'Prince Anthony' would love a Sheffield Steelers return but is at war with Manchester Storm

They recently opened up a four-point gap at the top of the EIHL and this week qualified for the semi finals of the Challenge Cup.

Would they have even better still, had they re-recruited Anthony DeLuca, an explosive forward who was once almost as popular with Steeler fans as Robert Dowd?

Or is the proven goal scorer, who isn’t perhaps as well known for his defensive contribution, better served off the beaten track at Italian club Gherdëina, in the Alps League?

In a podcast, DeLuca admitted he’d hoped Sheffield, whose shirt he wore 119 times, would have come back for him last summer.“I would have definitely considered a Sheffield offer,” he said.

“I would have loved to go back to Sheff, it would have definitely been hard to pick between Italy and Sheffield.

“But unfortunately, there was no Sheffield offer and that was that was a place that I really fell in love with.

“I’ll consider it home to me for a very long time and … you never know. Down the road, maybe. Maybe I do end up back in Sheff.

“The city was amazing, the fans were even better,” said the winger, a friend of Steelers’ number two goalie Tony Morrone.

“It would definitely be a nice spot to end up back.”

The forward was fulsome in praise of Steelers’ management, which directly contrasted his thoughts on EIHL rivals Manchester Storm, where he played last season.

DeLuca claimed on the podcast that he did not receive his full and agreed compensation at the end of last season, and had to fight for what was ultimately only part of his last pay cheque.

The Canadian also said he didn’t get the rental car he was promised, added he was billeted “an hour” away from the Altrincham rink, and drew attention to what he alleges was a lack of pre-game and post-game meals provided for players.

He said it was “such a no-brainer that I would never even consider Manchester again.”

Management at the Storm contested DeLuca’s claims of a short-fall in their financial agreement with him, when approached by The Star.

They laughed off suggestions DeLuca lived an hour from the rink – it’s thought the 2022-23 squad mainly lived in the CitySuites ‘Luxury Aparthotel’ on a tram route nine miles away in Manchester city centre.

General manager Ryan Finnerty, who played 214 games for Sheffield, said: “We adamantly deny his allegations, although it is not worth our energy getting into it. Really, we just laughed off what he said on that podcast.

“I am sorry Prince Anthony did not like the CitySuites apartments, with access to a pool and gym, next time he comes back we’ll find him some shared accommodation in Moss Side.”