2018
APRIL
Jonathan Phillips will once again lead the Sheffield Steelers next season after agreeing to return to the club for a 13th season. Phillips joined the Steelers in 2006 and took over the Captaincy a year later. In the time that has followed he broke the club record for most appearances (now 759) and has scored 143 goals, 256 assists for 399 points. As well as captaining the GB side Phillips has broken all club records for a Steelers captain after lifting 4 league championships and 3 play off titles during his time with the club.
Thompson also confirmed that the club had re-signed goalie Brad Day to a one-year extension. Day joined the Steelers in 2015 and has played under Tyler Plante, Marek Pinc and Ervins Mustukovs in recent years. Phillips and Day join Ben O’Connor, Robert Dowd, Davey Phillips, Cole Shudra and Kieran Brown as the core of the clubs home grown talent.
The Sheffield Steelers confirm the signings of Jackson and Brandon Whistle ahead of the 2018-19 season. Both Whistle brothers have signed initial 2 year contracts with the Steelers and will arrive in Sheffield ahead of the clubs training camp and four home exhibition games in August. Jackson Whistle played the last two seasons in Belfast, back stopping the Giants to the 2018 Challenge Cup. After starting just 14 games in 2016 Whistle took over as the Giants number one goalie last season starting 44 games. Prior to joining the Giants, Whistle played his junior hockey in his family’s home town of Kelowna in the WHL attaining a saves percentage of over 90% in all of his four seasons in the league.
JUNE
Fan favourite Levi Nelson has hung up the skates and will not play for Sheffield Steelers again. After three dynamic seasons at the Elite League club, Nelson - whose dramatic goal won the Play Off final the season before last said “I have decided to retire, it’s something I have been thinking about for a while and now that I have made a decision I am at ease with it".
A new era has begun at Sheffield’s ice hockey academy after members voted in changes they hope will improve their chances of finding the next Liam Kirk-style prospect.They were conflict between then-chairman Joe Walker and some members, leading to suspensions being dished out. Walker, a haulage boss, was replaced after last Wednesday’s election by Worksop company manager Neil Rushby, 45. Rushby said “Ron Shudra has agreed to assist the academy and help out with training. He has been a valuable club member for years and we welcome the chance to continue to work with him and the children will benefit hugely from his experience.”
Injury-hit Mathieu Roy has sensationally quit Sheffield Steelers saying he can barely hold a pen in his hand, let alone an ice hockey stick. Roy said: "I didn't expect the retirement to come so soon. The reality is that my body isn't responding to the injuries I have. I get up in the morning and struggle to walk." To everyone in Sheffield I can't thank you enough" said the player nicknamed 'The King of Sheffield.'
Steelers' brought their new roster up to fifteen with the addition of Ryan Martinelli from Belfast Giants. “Ryan always played hard against us” said head coach Paul Thompson “he stood out in all the games I saw him play “He is a big man and plays with a physical edge. I love the way he enjoys shutting down other team’s top lines. He takes immense pride in his job. “I was also looking for a right handed shot d-man, a player with good size and presence, he fitted the bill. “I knew we were signing a very good player but all my references said that we were signing an even better guy and strong leader."
JULY
Sheffield Steelers’ owner Tony Smith feels some of the team’s misfiring stars probably should have moved on last year, rather than play a final season with the club. Coach Paul Thompson is overseeing an almost complete transformation of import players ahead of the 2018-19 campaign. And part of that process could have started earlier, in the owner’s view. The current turnaround in players was “good for Sheffield” he said. “We’d probably got to the end of a four-year cycle and maybe one of two players were kept a year too long. It’s time for a freshen-up and the fans will be excited about that."
To this end Steelers announced their latest signing: a Czech defender named Jiri Gula. “Jiri ticks a lot of boxes” said head coach Paul Thompson “I needed another right handed shot defenseman to join Davey Phillips and Ryan Martinelli. Now that right hand side of the D core has the great size we were looking for “Jiri is an experienced player with the quality you would expect playing where he has in the recent past. We aren’t bringing him here to be offensive, he is here to bring size and presence to the back end. “I like the physical aspect to his game, it’s an added ingredient we were keen to bring in."
Steelers completed their forward line up with identical twins Matt and Ryan Rupert. Ryan has over 150 AHL games under his belt – an excellent centre who seems to win the vast majority of face offs. Coach Thompson said “Matt (left winger) out-scored his brother last year, he has a good eye for goal and also sees the ice well. “I see them playing together, they want to. They are identical twins so we’ll start with them as line mates."
Aaron Johnson will join a very exclusive club when he arrives to take his place on Sheffield Steelers’ roster. The Canadian will be in the top four Sheffield players when it comes to numbers of NHL appearances. Johnson’s CV resembles a Who’s Who of some of the best clubs in the world, listing Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Islanders, Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins.
AUGUST
Mark Matheson has been confirmed as Sheffield Steelers assistant coach for this coming season. Matheson will be the club's first player assistant since Ashley Tait in 2013. Coach Paul Thompson said: "He is a guy who is very well respected in the locker room and knows what it takes every day to bring a positive performance.
Entrance video watch
SEPTEMBER
Head Coach Paul Thompson decided changes were needed at the Sheffield Steelers after just ten games. Late arrivals Matt and Ryan Rupert were the ones to make way for the arrival of new personnel. Paul Thompson admitted he had got it wrong when signing the twin brothers from Indy Fuel in the ECHL. They made way for GB veteran international Brendan Brooks. Brooks has played the last three seasons in the Elite League (two with the Braehead Clan and one with the Fife Flyers) scoring 75 goals and 163 points in 182 games. Brooks, who also holds a British passport played a pivotal role in Great Britain’s promotion to “Pool A” at last year’s World Championships playing alongside existing Steelers Jonathan Phillips, Robert Dowd and Davey Phillips. In a distinguished career, Brooks played 284 AHL games before heading to Europe in 2007. Since then he has played in Norway, Switzerland, Germany and Austria before heading to Braehead and the UK in 2015.
Continuing with replacements Steelers signed a young forward. Ryan Martindale spent 5 years and played 207 games in the American Hockey League with Oklahoma City Barons, San Antonia Rampage and Syracuse Crunch before heading to Europe in 2016 whilst staring for Esbjerg in the Danish Elite League. His 45 points in as many games earned him a contract in Slovakia with MsHK Zillna last year but his season was cut short through injury. Now fully recovered, Martindale joins the Sheffield Steelers for the remainder of the 18-19 EIHL season.
OCTOBER
Sheffield Steelers’ coach Paul Thompson has quit the club. Poor results and a revolt by some of the fans built the pressure on the former GB boss – and he walked away from the club to an uncertain future. Asst coach Mark Matheson takes over in the short term. Thompson made huge changes in the Summer but his recruitment has not worked so far and two of his new crop have already been axed. Sunday’s 2-5 loss at Coventry Blaze was the final straw for a man who has grown tired of the pressure and occasional abuse directed at him.
Sheffield Steelers fans who wanted to see Swedish centre Jonas Westerling back after last season have belatedly got their wish. The workhorse forward, 36, has been resigned and is flying to the UK tonight from Hungary.“I’m thrilled to be coming home to Sheffield” said Westerling. “I loved my time there and was delighted to know that the club wanted me back. I can’t wait to hook up with the guys tomorrow at the arena and see everyone at the game on Saturday. I’m so excited.” Westerling will take the place of Ryan Martindale. The Canadian is going home for family reasons - but the club has insisted that there is no suggestion of any bereavements or illnesses, as suggested in some quarters.
Mark Matheson had been in interim charge but this coming weekend the debut of two time Stanley Cup winner Paul Berrasso as Head Coach. Brought in from Italian side Asiago double Stanley Cup winner–with Pittsburgh Penguins in the early nineties- takes over at the helm this weekend against arch rivals Nottingham Panthers. Berrasso had a very successful playing career with Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, and St. Louis Blues. He was the only goaltender to ever play in the NHL directly fromhigh school, without having played major junior, college, or some other form of professional hockey first. He was the youngest winner of the league's Vezina Trophy for best goaltender, as an 18-year-oldrookiein 1984. He was also the youngest goaltender to win Calder Memorial Trophy, a record he still holds as of the end of 2017-18 season. Barrasso was a member of successiveStanley Cupchampionship teams in1991and1992with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was inducted as a member of theUnited States Hockey Hall of Famein 2009. After retiring from playing he spent five years with Carolina Hurricanes as goaltending coach before going to the KHL as assistant to Paul Maurice. He the decided it was time to go it alone and took Asiago Hockey (Alps Hockey League) to a championship in 2016-17.
Ben O'Connor is back for another stint at Sheffield Steelers. The super-skilled offensive defenceman parted company with Swedish side Leksands on Thursday night having failed to settle there, according to sources. Sheffield appear to have been talking to him for some time. He is just the tonic Steelers need - the player was top scorer last season and will return to supercharge the team's flagging power play. The 29-year-old was voted the World Championship (D1A) Best Defenseman in the summer, as GB won the Division 1 A Gold Medal.
NOVEMBER
Eric Neiley, who quit the club last year to start a new career in north America, is back at the House of Steel. Neiley changed his mind about retiring from the British game in the Summer- but too late to re-sign for Steelers. Then-coach Paul Thompson had wanted him back, but had already filled all the slots when he discovered the forward’s change of heart. It was frustrating for player and coach, but Neiley found a slot at Milton Keynes Lightning. There, he scored nine goals and 17 points - including against his old club in a 3-2 win at Sheffield Arena on September 8, watched by a huge 9,252 crowd. It is likely that behind-the-scenes talks with the 26-year-old right wing/centreman have been going on for a while, but consent was clearly needed from MKL, where he was third top scorer behind other ex-Steelers Tim Wallace and Andreas Valdix.
DECEMBER
John Armstrong is a Sheffield Steeler again. The club announced the 30-year-old Canadian's return after tonight's game against Coventry Blaze. His stay at Zagreb Medvescak KHL ended last week when the club ran into money problems, and despite bids from several other teams across Europe, Sheffield were able to meet his demands. He should be available for Wednesday's Challenge Cup quarter final second leg at Guildford Flames. Armstrong had two seasons with Sheffield, last season interrupted by a finger injury, when he was a leading scorer.
The Christmas honours have gone to Sheffield in the spicy, seasonal two-game joust with Nottingham. For the third consecutive season around 9,300 fans crammed into the Arena on Thursday night to watch British hockey's hottest rivals contest the second in the December series. Steelers' 3-2 win at Nottingham on Boxing Day had statistically split the season neatly into two. After 30 games, they'd won 15, lost 15. So a positive result against Panthers on Thursday – in the end, a 5-3 victory – saw them break ínto the black.
JANUARY
After 5 straight losses and the very real prospect of not making the play offs Steelers reacted by sacking three players. Goaltender Matt Climie and forwards Justin Buzzeo and Stefan Della Rovere were all told this morning their services were no longer required. Losing three players from any EIHL squad is a drastic step. But the club will be hoping to find replacements quickly, one perhaps before the weekend. Fans may feel that the three selected for the cut were unlucky - there are plenty of others who have under-performed as the team slipped to next to bottom. It will certainly be a career low-point for the trio.
Steelers reacted immediately to bolster the team with the signing of 34-year-old left winger Tom Zanoski and hope to have him in the line up ahead of the two crucial games against MK Lightning this weekend. Zanoski has been playing for Medvescak Zagreb, the same team that forward John Armstrong re-joined us from last month. “I’m thrilled to be joining Sheffield,” he said “John and many others have told me great things about the club and the City. “It’s been a difficult time for us all in Zagreb so it will be nice to come and join the Steelers focussing on nothing but hockey and our play off push”
APRIL
IF there is one thing that has frustrated Tom Barrasso more than anything else during his time at Sheffield Steelers, it is the inconsistency of his team. As with the majority of sporting campaigns, there have been highs and there have been lows for the two-time Stanley Cup champion since he first walked through the FlyDSA Arena doors in early October. “We’ve shown flashes of brilliance as a group and we’ve shown moments of indifference which is really the thing you hate to see as a coach,” said Barrasso. “You like to see that you’ve kept your team motivated and fired up all of the time. But it happens in professional sport that every now and then players don’t perform well and lay an egg which we have had it happen a couple of times – too many for my own personal liking. “But the players should be able to build up some confidence from what we’ve achieved as a group for the last four-and-a-half months and know that we can be prepared and be competitive against anybody.”
Amazingly, though the team finished seventh in the league, the attendances have grown significantly in the past years, so much so that this seasons average of 6147 is the highest since 1998. There are many reasons for this but one big feature must be the decision to play all the games at the Arena this year and change the admission price for midweek games to just £5.
HEAD COACH Tom Barrasso said he felt for his hurting Sheffield Steelers team after their 2018-19 season was brought to an end in a thrilling Elite League play-off quarter-final against Cardiff Devils. The Steelers had gone into the two-legged tie at the weekend as firm underdogs, having finished the regular season in seventh. The mere fact that Cardiff had lost out on the league title made them an even more dangerous team to deal with and, having won the six-game head-to-head series with Steelers 5-1 – including all three at the Viola Arena – it was understandable why few people gave the Steelers much hope. At the Arena in Saturday night’s first leg that the Steelers showed they were determined to prove the many doubters wrong, steam-rollering their way to a 5-1 lead with 15 minutes remaining to leave Andrew Lord’s team rocking. But three goals in the last 15 minutes for the visitors handed the momentum back to them ahead of returning home to a venue where they have proved so dominant, not just against the Steelers, but over the last few years. Again, however, the Steelers threatened to upset the odds, coming from behind with two quickfire goals early in the third to go into an 8-7 aggregate lead. But the Devils showed why they have been such a dominant force in recent years, retaliating with a quickfire double of their own before eventually wrapping up an 11-8 aggregate victory to book their place at the Final Four Weekend in Nottingham.