Great Britain coach hails Brendan Connolly Sheffield Steelers return

The gritty forward played only nine league matches before an ACL injury wrecked his 2021-22 campaign, a wound that put a considerable dent in the club's title aspirations.

Rival clubs - including the EIHL outfits that have had him on their books, Belfast Giants and Glasgow Clan - would probably hope they'd seen the back of him on an opposition team.

But Great Britain coach Pete Russell is delighted to see him continue his career at Sheffield, where he can keep an eye on him ahead of next year's World Championship mission to return to the top flight.

Asked to sum up the 5ft 8ins ball of mischief, Russell told The Star: "Conns is just Conns, he is one of the most determined people I have ever met or coached, he is really focused on winning.

"If he was playing tiddleywinks he would want to beat you, that is his personality."

Russell is 100% sure that the player will return at the top of his game, despite the long enforced layoff and the fact he has some way to go to full fitness.

"He wouldn't want to play unless he is the best he can be. He wants to be a difference-maker" said Russell.

"He has always looked after himself. When he suffered a bad injury playing for us at Glasgow (he was injured at Fife Flyers in March 2019; when Russell was head coach for Clan) he missed the World Championships yet came back even stronger.

"This time, he'll have known better than anybody that he could recover - if he didn't he'd be the first to say that."

As a player, Connolly is "bonkers, electric" said the GB boss.

"In Glasgow, I remember I told him to stop taking penalties. He said he was sorry: 'Not problem, I'll stay out of the box.'

"But for the next four games, he was hardly in it.

"Eventually, I shouted at him: 'Just get involved...if you have to take a penalty just take one.'

"Out he goes, runs somebody or cross-checks them from behind, goes in the penalty box, comes out, picks up the puck and scores and that was him going again!

"You cannot take that out of him, or you ruin him. I was probably ruining him at that time, trying to change him, I learned my lesson there.

"When someone is like him you just have to go with them, because that is what they have. He comes to play every day."

Connolly, 36, said he has always enjoyed playing for Russell.

"He gave me a lot of leash in terms of how he wanted me to play, sometimes when you play on the edge you cross the line but Pete will straighten you out and get you back playing the way he wants you to play.

"I love playing for him, he's a great guy, a great coach I really enjoyed playing for him, we keep in touch, he has got a great hockey mind and he is good to bounce ideas off."