The man who arrived in Glasgow only a few days ago is no Day Tripper. He’s here for a greater purpose, and is keen to see it through.

John Tripp is embarking on a new journey. Residing in Scotland for the first time, the far-travelled former NHL player is taking further steps on what looks to be a promising career as a head coach. His appointment at the helm at Braehead back in May was just his second such role.

For a man who, as a formidable force on the ice, pulled on a jersey for teams like the New York Rangers and the LA Kings, the decision of coming to these shores to further himself in ice hockey terms may appear peculiar to those in North America unaware of the job Tripp has on his hands in Glasgow.

Inheriting a position, club but not necessarily a team from Ryan Finnerty that has almost outgrown itself in terms of expectation, the task facing the 40-year-old to take Braehead Clan to the next level in front of a loyal but success-hungry crowd is far from an easy one.

“I expect success. The group that I’m bringing in should be working hard. And they will work hard,” said the man who represented Germany for over 100 caps.

“It’s something I did as a player myself. It was all about the hard work, it wasn’t about the technical stuff on the ice. Hard work pays off and if everyone does that and plays with their heart on their sleeve and plays for the guy next to them it will build good team chemistry.

“If you build good team chemistry you are going to build a winning team.”

A high turnover of players, as well as the arrival of a new head coach, has only added to a feeling of a clean slate for the Clan support. With over 1700 season-ticket holders, not to mention average home crowds north of 3,000, there is a burden to get things right.

Finnerty’s four-year spell had brought lofty league positions but no silverware outwith comfortable conference wins. Ultimately their fallibility in play-off hockey cost Finnerty the chance to stay on in Glasgow as Dundee Stars dumped them out at the first hurdle on the back of an inconsistent season just four months ago.

Not many players remain from that side. Seven to be exact. But while trip insists Scottish talent like Bari McKenzie and Gary Russell must play a part, you get them impression that those familiar with the pressures of playing in purple must prove their worth as much as anyone else.

“You can’t forget that building a team from scratch is not easy, even building a team in general,” said Tripp. “You think of most successful teams whether it’s soccer or anywhere, you have to have a good core. That’s something we want to establish.

“I feel a lot of that core comes from the hometown guys, too. That’s where you start and get them prepared and ready. We have been on them this summer to make sure they come here in shape so there’s no questions of that. If you want a good piece of the pie they need to give all they can.

“It’s tough when you bring a lot of imports in. I’ve been in Germany where it’s the same scenario. Once you start getting a good core and place a few pieces around it you start to form where you want to go.

“At the start it can be a bit unorganised and hectic. It’s like any business you go to, once you go into the office it’s like ‘this is your job, this is your job’. Hopefully everyone stays on the same path.

“You will always get a couple of wavers but you need to figure out how to adjust and go from there.

“We will see what happens in training camp and who performs and how it goes from there.

“I mean it’s nice to say, ‘aw this guy is going to be this guy’ but in the end, there will be some surprises, there will be some guys you will be really happy with and some players who were not what you wanted. But it’s your job to get them where they should be and talk it out with them.

“It’s fine tuning. It’s not easy but hockey players just want to be babysat.”

Some supporters have been nervous at a squad that looks slightly thin just two weeks ahead of the season opener at home to Manchester Storm, a team now managed by Finnerty. Tripp is comfortable with the fact, but he is confident bodies will begin to arrive in what is typically a frantic period in British hockey.

He said: “As people know there can be visa issues which is no big deal. It’ll just take a little longer but I’m not sweating it. Camp is still three weeks and they are coming in in shape.

“Everyone knows we still need to sign a couple of players so not everyone will be together. But it will work out. We will be practising elsewhere for the next few weeks but the rink is nice. They pack them in there. It’ll be nice and loud and that’s what we want to get the guys going.

“It’s nice here. I live right down by Braehead. It’s beautiful and it’s a great place for the family. I’m looking forward to them coming as well.

“Players are ignorant. We just want to play, we go to the rink and show up then we go home. You don’t really see the place.

“I kind of have an idea of how I want it to go. Training camp is the busiest time of the year and when you have new guys coming in with different ideas and getting stuff organised it’s not easy.

“The crew at the hockey club have been working the tails off. It’s nice to see. Hard work pays off.”