By SCOTT MULLEN

JEFF SMITH’S hopes of returning to Braehead have come to an end after he failed to qualify for a work permit.

The giant defenceman was brought in to Clan last year as short-term cover for the injured Ryan Kavanagh before having his deal extended until the end of the campaign.

The Canadian, who previously captained the now defunct Hull Stingrays, went on to play 24 times in purple during a memorable season for the Glasgow club.

However, it was not enough to satisfy the UK Border Agency to grant Smith a permit to return.

Head coach Ryan Finnerty had been set to make the 34-year-old his assistant coach as well as keeping him on as a player for the forthcoming title tilt.

But this was not possible as Smith had not played 75% of games during his first term at the Braehead Arena, meaning he was not eligible to return.

This will come as a blow to Clan fans who had grown to appreciate the imposing defenceman and the edge he brought to the ice.

Despite the news he will not return for a second term, Finnerty has already turned his attentions to other candidates to fill the void left by former No.2 Zack Fitzgerald.

Recruiting a new coach is of high importance to Clan, as is replenishing and improving a squad that hit new heights before the summer.

SportTimes understands that Braehead are progressing with several targets and are hopeful that their squad will be complete within the next two weeks.

Having matters tied up before the end of July will be of great benefit to Clan as they get set to embark on their first European jaunt next month.

The Scottish side will fly the flag in the Champions Hockey League next month with confusion over ticket details for their two home second legs now being cleared up.

Some season ticket holders reacted angrily after being led to believe their seats for the matches against Vaxjo Lakers of Sweden and Germany’s ERC Ingolstadt on August 22 and September 5 respectively would not be available to them to buy prior to a public sale.

The mix up is understood to have been caused due to a typing error on the Braehead site’s terms and conditions as well as Ticketmaster inadvertently putting tickets up for public sale too early.

However, after a meeting with Braehead Arena bosses, Clan have now set out to reassure fans by saying: “Further to our meeting with Braehead Arena this morning and a review of CHL ticketing, we are pleased to confirm 2015/16 season ticket holders will now have until Friday 31st July to purchase their seats.

“For non-season ticket holders, tickets will go on general sale from Saturday 1st August.

“We would like to apologise for any confusion or inconvenience caused during this matter.”