Steeldogs coach will look into icing Sheffield Steelers players if season can't go ahead

Ben Morgan is not certain his own NIHL league will take place, because of the continuing effects of the coronavirus.

But, with its smaller outgoings, the NIHL set-up does seem the more likely candidate to play on, in a 2020-21 season.

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Steelers' skipper Jonathan Phillips, desperate for ice time, has not ruled out offering his services to Dogs, if the circumstances led him in that direction.

Morgan has spoken to several Steeler Brits and hopes the EIHL will survive in one form or another over the next few months.

He has not gone into any detail with anyone.

"It all depends on what their contracts are," he said.

"If EIHL teams are not going to pay them then technically their contracts, I imagine, would be null and void.

"What happens if those players get injured? Their original teams are going to be up in arms.

"I don't know the ins and outs of it; whether they would be free agents. We are just waiting to see what happens on September 15th."

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That's when the EIHL board meets to decide whether a full season is remotely likely, or a mini one possibly introduced instead, with a smaller number of teams.

"Then we will take it from there," said Morgan. "After the 15th, I will speak to Aaron Fox (Steelers' coach) and if he wants his players to be playing during the season and it is an option for us to potentially give them some ice time then that is one we'd look to.

"Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't want to say: 'Oh yeah we'd love to have them' because we want them to play in their own league in a standard they deserve to be at.

"We might not be a fit for any player; they might want to go somewhere else for a bit.

"We don't want the Elite League to fold. But if it does fold we would have to look at options and say can we cater for however many people we can cater for?

"We are a pathway development league but it has got to work both ways and these are unprecedented times."

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