Hockey Soapbox - Season Two Week Two - Exhibitionists

After our first exhibition games against Aalborg, here’s our latest Frozen Steel Soapbox where we’ll bring you some early views and thoughts from a selection of Sheffield Steelers hockey fans.

It’s time to get on your soapboxes people!

Photo : Dean Woolley

We’ve got contributions from: Robert Newbolt, Mark Duell, Nathan Turner, Andy Roberts, Glynn and introducing the combo or Fergus and Kevin Wright. You might not agree with, or even understand, their points of view, but let’s crack on...

Firstly, What did you think about the overall performances in the Aalborg exhibition games?

• Nathan - Two decent games against the Aalborg Pirates and to say they were just 'warm up' games, neither team held back. The intensity was there and in flashes we saw what looks like a very entertaining team the coach has put together.
• Robert - Nelson looked extra sharp, Fretter was outstanding, quick and feisty, Desbiens seemed like an immovable object sometimes - but perhaps the big thing was that Roy did not stand out as much as usual and I think this was because he had Armstrong and Fretter to help him out, both great players so he didn’t stand out. The second line could well have been no 1 just a couple of years ago and the third and fourth lines were no slouches either.
• Mark – I was only at the Saturday game but was hugely impressed with what I saw. It was so good to be back watching hockey; even if it was in the en-suite bathroom across the car park. Players looked like they were immediately buying into the Tom and Jerry’s systems. We looked sharp considering we had only had 5 days together as a team. Good signs already.
• Andy - Thought we played well over both games. We seemed to have more speed than this point last season. Good passing and more importantly chemistry across every line.
• Glynn - Overall I thought we played 2 great games, especially as they had only been together for less than a week, and except for a couple of lapses we played really well for the full 120 minutes. Goaltending was quality when required, the defence were solid on the back end but also mobile going forward, and the 4 lines all seemed to click right away.
• Fergus - The performance was good, a few little bits here and there needing improvement but that's what pre-season 'friendlies' are for. Loved seeing the team stick up for each other!

Secondly, Which player caught your eye?

• Robert - Ervins Mustokovs. At last someone who can move across his crease and be confident in stopping shots. That will do wonders for my blood pressure if he stays fit.
• Glynn - Several players stood out for me, Nelson was back to usual hardworking / sharp shooting self, Valdix showed great strength & skill on and off the puck, whilst Ratchuk showed his mean side and commitment to defending his teammates, as well as some nifty skills on the puck. Moose was a reassuring figure between the pipes, and his calm attitude will hopefully make him Mr 92%+ again this season.
• Andy - Three players stood out for me. On Saturday night what a PK shift from Nilsson - we lost one good PK number 17 and have gained another!  He was easily our MOM. Sunday saw Valdix have a MOM performance. Great strength to hold off the D man just prior to scoring. My third was Bjorklund. Quietly went about his business without being flash. Remember another Swede like that? Side note - how good was it to see a fit Colton Fretter on the ice?
• Mark - It would be very unfair to single out just the one of the newcomers because they all performed very well indeed. However, if I had to pick one out of them I'm going to go with Andreas Valdix. The guy was impressive, such good close control of the puck for a big guy. (Reminded me of Stefan Meyer in a sense) Noticeable mention for fellow Swede Markus Nilsson - he could easily be the new Freddie Vestberg.
• Nathan - The 1st game was a bit of a blur as I was trying to keep an eye on as many of the new signings as possible at the same time, but Markus Nilsson looks like he could be one hell of a player for the club. Game 2 and I was very impressed with Andreas Valdix. Used the puck confidently and took his goal very well. Mr Phillips looks calm and solid at the back but seems to like the penalty box too.
• Fergus - All our new signings seem really good, but D.Phillips really impressed, he came out and battled like there is no tomorrow, just shows that he is a great player but just needed better teammates, quality wise, to bring out his potential

Thirdly, Looking across the EHL is there anything else you want to comment on from the last week?

• Mark - Am sure that every man and his dog (no, not Tom's dog Eric) will mention Fatagate at some juncture. Therefore I'm going to mention the decision by Cam Janssen not to return to the team down the M1 after signing a two year deal in the summer. Good luck to him in pursuing this career, he wants to do it. I do wonder if his old Devils teammate Martin Brodeur helped him get it. It robs Panthers of an impact player, the league a character, and he will be a loss to both.
• Nathan - The Drew Fata  episode was a bit embarrassing and left me feeling very non-plussed. He's obviously a tad bitter about the situation he finds himself in but venting your spleen on social media sometimes isn’t the way to go about things. I'm not too knowledgeable on all thing KHL so not sure what to make of the London franchise. Is there the interest in the capital for such a team? Only time will tell.
• Andy - Not getting into Fatagate. I would like to say well done to the Devils for bringing a KHL side here for warm up games. Like the Bruins a couple of years ago it can only raise the profile of our league.
• Glynn - Fatagate was a storm in a teacup for me and I believe even Drew has pretty much said so after his initial remark. I'm sure we'll have forgotten about it before the season begins. As for the KHL team v the Devils, I've only seen the scores but it seems they were far superior to a good EIHL team, as you would have probably expected. I appreciate it was a top end team to kick off their pre-season, but to be fair I'd have thought that the Devils players & fans would have wanted a slightly easier first weekend on the ice with a few more goals and maybe a win or two to cheer about.
• Fergus - I think the Cardiff game has proven that comments made about the quality of our teams being right up there with the capability of KHL teams are just as silly as expected. Our league is better than ever but we still have a long way to go.
• Tony (Editor) – I’ll try and remember Fata for the Play-off goal rather than a throwaway comment that has spiralled to silly proportions on Twitter.

Lastly, and as we build up to the CHL, who is going, and what should we be hoping for?

• Nathan - I expect us to give a good account of ourselves in the CHL again this term and while it would be great to qualify, in reality a win in one of the games is probably the most we can hope for, but who knows? As long as everyone gets through unscathed and ready for the long season ahead I'll be happy
• Robert - To still be in with a shout come the final game would be great, and failing that to take at least a point if not a win, just to shut up those jocks and panthers people (who don’t seem to realise they both beat a DEL team)
• Fergus & Kevin -We won't be going to the away games, but watching on tv will show a different perspective of what our team plays like as we will pick up on little things you miss in play with the speed of it. I would be happy for the team to come back to Sheffield going down by only one or two goals, something we can hope to reverse at home.
• Mark - I ain't going to the CHL away games, I'm actually in Belfast for a week as I send this. What can we hope for? A creditable couple of showings are all I ask for, just avoid a pummelling as this could damage any confidence the team have. We will get beaten by at least three at HV71 but have the potential to get something in Salzburg: an overtime loss would be awesome actually. Just haven't got to take dumb penalties in both games - that's the key to doing well in both games.
• Glynn - I think that it's going to be a very tough task to get a result in Sweden v HV71, maybe not as tough in Salzburg but still unlikely in my opinion. The best chance I think will be a home win against Salzburg, so although I would love us to win a few and qualify for the next round I think realistically we should all hope for 1 win
• Andy – I should be doing my last minute packing/panicking for my trip to Jönköping as I type this (don't panic the horn was one of 1st items lobbed in the case). My Steelers euro tour cherry is being popped this week and I won't lie I have been excited for weeks. Going to be very tough to qualify for next round but you never know. Realistically we will hope to get a win but this will be more likely to happen in one of the home legs

That’s all folks. Hope you enjoyed reading our thoughts, and we’d love you to get involved too.

Help set the agenda for next week with your questions, or even better get involved and give your views as one of the panel. We would love different views and different participants each week. Please contact Mark @frozensteelblog or Tony @Disgu15ed, or find us at the game.

Brief Bios of those panellists you’ve just been listening to in the series so far :

• Alan is @frozensteelmnl for match night updates and @AwkwardGinge for everything else. Has been watching Hockey for many years, and given half a chance will regale you with tales of the London Knights. Catch him on the Breaking the Ice podcast too.
• Andy is the big man with the big horn (or VuVuzela if you prefer) who can be found at most home and away games, and propping the bar up afterwards. Andy is @ic3creamman.
• Bethan represents the younger end of the fan base, after being dragged along to her first Steelers game in 2007 and has loved the team ever since. Follow her on Twitter at @bethan_4
• Eric is a season ticket holder and can be found shouting encouragement to our players and scorn at the zebras alongside three generations of his family in block 115. Views can be found @greenbunch257
• Glynn can be found @glynnm76 has been watching the Steelers on and off since ‘91. Massive Ron Shudra fan and owner of an EIHL League Championship medal.
• Kevin and Fergus are a Father son duo that grew up watching and playing ice hockey in Europe (mainly Germany) who are both very opinionated and can be heard from block 115. Twitters are @SedgyFergus and @KevWright65
• Mark is one of the main men behind the Frozen Steel blog, being the Editor and Podcast pundit, and has watched the club since its inception. Find him at @hockeybhoy
• Nathan and his Mrs have been going to games since Feb 2014 after getting fed up with football. Another season ticket holder in 115 who tries to get to away games and refuses steadfastly to join in with Sweet Caroline. He’s @NJT75Owl
• Robert is chief architect of http://steelers-stats.com/ the go-to guy for Steelers history from days gone by, and the man behind one of the big White House spotlights! Robert is @steelersstats.
• Tony has been watching the Steelers on and off since Tony Hand arrived, and has been a regular for the last eight years or so. Enjoys contributing to the blog with his weekly five things and can be found @Disgu15ed

Thanks for reading guys. If you want to get involved please contact us on twitter or find us on Facebook and like us and leave a comment:-
@FrozenSteelBlog
@FrozenSteelMNL
@hockeybhoy
@Disgu15ed

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