Sheffield Steelers coach Aaron Fox says players on right track as countdown to CHL return continues

And, against arch-rivals Nottingham Panthers, at Ice Sheffield, he got exactly what he was looking for.

Daniel Leavens – one of five new import signings made by the Steelers in the summer – made his mark with a two-goal haul, the 5-1 victory confirmed thanks to further strikes from grand slam-winning trio Marco Vallerand, Mark Simpson and Patrick Watling.

It was a polished performance from the Steelers and ideal preparation ahead of a double-header weekend against Cardiff Devils which will in turn prepare them for next week’s return to the Champions Hockey League for the first time in eight years when they visit Switzerland’s Fribourg-Gottéron ahead of a trip to Vaxjo Lakers in Sweden.

Fox is under no illusions that both teams will represent a rigorous, early test of where his team’s CHL prospects lie, but he left Ice Sheffield content with what he had seen against a new-look Panthers team still getting used to life under new head coach Danny Stewart, who ended his nine-year spell behind the bench at EIHL rivals Coventry Blaze when making the switch to the East Midlands.

“I thought the boys were ready to play from puck drop against Nottingham and I thought our first period was our best period,” said Fox.

“We saw the game out really, really well the last 30 minutes or so there.

“The first half of that hockey game we played really, really good and it was a bit different to being in Manchester when we opened the season there with only four skates under our belts and being that small building.

“Everything was cleaner (against Nottingham), the compete level was higher and the transition, which is something we always really pride ourselves on, looked really good.

“I felt there was a good buy-in from everybody.”

While there have been significant changes to the Steelers’ roster during the summer, they have not been wholesale meaning Fox still has plenty of familiarity among his ranks.

As with any team entering a new season, changes will be made up and down a line-up that won’t have captain Robert Dowd and fellow forward Cole Shudra back among it until the team arrives in Fribourg.

“We obviously have quite a few different players so there are going to be some different combinations that we’re going to have to go to,” added the Steelers’ head coach.

“And then the injury bug can always hit pretty quick, so you’ve also got to know what you have there if you need to change things.

“But this is what pre-season and training camp is all about, it’s about trying to be playing your best hockey when the league starts, or in our case this year, the Champions League.”