The Sheffield Steelers coach responded following criticism from Cardiff Devils boss Gerad Adams.

Adams said he thinks Steelers are too small a side in physical terms and implied that Matsos had panicked by signing, at late notice, a 10th forward who struggles on the ice.

But Matsos, talking on video on thestar.co.uk, insisted Sharp can skate effectively.

"Andrew is going to be a fun project," he said, suggesting Sharp would improve his skating by training every day and playing every weekend; something he was not used to at Romford Raiders last year.

"Andrew came in to fill a role for us and he was a perfect in the sense that he is a British-passport-holder, he's young, very eager and wants to impress Sheffield and the Steelers fans," said the team boss.

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"He is going to come in with something to prove. Obviously you don't become a pro without having some tools, so he has got a lot to offer the Steelers.

"Cardiff can say what they want, Gerad has built a big team and they are going to be suitable for their rink.

He said a four-man refereeing system would mean teams would not be able to "take liberties".

"We have built this team to win every game. We might not win every fight, but we want to win every game," he added.

So was Adams' statement about another club's player acceptable?

Matsos said: "No, I don't think it's a great way to approach it. Not a typical Gerad Adams move. He is a good friend of mine but he's done it and cannot take it back."

The coach also addressed the fact that Sharp is under 6ft tall - small for the average enforcer.

"There has been smaller tough guys pass through these leagues," he said. "Tie Domi (retired NHL enforcer with Toronto Maple Leafs and others) made a life out of it at 5ft 10in."

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