Dowd boosted by his European adventure

The 24-year-old Billingham-born forward has been signed on a two-year deal for a second spell at the Steelers as they go all-out to land an Elite League championship for the first time since 2011.

Dowd, regarded as one of the top British players, is seen as a vital piece of the jigsaw by head coach Doug Christiansen in order to achieve that, with the forward’s arrival expected to signal a move through the exit door for veteran Ashley Tait.

Dowd first moved to the Steel City to progress his hockey career with the now defunct second-tier Sheffield Scimitars, before switching full-time to the Steelers for the 2008-09 season.

He helped the Steelers win two regular season Elite League titles, as well as a play-off trophy before departing for the Belfast Giants to lift another regular season championship before taking up an opportunity at Troja-Llungby to test himself in the second tier of the Swedish League.

The quicker game clearly suited Dowd, who finished the season with 24 points from 42 games, including 10 goals, before he opted to return to South Yorkshire to hook up once again with Christiansen, who he played under at Belfast.

“I had always wanted to go to Europe and try a different style of hockey,” said Dowd.

“I really enjoyed my time in Sweden. It is a quicker style of hockey over there and it’s certainly helped me with my game and helped build me up as a player.

“That wouldn’t necessarily have happened in the UK. It is a little less physical over there, but not as much as people think.

“That’s a common misconception with people thinking it’s a softer league. Basically, there’s no fighting so there’s no room in the budget for players who are out and out enforcers.

“But it’s still physical, the hits are there and it’s very quick and very competitive.

“Going back to Europe is something that I would certainly be interested in again at some point, maybe somewhere different perhaps like Germany or Austria.”

The arrival last month of Christiansen as the replacement for the axed Ryan Finnerty proved a key factor in Dowd’s decision to return.

“Doug is a very driven individual, he wants to win and he’s very thorough with all his build-up, with his video and systems,” said Dowd, who is set to get married this summer.

“He works very hard and my time in Belfast with him was a very enjoyable time for me as a player.

“He wants the best out of every player that he can get and it’s nice to play under somebody whose aim is to make you a better player. He looks to push guys and wants players to always challenge themselves.”