Sheffield Steelers: Veteran Sean Collins keen for Steelers to feel benefit of his experience
ENTERING his 15th full season as a pro, Sean Collins shows no sign of easing up when it comes to ambition and the will to win.
The 37-year-old Canadian centre freely admits that he may struggle at times to keep up with the young guns coming into the sport at the beginning of their careers.
But he remains confident the hockey ‘smarts’ he has amassed over a long career more than makes up for that.
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A switch this summer to Sheffield Steelers in the Elite League marked the 11th stop for Collins in a pro career which started out with Springfield Falcons in North America’s AHL - the primary feeder league for NHL teams - back in 2011.
Given he has essentially played non-stop ever since, in some of the world’s top leagues, his passion and commitment to the cause is unquestioned.
“I think it's about competitiveness, I've just always enjoyed the game,” said Collins when asked what continues to motivate him to go through the grind every summer of preparing for another gruelling campaign.
“I've always had a passion for getting better and for working on my craft. Whether I get older or not, I’m always trying to use my experience to help me develop my game.
“Maybe I'm not always able to compete speed-wise with the young 20-year-olds that are coming up, but I try to use my experience and smarts to be advantageous on the ice.”
Collins’ pro debut for the Falcons came three years after he was a seventh round pick for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2008 NHL Draft - 187th overall.
He spent the next three years honing his craft at Cornell University in the NCAA - where new Steelers’ team-mate defenceman Liam Steele spent two years from 2023-25 - before getting the call from Springfield.
The next three years would be spent primarily with the Falcons, with occasional call-ups to the Blue Jackets.
Traded to the Washington Capitals in the summer of 2015 brought more of the same for Collins who - 12 months later - took a punt when moving abroad for the first time.
Kunlun Red Star was the first China-based team to compete in the Kontinental Hockey League and Collins was in at the very start of it all.
He would go down in franchise folklore when he became the scorer of the team’s first-ever goal in their debut game - a 2-1 win over Amur Khabarovsk in September 2016.
Collins would depart the following summer to spend three seasons with KHL rivals HC Sochi before returning to Kunlun for the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
Partway through, he exited for his first taste of hockey in Europe when joining Adler Mannheim in Germany’s DEL.
A season in both Finland’s Liiga and Switzerland’s top-tier followed before he found a longer-term base in Austria, sticking with Black Wings Linz before his switch to South Yorkshire was announced in June this year.
Given his time in the game, it should come as no surprise that Collins has been brought in by Steelers’ head coach Aaron Fox to add the kind of leadership qualities that could see the team end its wait for its first trophy since their treble-winning campaign of 2023-24.
Time spent in such top-level, demanding environments such as the NHL, KHL and Liiga have presented plenty of challenges over the years, all of which make Collins the kind of player who should be able to adapt to any situation.
“I think anytime playing in the NHL, that was a really special time,” added Collins. “Growing up in Canada, that's what every young guy dreams about and then coming overseas, I had some really cool experiences.
“Playing for Kunlun Red Star in their first season in the KHL- the first professional hockey team from China to do so - that was really special, there have been a number of highlights.
“And I think anytime you get to experience a different culture, different country, it's always a unique experience.
“There are challenges too, I guess life-wise it's always tough - being away from home for so long from my family in Canada.
“But I would say when I left Russia, that was a big challenge. I think I maybe assumed that things would get a little bit easier, that the hockey would get easier, but it's not been that way at all.
“And I've realised how good all these leagues are and how good the players are. Whether it's just an opportunity or an injury or a coach that likes you or dislikes you, there's such a fine line between playing in a team and having a great career and just kind of barely hanging on.”
And of his latest challenge, Collins has quickly been impressed with his surroundings and the pre-season opposition.
“I've really enjoyed it so far,” he added. “I've heard the league has been continually getting better every year - great crowds, really good support throughout the whole of the UK, so I was looking forward to that coming in.
“I knew Sheffield was a real special place to play and everything has been great so far - great crowds in both games and I think things will continue to get better as the season progresses.”
Fox has been impressed with the veteran presence shown by Collins already and believes the tall left-hander’s intelligence at both ends of the ice will be an invaluable addition.
“Sean is a big, competitive centreman who has played at the highest levels,” said Fox.
“He brings a strong two-way game and high-end leadership qualities in every game and has always been a top face-off guy and uses his size and skating ability effectively in all three zones.
“His work ethic and professionalism have allowed him to continue performing at such a high level this late into his career.”