Aaron Fox prepared to shuffle the Sheffield Steelers pack for EIHL's proposed 2021 competition

Back then, when the Steelers announced a glut of signings on one frenzied July day, there was still hope - however fast fading - that some kind of 2020-21 EIHL campaign featuring all 10 teams would be possible, however much it would be delayed.

But, the continuing effects of the coronavirus pandemic saw the EIHL team owners postpone their season just two months later, although they always left the door open for the possibility of ‘some kind of hockey’ to be played at some point in early 2021.

All hope of that appeared to have gone, too, with several Steelers - including GB internationals and longstanding favourites Rob Dowd, Jonathan Phillips and David Phillips - forced to find work on rosters elsewhere, mainly Europe.

But the lure of a potential £4m grant from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, has reignited the chance of top-flight hockey returning to these shores after all.

The finer details of the government bailout are still to be thrashed out by EIHL team owners and officials from Sport England, who will administer the money on behalf of DCMS but, even though some kind of truncated EIHL competition still has to be given the go-ahead, Fox has wasted no time in putting together lists of potential recruits.

EIHL chairman Tony Smith, who doubles as the Steelers’ owner, has already strongly suggested that rosters will be restricted to 18, with no more than 11 imports.

And even though those numbers have yet to be confirmed, Fox is confident he will piece together a competitive roster, whatever restrictions he will be bound by.

“There is a glimmer of hope here that we’ll be ready to go pretty soon, so I’m just happy with where things are at the moment,” said Fox, who led the Steelers to their first Challenge Cup triumph in 17 years last season before his first Uk campaign was brought to an early end by the pandemic.

“I’m going about my business, compiling lists and seeing what players are out there and reaching out to some guys who we had who maybe aren’t playing right now, as well as reaching out to some guys who are abroad and just checking out their situation.”

Several of the players signed by Fox in the summer for what was then still expected to be a normal regular EIHL season, albeit somewhat delayed, are now plying their trade abroad.

Dowd and fellow forward Marc-Olivier Vallerand are playing in the Italian second tier, while defencemen David Phillips and Marek Troncinsky are competing for rival teams in Hungary.

Forwards Anthony DeLuca and Steelers’ captain Jonathan Phillips are toiling away in the German third tier and Brendan Connolly is set to start the ECHL season with Greenville Swamp Rabbits on Friday.

Dual national James Bettauer was first to find alternative employment when the EIHL postponed its season, heading to the German second tier with Ravensburg.

“Unfortunately we don’t hold the cards when players are under contract with other teams,” admitted Fox. “There is a team there that has their rights and nothing can be done without their approval - an agreement needs to be made between all three parties.

“It’s really hard to gauge what exactly our roster will look like, there’s every chance it could be very different to the one we had started to put together this summer. And there are some positives and negatives to that.

“I loved the core we had coming back - I wasn’t going to have to get those guys to buy into how we played, the proof was in the pudding last year, we scored a ton of goals, were very offensive and were, I felt, a fun hockey team to watch.

“But the other side of that is that maybe we can get some guys in who you wouldn’t have available to you in normal circumstances, maybe there are some long-term options available for guys like that.

“So it’s a new challenge but, at this stage, I’m just excited that potentially we’re going to have some hockey here.”