South Korea's preparations for the Winter Olympics will step up next month ©Getty Images

South Korea’s men's national ice hockey team are poised to begin a training camp in Jincheon as they prepare to take part in a Pyeongchang 2018 warm-up tournament.

The team are scheduled to assemble tomorrow at the Jincheon National Training Centre.

Players are expected to stay in the centre for nearly two weeks, where they will be coached under the guidance of Jim Paek, a two-time Stanley Cup winner and the first Korean-born player to take part in the National Hockey League (NHL). 

They are then due to head to Moscow on December 9, where they will participate in the six-team Channel One Cup.

South Korea are currently ranked 23rd in the International Ice Hockey Federation world ranking rankings and Pyeongchang 2018 will be their first-ever appearance in the Olympic Games. 

They will be joined in the Channel One Cup by hosts Russia, along with world number one ranked Canada.

Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic complete the line-up for the event, which is expected to aid countries preparations for the Olympic Games.

The South Korean team will face the daunting test of a match against Canada on December 14 in their opening tie of the tournament.

Their hopes could be boosted by the Canadian team having to construct a squad for the Olympics based on players outside the NHL. 

Sweden won the annual Channel One Cup last year ©Getty Images
Sweden won the annual Channel One Cup last year ©Getty Images

The world's leading league announced in April that their players would not travel to South Korea for Pyeongchang 2018.

Canada will hope to use the tournament to aid their selection for the Olympics, with players hoping to impress their coaching staff.

The South Korean side will take on Finland following their clash against Canada, with their third match coming against Sweden on December 16.

It will be South Korea’s first participation in the annual tournament in Russia, which was won last year by Sweden.

They will hope to use the experience to help them make an impact at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics.

South Korea will face Canada, the Czech Republic and Switzerland in Group A of the Olympic tournament, with the United States drawn against Russia, Slovakia and Slovenia in Group B.

Sweden, Finland, Germany and Norway are in Group C.

The women’s tournament will see defending champions Canada meet the United States in Group A, along with Finland and Russia.

Sweden, Switzerland, Japan and South Korea make up Group B.