DeLuca ready to show what hew can do defensively for Sheffield Steelers

Sheffield Steelers' fans were delighted to see the Canadian commit to the club for season 2020-21.

After the winger had put pen to paper, coach Aaron Fox said DeLuca was one of the most gifted offensive forwards in the EIHL and had taken "some positive strides in his 'two-way' game - he knows that this year he needs to focus and continue improving his consistency in that aspect of his game."

DeLuca was the third best performer on the roster when it came to plus-minus stats - data which shows when a player was on the ice during goals both for and against.The player had a 19+ tally, beaten only by Tanner Eberle and Marek Troncinský.

DeLuca told The Star: "I take pride in my plus-minus. Foxy knows what I can bring to the table defensively and I showed that to him this year.

"We spoke about it when I signed and the way I played defensively in the (Challenge) Cup Final is what he knows I can bring and that’s what he means by being more consistent defensively."

DeLuca missed seven games through injury back in January, but returned to score 6+4 in eight games.

He recalled: "Yeah I remember the first weekend back people weren't too happy with my game, it had been a month I hadn’t touched the ice.

"With that being said, Danny (Mawer; fitness coach) noticed I needed a bit extra work and that week of working out and practice put me back to where I was at before that injury."Paul (Teather) was in charge of my rehab and did an excellent job. Both Danny and Paul were there to help every step of the way, even bringing me to the hospital a 4am after a Glasgow trip and I am grateful for all that," he added.