Last season saw the above picture, a sight that was most welcome after an emotional hockey year. It had good times like this, but it also was tinged with sadness with the loss of our hockey angel; Amy. The team has been rebuilt for the new season from a new coach to new faces taking to the ice in August.
New heroes are to be found, let's look at them.
Head Coach: Paul Thompson
This is the biggest change we've gone through to be honest. After the league win, few expected us to go through the replacement of the Head Coach. But Tony obviously thought the club needed to go in a different direction having qualified for the CHL. To be honest, I thought the writing was on the wall for Gerad as soon as the fourth goal in the Play-Off Final went in. Plan A wasn't working completely so we were resorting to what the seasoned hockey fan calls "desperate hockey" which is in essence throwing caution to the proverbial wind.
With the impending Champions Hockey League on the horizon, this would not do and cause more than a few concerns in the fan base. Obviously putting his fan hat on, Tony realises this and that is why he took the decision to change the Head Coach role. We needed a man that had experience of Europe, and step forward Paul Thompson who has been coaching in Sweden and Denmark over the last two seasons. He ticks the boxes perfectly, and that is not meant as a detriment to Gerad. And added to the fact, Paul is homegrown (save for his birthplace), we've got the best of British here. PT also is the newly created GM as well, and having done a similar job before in Coventry - we've got a guy who can make us bigger and better on and off ice. Something I feel was a step too far Gerad, although we are grateful for the title win which we still got thanks to luck.
To those doubting Thommo still, give your collective heads a firm shake otherwise I'll might have to shine a torch through your ears and see if anything comes out the other end.
Goalies: Tyler Plante and Brad Day
A new goalie tandem this season and forced on us through the two last season we started with, retiring. Both Frank Doyle and Geoff Woolhouse were fantastic for us when they backstopped them. Doyle proved as good as his resume, turning in class performances every night and Woolhouse was just the best British version of him. It was just damn unfortunate that injuries curtailed both of their seasons last year, Geoff playing clearly injured when he shouldn't have been but for a crisis. Josh Unice did a fine job as import replacement for Frank, but tended to crack a bit under pressure - the aforementioned Play Off Final being the perfect example.
So this season we have Tyler Plante and Brad Day as our new netminding duo. Plante of course will be the starter and comes back home to Sheffield, having seen his Dad Cam play for Peterborough Pirates back against us in the early days of the Steelers. He comes in from two seasons playing in Norway for Lørenskog IK and comes with decent pedigree; having also won the Italian title with HC Asiago in 2013. He's also a bit of a character, and has been known to drop his blocker for a bit of a scrap - just ask former Steeler "Sergeant" Tim Spencer and now retired NHLer Jesse Boulerice. At 6'3 and over 200lbs, Plante is a big goalie (shades of John DeCaro), and if he can do half as well as Frank then we've gotten ourselves a decent starter.
Brad Day hasn't had to do as much travelling to be honest. The Huddersfield born netminder swaps the confines across the car park with the Steeldogs to learn about the bigger fish in the Elite League with ourselves. Day played 28 times in the EPL with the 'Dogs, and whilst his statistics don't appear to be great, you have remember that the 21 year old was in a struggling EPL side at the wrong end of the table. I don't expect him to play much, but the experience he will gain - will be crucial.
Defencemen: Jace Coyle, Russ Moyer and Zack Fitzgerald
Three in, three out and the most notable absentee on the blue line this year will be Stockport's finest Mark Thomas. After 10 years and 615 games, second currently on the appearances chart to Mr Shudra, "Tomo" has gone back to where it all began, back to Manchester Phoenix. The shouts of "Shooooootttt!" especially in overtime will probably never resonate around the House Of Steel ever again. Also gone are Dustin Kohn and Gord Baldwin on the conclusion of their Uni deals. Kohn was hindered by injury which meant we never got to see the best of the former New York Islander, whilst Baldwin slowly won the fans over after a stuttering start: only to miss the run-in last season through injury.
Dependable Rod Sarich, the exciting Ben O'Connor and the iconic Cullen Eddy return to patrol the blue line for 2015-16. Looking at each individually you know what you get from each, Sarich (now entering his 10th season as a Steeler) provides experience and can be counted on every night (even if some still think otherwise), O'Connor provides excitement and entertainment - he's as good as any offensive import defenceman and Eddy is just Eddy: a cult hero who always gets the team and fans pumped up. They are joined by Jace Coyle, a young 25 year old Canadian that Thommo had at Aalbörg last year; Russ Moyer an experienced campaigner that Jody Lehman reckons is a perfect fit (and to be honest when Jody speaks, you listen) and of course Zack Fitzgerald whom we all know about last night from his spell with our purple relatives.
The six of them are joined by Darrell Hay too, who will play when needed. Darrell is also the new assistant coach, a decision that smacks of a smart move. Son of former Phoenix (as they were then known) and Calgary Head Coach Don Hay, you could say that hockey is in his blood. An intelligent player who went unnoticed last season with consistent performances, Thommo's number two should gel with the new head honcho whilst learning from a man who has 21 years coaching experience under his belt.
Forwards: Fredrik Vestberg, Mike Duco, Luke Ferrara and Levi Nelson
Hardly a mass shake up in the offensive lines with just four real new faces coming in. Jeff Legue returns to complete the second part of his deal after rejoining from the Steeldogs in December, Colton Fretter is on year two of his deal which he signed last year, Mathieu Roy (arguably the best player in the EIHL last season) is on his new two year contract and the crowd pleaser himself Tyler Mosienko is also back for more. Jason Hewitt returns for his testimonial season, Robbie Dowd will be looking to take his excellent form at the end of last season into the new campaign, whilst Steelerland's favourite Welshman Jonathan Phillips will again lead the team (and like Messers. Sarich and Hewitt) goes into double figures as regards number of seasons in Steelers colours.
Sniper Mike Forney has gone over to Norn Iron to try his luck with the Giants, Phil Hill has not been given a new deal although there is apparently a clause in his Telford contract that allows them to let him to join us back should we want back full-time whilst Tomas Petruska was not considered after injury curtailed his 17 game spell at the Challenge Cup Final prematurely.
Coming in are experienced Swede Fredrik Vestberg who has over 500 All Svenskan games and 280 points in those said games on his resumè (also apparently handy in penalty shootouts we hear), Mike Duco - who might lack inches in glove dropping contests - certainly doesn't back away from giving as good as he can (did you know he's even fought that notorious NHL nut job Daniel Carcillo?) and looks a decent two way forward, Luke Ferrara (yeah I know he iced for us last season) but this is really is his dèbut season as a Steeler (the 22 games he iced last season proved he has the potential to go on and make it as an established EIHL Brit) and Levi Nelson (a former Boston Bruin draft pick) has the potential to be a Tylor Michel type player providing he is over the injuries that shortened his season last campaign yet was part of the 2013-14 Ritten/Renon double winning team in Italy backstopped by 300+ game NHLer Chris Mason and coached by former Steelers defenceman and captain Rob Wilson.
So that's the team assembled for the 2015-16, and whilst there are a few who are skeptical - I like the look of it. The team has a bit of everything and should be up there challenging providing they gel of course. With Thommo calling the shots bench side, and off ice too, each player knows probably they need to hit the ice running so to speak otherwise PT (and his extensive contact base) will find a replacement. Bring on 15th August 2015 then when Ryan Finnerty's newly modelled Clan team are in town at the en-suite bathroom!
See you there...
Lørenskog
Lørenskog
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