Robbie Stucker happy to fight for starting role at Sheffield Steelers
ROBBIE STUCKER comes into Sheffield Steelers knowing he has a fight on his hands to hold down a regular starting spot on Aaron Fox’s roster - but that is just the kind of situation he relishes.
The 27-year-old became - for now at least - the final piece of the jigsaw for the Steelers’ head coach, who was keen to bolster his options on the back-end.
Initially Fox was looking for a ‘swing’ player who was comfortable playing at either end of the ice to give his roster a more flexible feel.
But even though Minnesota-born Stucker has plied his trade purely as a defenceman his entire career, Fox believes his arrival still offers him options to move things around.
Stucker is one of seven defencemen on the Steelers roster - meaning there is immediate competition for places on the back-end - while his arrival also means the Steelers have an extra import from the off when the 2026-27 season kicks into action on September 12.
The competition for a starting spot is something the left-hander is no stranger to, coming in on the back of three years in the ECHL, most recently with Reading Royals and Utah Grizzlies last season.
“That's just pro hockey,” said Stucker, who was a seventh round NHL Draft pick for the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2017 but didn’t start his pro career in the ECHL with South Carolina Stingrays until six years later .
“You've got to show up every day, do your job - everyone's competing against each other every day and that's something I look forward to.
“My time in the East Coast was great, it was hard, pro hockey, it was a good start to my career there and then I did two extra years there.
“I was looking to come over to Europe. There are some good players in this league and I wanted to play a different style of hockey - just kind of continue my career across the pond.”
Stucker admitted his move to the Steelers proved to be something of a whirlwind, but he still found time to do some research on the Steelers and the EIHL through former team-mates and friends of his already playing in the UK, including Nottingham Panthers’ netminder Mat Robson and Coventry Blaze forwards Grant Mismash and Matthew Gleason.
“I really only had like a day to decide,” added Stucker. “I was going to come regardless but I just asked them how it was - and they said Sheffield's a great spot, great fans and I’m looking forward to playing against them - it will make those games interesting.”
On his latest roster addition ahead of back-to-back pre-season games against Cardiff Devils this weekend, Fox said: “Robbie is a good two-way defenceman – big body, 6'3", skates well and can make plays.
"It's his first time over here, so he's looking forward to getting his feet wet here, coming in and helping us win and compete within our group.
“We'll start the year with the extra import. We felt like only having six D on our roster was super thin and you've got to be ready for injuries.
“Maybe we'd have liked to find someone that could play some D and forward, but we'll address that.
"We feel like with the group we've got here, there's a couple guys that can do that if needed.”