Steelers bring in a new defenceman

This morning the Steelers announced a new recruit to the orange ranks.

Arriving in Sheffield to add to the depleted defensive core is 24 year old Finn Miika Franssila; and we can probably believe that this was the player that Paul Thompson consulted Joonas Ronnberg over before finalising the deal yesterday. To a fair number of us, it seems to be a signing that has hardly set the fan base jumping through hoops in delight. A great deal seem to be very underwhelmed by it all.

So what do we know about the newcomer then?

Miika (and no, it's not that guy who sang "Big Girls You Are Beautiful") is a 24 year old who has spent the majority of his professional career in the Mestis Liga which is the second tier of the Finnish hockey league structure. He's played over 200 games at that level, including play-off games, and has a creditable 91 points in those games. This confirms he's more about skill and creation than toughness. A stark comparison to his recently departed countryman, and not what some Steelers fans had been crying out for.

It therefore probably leaves Davey Phillips as the only recognised stay-at-home type defenceman that is on our blue line. With Zack (Fitzgerald) on the sidelines with his jaw injury for an unknown period of time, you can understand why people are thinking we have weakened the defence more now especially when you have physical sides like Cardiff, Nottingham and Belfast in our little conference which we are struggling big time in.

However, we have to give him a chance and obviously the guy fits in with Thommo's gameplan and systems. It will remain interesting to see how well he adapts and if he is a success. Miika will be in the line up to make a home debut on Sunday when we host Belfast, and Thompson hopes he will also be able to feature in Friday's trip to Braehead.

Welcome to Sheffield Miika, hope you can prove a lot of doubters wrong.

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