Sheffield Steelers keen to utilise versatility of former Cardiff Devils and Nottingham Panthers star Evan Mosey

The 32-year-old US-born GB international has previously played for both Nottingham Panthers and Cardiff Devils. His versatility to play either as a forward or in defence is what drove Fox on to try and lure him to South Yorkshire.

“With Evan becoming available I felt he was the perfect guy to fit that swing guy role that I think is so important for us to have,” said Fox. “With the reduced roster sizes the league has adopted this year I think it’s even more important than previous seasons.

“Evan doesn’t have a preference which position he plays as long as he is helping the team win. He can play up or down the line-up and gives us some huge versatility on our roster.”

As for where Mosey will eventually slot in with the Steelers' line-up, that is up for debate, as far as the player himself is concerned.

“I spoke with Aaron about that, he asked me where I preferred and honestly, I don’t mind," said Mosey, who has made 17 appearances for Great Britain. "I know it sounds like a cliché but as long as I’m helping the team and as long as we are having success it doesn’t matter to me.

“I’ve played on teams where I started as a forward and ended up on the blue line and the other way round. As a player you just want to contribute.”

Meanwhile, one of the worst kept 'secrets' in hockey was confirmed on Wednesday night when Arizona Coyotes announced they had indeed signed former Sheffield Steelers and Sheffield Steeldogs' forward Liam Kirk to a three-year entry-level contract.

"It's extremely exciting," said Kirk. "It's a blessing. This is something I've always dreamed of. I've worked really hard for this, I've put a lot of time and effort into it, and I've made a lot of sacrifices along the way. I've had great coaches and amazing support from my family. I'm just extremely excited and ready to get to work."

Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong said the organisation were impressed with the passion shown by Kirk in his efforts to earn a deal with a team he was drafted by back in 2018 before going on to spend two seasons in the OHL with Peterborough Petes under former Steelers' defenceman Rob Wilson.

"This kid's got a tremendous amount of passion," said Armstrong. "He yearns to be over here training and being in an NHL environment. He hasn't had that. I've got to give the kid all the kudos in the world because there he is in a small apartment somewhere in London, and he goes to the World Championship and lights it up and earns himself an NHL contract.

"He fought for that contract. We weren't giving it to him easily. He earned every single dime of that contract."