Grabovski made 50 senior international appearances for Belarus and had been on the coaching staff of Hockey Club Dinamo Minsk since 2019.

He has now stepped down to concentrate on his responsibilities with Belarus.

The 37-year-old, who spent 10 years in the NHL playing for the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals and New York Islanders, will be in charge of player selection for the national teams and the development of youth players.

"Mikhail Grabovski has long been a legend of Belarusian ice hockey," said Aliaksander Bahdanovich, chairman of the Belarus Ice Hockey Association, as reported by the country's official news agency, the Belarusian Telegraph Agency (BelTA).

"He has proved himself first as a player and then as a coach.

"At first, probably not many people believed in his success behind the bench, because he was quite young when he came to HC Dinamo Minsk.

"Now we see him as a good specialist who is competent enough to prove himself in a new capacity.

"He has worked closely with the Bisons, and he will continue to help Dinamo discover new Belarusian talents.

"It is important that Mikhail Grabovski remains in ice hockey.

Grabovski has worked with Woodcroft before as his assistant at the final Olympic qualification tournament in August.

The latter has been reappointed as men's head coach, despite Belarus failing to qualify for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.

Belarusian Konstantin Koltsov is set to serve as Woodcroft's assistant during the international break from November 8 to 14.

"The purpose of the November training camp is to take a look at as many young players as possible and to give them an opportunity to prove themselves at the international level and possibly expand the list of candidates for the IIHF World Championship," said Grabovski, reported by BelTA.

"Craig Woodcroft's coaching staff will include Konstantin Koltsov, who worked well with young people and has already had experience working with the team in international competitions."

Woodcroft was an assistant coach of the Canadian men's team that won the Olympic bronze medal at Pyeongchang 2018. 

The duo's first test on the ice is set to come at a friendly tournament against Slovenia, France and Austria.

The 51-year-old Woodcroft is currently head coach of HC Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League.

"He has always been very serious about the national team," said Grabovski

"Everything is important for him, both in the locker room and on the ice.

"I am sure that with his move to a more administrative job, he will be able to realize his potential as a sports manager."