomson
Jamie is a product of the original Dumfries Junior Ice Hockey Club and has been involved with the sport for over 15 years. He represented Scotland at Under 16 and Under 19 levels and at the age of 15 was the first Dumfries Junior to pull on a Dumfries Vikings Shirt in the British First Division.
Jamie played for the Dumfries club until 1996 when he left for Belfast to gain regular ice time with the Castlereagh Knights in the BNL and remained there for that season before signing with the Blackburn Hawks under coach Bobby Haig, Jamie played 2 seasons there in the English Premier league before returning home to the Solway Sharks under coach Martin Grubb in 98/99 season and was a member of that team for the following 3 seasons winning every competition in Scottish Ice hockey and having the honour of being assistant captain for 2 of those seasons. Jamie returned to Blackburn for a small spell Bobby Haig in the English National League before coming back to the sharks in 2004, Jamie finished his playing career by spending a season and a half at the Paisley Pirates playing out of the Braehead arena.
He is part of the Coaching fast track scheme and will mainly be looking after the Under 14 team this year, however will be involved with all the other age groups and is looking forward to working with Martin again in his and their new roles.
Andy Anderson