Diaz has previously guided the ZSC Lions Zurich to several championships in the Swiss Women’s Hockey League since 2010. The sister of Raphael Diaz, who is under contract with the New York Rangers, has also represented Switzerland as a player at many international events between 1997 and 2007 including the 2006 Olympic Winter Games and four Women’s World Championships in the top division.

She replaces former men’s national team player Gian-Marco Crameri, who was released in his second season because he “didn’t succeed in developing the team performance to the desired extent”, it was announced.

“The hiring of Daniela Diaz is a positive signal for Swiss women’s hockey,” said Raeto Raffainer, director of national teams. “She is capable to tie in with the results of the past despite a couple of retirements of core players and to qualify for the Olympics again.”

Diaz will coach the team for the first time at a Four Nations Tournament in Amiens, France, 16-19 December.

Switzerland, which won bronze at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi but finished the last Women’s Worlds in sixth place, will play in Group B of the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Kamloops, Canada, where they will play Sweden, Japan and the Czech Republic for a place in the final round with the top-four teams seeded in Group A.

The Swiss are currently in fourth place in the IIHF Women’s World Ranking. The top-five countries of the 2016 IIHF Women’s World Ranking after the upcoming Women’s Worlds will be automatically qualified for the 2018 Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Tournament in PyeongChang along with host Korea. Two more participants will be determined in the Olympic Qualification during the 2016/2017 season.