Slava Koulikov and how he views Sheffield Steeldogs NIHL National campaign so far

The weekend just gone saw the Steeldogs not only secure qualification for the semi-finals of the NIHl National Cup but – thanks to their 7-1 home win over Basingstoke Bison on Sunday – as top seeds.

This gives them the privilege of choosing the opponent they would like to face over two legs in order to make it through to the final.

One of the other three teams to qualify for the last four is Peterborough Phantoms – the team where he coached for 11 years before moving to South Yorkshire in May. The other options are Leeds Knights and Swindon Wildcats.

For Koulikov, making the semi-finals is the first box to be ticked in terms of the pre-season ‘to-do list’.

In terms of the regular season standings, the Steeldogs sit second – between leaders Swindon and defending champions Leeds. It is another promising position they find themselves in but, as Koulikov is quick to point out, nothing has been achieved yet.

“We talked about many things,” said Koulikov of his early meetings with owner Tony Smith back in May.

“It’s not just success that you want on the ice, obviously it needs to be a financially viable business and my job was to try and put a good product on the ice and make sure it’s entertaining – and obviously winning as well.

“We’re happy where we are at but we have not achieved anything yet, we’re just in a good position to still be competing for all three trophies.

“Tony is being realistic about things but, at the same time, there are high goals that have been set out and, at the moment, we are on track.

“We know it’s a two, three-year project but it doesn’t matter – you still want to win trophies, you still want to win every game and you are still disappointed when that doesn’t happen.”

For Koulikov, one of the attractions of making the move to Sheffield was the chance to work with the Sheffield Steelers, the Steeldogs more illustrious, Elite League neighbours and with who – finally – through having the same ownership, they enjoy a mutually-beneficial relationship, both on and off the ice.

As well as fulfilling what is essentially his full-time commitment to the Steeldogs, the former Hull Stingrays forward spends some of his time working alongside Steelers’ head coach Aaron Fox and his team in between.

“It’s been hugely beneficial for me as a coach,” he added. “I’ve been used to being in one organisation for many years and mainly doing all the coaching work myself.

“But it’s about evolving – sport evolves, life evolves and we have to adjust and move forward with it and when I made the decision to come to Sheffield, one of the biggest reasons was the opportunity to work with the Steelers

“Obviously, the Elite League is a higher level, it’s more detailed, it’s so much more in-depth and it has been a privilege to be part of that.”

At Peterborough, Koulikov also served as a director, meaning there were also off-ice commitments. In Sheffield, he is focussing solely on coaching, something he first took up in a player-coach capacity at Slough Jets back in 2012.

“I was one of the directors in Peterborough, so coaching was just part of the role,” added Koulikov.

“There were other things that I had to do, like being a GM and other areas whereas, here, I’m the head coach and my full concentration goes towards the team. I spend a lot of time with the Steelers, too, so it is a totally different situation.

“I’m really happy with the role I have here – but I think it’s hard to compare (with Peterborough). I was 11-12 years in Peterborough and we had some very good seasons and some success along the way and I really enjoyed my time there.

“I just see this as a new chapter and I’m really enjoying it.”