New defenceman Jones has right compete level for Steelers
AARON FOX insists Sam Jones has not been brought into Sheffield Steelers as a likefor-like replacement for Ben O’Connor – but he is convinced the defenceman is packed with potential.
The Steelers announced on Wednesday night that GB international O’Connor would not be returning for the 2020-21 Elite League campaign, stating that player and club could not agree terms.
But yesterday saw a hugely busy day for the Steelers, with the 2020 Challenge Cup winners confirming the return of 11 players in the space of a frantic 11 hours, plus the arrival of 22-yearold Jones from EIHL rivals Fife Flyers.
Last season in Kirkcaldy was Jones’s first in the UK top-flight but he clearly made an impact on Fox who, once aware of interest from Jones in a move to South Yorkshire, acted swiftly.
“He comes in at quite a different number than Benny was on, but that is normal as he is a young kid and isn’t as polished as Benny,” said Fox.
“This isn’t a replacement for Benny, that needs to be clear from day one, but I believe he is a kid who can come in and eat minutes, he’s a 6ft 2ins, he plays a physical game, skates well and I believe he’s got a very, very high ceiling.
“It was important for him to come into a big club and prove that he can be a really good Brit, so, hopefully, he can get in the national team as well.
“I like his game, he played in all situations last year in Fife – their PP, their PK and he played first pair for most of the year when he wasn’t injured.
“So he is somebody who plays big minutes and, while I know Fife didn’t have a great year last year, when I watched tape on him, he always stood out to me. His compete level was where we want it to be – that is a big thing for us.”
Jones’s capture was announced around lunchtime but, by that stage the Steelers had already confirmed the return of six other players.
Robert Dowd, Davey Phillips and James Bettauer were part of a dawn chorus announcement with all three returning for the second half of their two-year deals, while free-scoring forward trio Brendan Connolly, MarcOlivier Vallerand and Anthony DeLuca will also be back.
Forwards Tanner Eberle and John Armstrong along with defencemen Marek Troncinsky and Aaron Johnson were also confirmed as returning.
Following on from the announcement about O’Connor’s exit the previous evening, there were two other confirmed departures.
Teenage forward Kieran Brown was granted his request to be released after three years at the club, while 18-year-old defenceman Jordan Griffin left to explore his options for 2020-21 after not being offered a new deal following the end of his two-year apprenticeship.
Brown will likely continue his career in NIHL National, having proved a star performer through his two-way deal with Sheffield Steeldogs from the Steelers last season before injury effectively ended his campaign in midJanuary.
As it stands, the Elite League hopes to start its season in early October with a new ‘Magic Weekend’ format held at Nottingham’s National Ice Centre.
But until the government’s social distancing measures surrounding coronavirus are relaxed and crowds can return to indoor arenas, it’s doubtful any action will take place.