Interview - Brendan Connolly confident Sheffield Steelers can add to Elite League trophy haul under Aaron Fox

In his first season in South Yorkshire, the 34-year-old forward was a key reason behind the club’s success, the campaign culminating in that memorable cup final triumph over Cardiff Devils in early March, Connolly scoring a goal and an assist.

Not surprisingly his efforts – which saw him finish the campaign as the club’s top points scorer with 28 goals and 35 assists in 61 games – made him a firm fans’ favourite.

So when it was confirmed that Connolly would be returning for a second season – the first time he has re-signed with a team since he first came over to Europe back in 2015 – it produced one of the most positive reactions among the team’s fanbase on a hectic day which saw the Steelers confirm 12 names for their 2020-21 roster.

One of the main reasons behind Connolly initially joining the Steelers was his wish to join a team with great expectations, a pressure brought on by the club itself, as well as their fans.

The Steelers had gone without silverware for two straight years but, having ended that minor drought under new head coach Fox, Connolly wants to help keep the success coming.

“I want to come back and be part of a team that is going to be challenging for the regular season league title,” said Connolly. “The organisation wanted to put themselves back on the map and we brought in quite a few new players last summer in order to do that.

“For the most part, we were in first place and definitely gave ourselves a chance every single night to make sure we were competing for the league title.

“To then get the Challenge Cup trophy, we put ourselves back at the level that is expected in Sheffield.

“I have ultimate faith in Foxy and I know that he is going to bring back and add some high quality players to make sure we are going to be contending for another title.”

Playing under pressure has never been an issue for Connolly, who sensed from the first couple of days at training camp last August that he was part of a contending team.

“I was excited about the opportunity of joining a team that expects themselves to be in the running for trophies every single year,” said Connolly, whose Elite League career began at Belfast Giants, followed by a season with Glasgow Clan before heading to Sheffield.

“I knew Sheffield had had a couple of tough years since I’d started playing in the league and and things hadn’t gone the way they would have hoped.

“But I knew about Sheffield Arena and the fans and how passionate they were and I wanted to be a part of something like that.

“I knew if we could turn things around and get those fans on our side it would be a fun place to play and, in that respect, I feel that is how it worked out.”

When talks began over the possibility of a second season in Sheffield, it was a pretty simple negotiation for both player and coach.

“I had a lot of fun in Sheffield,” he added. “I really enjoyed myself last season, from the players to the coaching staff, the whole organisation, all the way through.

“The fans are fun to play in front of, it was an exciting year and I just wanted to come back and be part of that again.

“My wife and I were just so happy with the way that we were treated and how much we enjoyed ourselves and we want to try it again.”

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