Niklas Nevalainen: Another new face joins Sheffield Steelers as defenceman signs on

Today, the offensive defenceman signed for Sheffield Steelers and he revealed that he didn't need long to accept an offer from coach Aaron Fox.

"I had interest from Austrian league and DEL2 and that's actually where I thought I would end up," Nevalainen told The Star.

"I had a few offers from the Austrian league on my table and I was kind of thinking about them.

"Then I had a call from my agent asking: 'How do I feel about Sheffield?'

"I told him: 'Give me a day to do a little homework.'

"So I did, but I got excited right away, and called him the same day and told him that I would be more than happy to go there.

"Then Foxy called me in the next day or so and it was quite easy!"

The player said he also spoke with forward Mathias Sointu, who played for the EIHL club last year and he gave them a glowing testimony.

Nevalainen has a similar stature and offensive attributes as Daine Todd, whose season was ended abruptly by a serious injury.

"I think I am quite a good skater like to carry the puck and move the puck fast and join the rush and for me, I am a passer rather than a shooter so I enjoy making plays and providing chances for the guys to score," said the defenceman.

Coach Fox described the 29-year-old left-handed import as "an excellent two-way defenceman coming off an exceptional year in Norway.

"He finished second in the League in defenceman-scoring while there.

"He also had four very strong seasons in the Liiga (Finland) where he put up good numbers while playing a top four role.

"He plays a very smart defensive game and will be a great asset to our D core.

"He skates very well and sees the ice at the highest level.

"He is excellent on his retrievals as we want to play with pace and he will be a guy who should really excel in that style."

Nevalainen is well aware of the north American style of hockey, he had four seasons with St. Cloud State University.