As well as leading his teammates on the ice in Trentino, the 27-year-old has the extra honour of being the official flag bearer for the British team at what will be his third Universiade appearance following on from Turin 2007 and Harbin 2009.

"Everybody is pretty excited about getting out there," Piggott told insidethegames.

"Representing your country is an honour and carrying the flag for the whole group is even better."

But, the man originally from Calgary in Canada before moving to the United Kingdom with his British parents at the age of nine, believes Team GB will be one of the underdogs in the ice hockey tournament after being drawn in a tough group.

"I think it is going to be difficult for us," he said

"The teams we are coming against are more traditional hockey nations.

"We have got the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Russia and all three of those have produced a lot of world-class hockey players that have gone to play in the National Hockey League over the years.

"The Russians in particular are one of the top sides in the world and they are ranked right up there in the top five.

"There are going to be some tough games for us but it will definitely be a learning experience for us.

"As long as we can play well together as a team then hopefully we can give ourselves a shot at keeping the games as competitive as possible.

"It will be a tough tournament for sure and we need to be realistic with our targets."

Luke Piggott has been carrying out some pioneering work in the treatment and prevention of breast cancer at Cardiff University ©Wales News Service