BRANDON WHISTLE will be hoping his winning habit can stick with him again next season after agreeing to return to Sheffield Steelers.

The 28-year-old forward was part of the Steelers’ treble-winning team of 2023-24 as part of his second spell with the club, having first joined in 2018-19.

Another year in Sheffield was followed by a switch to Belfast Giants last summer, partly driven by a desire to try and win something with his netminder brother Jackson, who had helped Adam Keefe’s team to a double in 2024-25.

It proved a move worth making, as the pair helped the Giants secure a remarkable fifth regular season championship in the last six seasons.

BACK FOR MORE: Brandon Whistle - in action for Belfast in Sheffield last season - has signed a two-year deal to return to the Steelers. Picture: Dean Woolley/Steelers Media.

placeholder image — BACK FOR MORE: Brandon Whistle - in action for Belfast in Sheffield last season - has signed a two-year deal to return to the Steelers. Picture: Dean Woolley/Steelers Media.

But with Whistle regarding Sheffield as ‘home’ and with a wish to reunite with Steelers’ head coach Aaron Fox, a return to the Utilita Arena was almost inevitable.

“It was nice to come to Belfast this year and get the win with my brother, but we’re really excited to be back in Sheffield next year,” said Whistle.

“It just kind of feels like home. I love playing there, I love the guys on the team, love playing for Foxey and for Tony and the fans. It was a very, very easy decision to come back.”

Whistle is looking forward to the challenge of helping the Steelers end their barren run and replace the team he is leaving as the organisation others want to catch.

THAT WAS THEN: Brandon Whistle, scoring for Sheffield Steelers during the EIHL play-off semi-final win against Guildford in April 2024. Picture: Dean Woolley/Steelers Media.

“It is a challenge. They are very well coached over here in Belfast and I can see how they have a chance for silverware every year - but I love playing for Foxey, the way he does stuff, he just does it right.

“Aaron had a lot of trust in me there when I came back up from Leeds Knights. And he kind of gave me every opportunity to kind of become a player in this league.

“I just like the way that he thinks the game, the systems that he plays, he lets guys make mistakes and try things out there that some other coaches might not give guys as long a leash to do so.”

Fox believes the return of Whistle - the fourth signing announced on Friday after the earlier deals revealed for captain Robert Dowd and fellow British players Liam Steele and Ivan Björkly Nordström - adds some welcome depth to his roster.

DELIGHTED: Sheffield Steelers' head coach, Aaron Fox. Picture: Hayley Roberts/Steelers Media.

“It was a very easy deal, we left on good terms and I don't close doors,” said Fox. “I understand the reasons why he left, and he was able to go win another trophy there this year.

“But ultimately I knew he wanted to be back and if you lock up a guy that has that kind of production with us and knows how we play, feels really comfortable here, was a no-brainer for us

“And he’s another guy that you can pencil anywhere in your top nine, kills penalties, played on the power play for us too, so he's an all-situation player and one thing we did lack this year was depth, especially early in the year and then when Logan (Neilson) left, we just didn't really have a great deal of trust in our fourth line at times.

“So I’m really happy he's back, really happy he's back for two years. He's an impact player for us, always has been.”a