'˜Smart' Jonas Westerling tipped to shine at Sheffield Steelers

The Elite League play-off champions announced on Wednesday that Westerling would be joining them next season, his first foray outside of his homeland.

The 35-year-old centre has enjoyed an impressive career, largely in the Swedish second-tier Allsvenskan, with the Steelers’ assistant coach Andersson a big admirer.

When announcing Westerling’s signing on Wednesday, head coach Paul Thompson likened his new charge to former Steelers’ forward Freddie Vestberg, the skilful centre who proved instrumental in the club landing the 2015-16 Elite League regular season title.

And Andersson, returning in August for his second season of UK top-flight hockey, concurs, believing Westerling will do nothing but improve the Steelers’ attacking options as they look to reclaim the championship from Cardiff Devils.

“Our fans will enjoy Westerling, ” said Andersson of a player who has also played 26 times in the top-tier SHL. “He will excite and create. The players on his line will enjoy his skill set and benefit from his smart plays and passes.”

Westerling has played 655 Allsvenskan games, scoring 99 goals in a total of 374 points. He started out with hometown club Mora IK before five years with rivals AIK. Two seasons followed with Almtune before, in 2012 he returned ‘home’ to Mora for another three seasons before moving on to Södertälje.

“I’m excited to have Jonas joining the Steelers,” added Andersson. “He is an excellent addition who will help make us better.”

Before joining, Westerling sought out advice and information on the Steelers from two of the club’s players from the 2016-17 campaign, Christoffer Bjorklund and Andreas Valdix.

“Christoffer told me how he had enjoyed his time with the Steelers,” said Westerling. “He spoke about a very good organisation and excellent fans. I also spoke with Andreas Valdix and he confirmed the same. He told me is was a very competitive league but also a lot of fun.”

“I’m not a big guy, in fact, quite small. I have a good hockey sense which is important in trying not to get hit by the big guys. I have good skills and I like to pass the puck and create.”

Westerling’s arrival came 24 hours after the Steelers announced the arrival of defenceman Mark Matheson, a signature Thompson hd hoped to capture 12 months earlier.

“It has taken us 14 months to sign him,” said Thompson when announcing the Canadian D-man’s signing on Tuesday.

“I tried hard last year after he was named MVP in France after his side’s play-off victory. We kept our eyes on him and this summer we’ve succeeded.

“He is a big body but also very mobile, something that is vital in today’s game. I know what I’m looking for from my defence and he brings it in abundance. He is a perfect fit into what we already have. Mark’s strengths are his all-round game - you can play him in any situation and that’s something I thought we needed more of.”