Sheffield Steelers have five new faces joining their roster

Coach Aaron Fox and his administration have yet to announce who will be joining recently-recruited fresh faces Kevin Tansey and Mark Simpson.

But the other three are thought to be a north American goaltender, who will compete for the starting spot with Matt Greenfield, and two new overseas-born defenceman.

There remains much more work to do for Fox, as Sheffield seek to close the gap on Belfast Giants.

But defensively it is all starting to look pretty solid - although there may still be room for Niklas Nevalianen if the club and he mutually want a second year.

One name I expect to see back on the roster, up front, is Scott Allen.

The club has agreed contracts with his linemates of last year, Brett Neumann and Daniel Ciampini.

Fox likes players who are committed to working hard in all three zones of the ice and Allen, the 32-year-old centreman, fits that bill.

The forward, like many professional hockey players in the UK, wanted to look around to see if there were any top jobs available in Europe.

But The Star believes that the skater who played three years at EHC Freiburg in Germany has now committed to a second term in South Yorkshire.

The number of players on an EIHL game day roster is 20, that is 18 skaters and two netminders.

If you include the new unnamed trio, of two defencemen and a netminder, (Hayden Lavigne will not be returning to the crease) Sheffield seems to have 12 on the books, and that does not include a British stand-in goaltender.

That spot won't go back to Curtis Warburton, who fulfilled the role last season.

The 21-year-old has signed a contract to become the starting goalie for the Solway Sharks in the NIHL.

He barely got a sniff in Sheffield last season, with Greenfield playing so consistently.

Fox said: “I’m happy to see Curtis be given an opportunity to become a starter and help his development.

“He’s worked very hard and has earned this opportunity.

"We will obviously keep a close eye on him and wish him all the best”.

Warburton, who blossomed in the Sheffield junior system until he earned a two-way contract with Steelers, said he thought the move to Dumfries was "the best thing for me."

He was "close to going back" to Sheffield but felt he needed to play more games, which was "the only way to get better."

Warburton, from Rotherham, said he wanted to give Sharks the "chance to win every night."