The eight-team elite tournament will start on 17th September 2016 and will run until 1st October. All of the games will be played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

In an opportunity backed by club owner Katharina Liebherr, Krueger – who has been chairman since March 2014 – will spend a short period away from the club in next September as head coach of Team Europe.

The World Cup of Hockey will return after a 12-year hiatus, with the national teams from the United States, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic being joined by two all-star teams.

Krueger’s side will be made up of the top National Hockey League players from the European countries not represented by their national teams, such as Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Norway, Denmark and Latvia.

Saints’ chairman enjoyed a successful career in ice hockey – both as a player and as a coach – before making the move to St Mary’s early last year, shortly after acting as an adviser for the Canadian national team as they won gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Speaking about this unique opportunity, Krueger said: “It’s a huge honour and I was pleasantly surprised when I was contacted. I’m very excited about the chance to grow again in the world of sports.

“My first conversation was with Katharina and with the board to get a feel for what they would see in this opportunity. It was nothing but positive.

“I see so many possibilities for growth that can help Southampton Football Club expand its borders. The backing of Katharina and the board has been terrific.

“Any time we are in conversation outside of our normal circle of awareness is an opportunity for the club. I’ll be proud to be there as chairman of Southampton.”

With Krueger set to take charge of a team made up of players from up to ten different nations, he believes his involvement in the tournament will aid the growth of the club.

“The countries that I will be representing make up a total of 150 million people across all of Europe,” he added. “It’s a huge responsibility, which I’m aware of. The tournament itself will be entertaining and I hope the Saints fans will buy into the process."

“This is now a club that is working as a team, as a unit, and I feel confident that me being away for that period of time will not affect the club’s progression in any way. We work together in all different areas and we march on, very strongly.”