Sheffield Steeldogs bolster defence with rising Scottish star

IMPRESSED: Sheffield Steeldogs' player-coach, Ben Morgan. Picture courtesy of Peter Best.

The 18-year-old Kirkcaldy-born blue liner already has 60 games in the EIHL behind him with Fife Flyers over the past two seasons, developing his game - albeit with limited ice time - under head coach Todd Dutiaume.

But he has opted to move south for the next phase of his career, persuaded by the Steeldogs to hone his game further in the newly-formed second tier of UK which gets underway in September.

Last season saw him play for both the GB Under-18 and Under-20 teams, and player-coach Morgan said he believed a move to the Steeldogs would help Cochrane hone his game further and aid a return to the Elite League in the near future.

NEW FACE: Defenceman Reece Cochrane is welcomed by Sheffield Steeldogs' owner Ali Cree.

"Reece was on our radar and when we heard he was interested in moving to England, we got in touch," said Morgan. "We knew he wanted to get into our league to develop and increase his ice time and opportunities, hopefully looking to move to the Elite League when he’s ready.

“He is still developing his game, his play and his style. He has fantastic promise and is a great fit for us. Reece is very much an aggressive D-man, who plays hard and skates extremely well. He doesn’t mind getting into the gritty areas, which not many people like to do.

"With him being a left-handed D-man, that allows us to strike more of a balance on the back end. He will be competing for that fouth D-man spot where thereis some real competition for places."

Steeldogs' co-owner Ali Cree said he believed Cochrane had the potential to follow former fan favourites Liam Kirk and Duncan Speirs and moving up into the EIHL, with the South Yorkshire club wiling to help him along the way.

"We found Reece's attitude and ambitions matched well with ours," said Cree. "He’s clearly got great ability and huge potential.

“We’d love it if Reece were still with us in five years time but we would be equally happy if we can help him secure an Elite League place eventually. We’ve seen the likes of Liam Kirk and Duncan Speirs getting those moves in recent years so, with hard work and application, it is possible for Reece too.”