'The one I want...' The trophy this Sheffield Steeler newcomer has yet to capture

Evan Mosey doesn't need anybody reminding him that for all the accomplishments he's enjoyed in British hockey so far - the League title hasn't been one of them.
Evan Mosey has set his sights on the league title - the one honour he has yet to winEvan Mosey has set his sights on the league title - the one honour he has yet to win
Evan Mosey has set his sights on the league title - the one honour he has yet to win

It looked certain that absence from his personal trophy cabinet was about to change during the run-in to the 2019-20 season when his then-club Cardiff Devils were a point clear at the top with three games in hand over Sheffield Steelers.

But the EIHL season was cancelled in March 2020 due to the pandemic and he could not add the title to his earlier successes: the Play Offs in 2018-19 with Devils and the Challenge Cup and Play Offs in 2015-16, when he wore the colours of Nottingham Panthers.

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But Mosey, the 32-year-old American who qualifies to play for Great Britain because of his Yorkshire-born father, is coming to Steelers to put that situation right.

"Yes, I've won the Play Offs twice and the Cup but not the League: that's the one thing that keeps getting away from me," he told The Star.

"I told Foxy (Sheffield coach Aaron Fox) that's the one trophy I want to get and it was certainly clear he wants to win it too.

"In the last season (at Cardiff) we were ahead with games in hand - that was my chance: then Corona came.

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"But you get a new chance every year; that's the way I look at it. The whole point of playing is to win trophies and be successful."

Mosey looks back with relish at all the times he has played against Steelers.

"The Boxing Day games were pretty good when I first came over, (Nottingham 2014) all were pretty high intensity, they were Play Off mentality games.

"Over the years I've had some good battles with all the Sheffield teams.

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"Foxy's teams are fast, usually really skilled, highly offensive and good defensively. Playing for Cardiff (2019-20) I just remember how quick the transition was. They had a lot of skill and every line was dangerous and could score. Such a high-end team are tough to play against, night in and night out."

Mosey will make his home debut for Sheffield on Sunday, against Panthers in a challenge match.

The club has sold more than 8,000 tickets so far.

The skater is looking forward to having the Arena crowd on his side this time, rather than against him.

"The Arena is huge, for an opposing player it can be intimidating coming into Sheffield and you have 6-7,000 people having the home team's back.

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"If they scored against you could feel the buzz" recalled Mosey.

"Once Sheffield get rolling and score a few goals the fans go crazy. It is like having a sixth guy on the ice for them. That much support and backing are huge.

"It will be exciting having the fans chanting, a lot of guys have not had that for a long time."

In the meantime, Mosey is enjoying one of his favourite pastimes - getting to know new places.

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"It is nice walking around a new city getting used to surrounding areas, wandering around aimlessly and getting lost, that is something I enjoy doing!"

* Premier Sports, the EIHL's new headline sponsor and exclusive television partner, will air the Steelers v Cardiff game on September 26.

In total, 27 live games will be broadcast during the season, including 23 league games, the Challenge Cup Final and the Playoff Finals Weekend.

Steelers' owner and League chairman Tony Smith said: "Premier Sports have been a great partner of ours for the past two seasons, and we’re delighted that we’re able to take this a step further in 2021-22.

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“We’re very proud to be able to secure a new headline sponsor in the current climate, especially one that is as enthusiastic and passionate about growing our sport as we are.

“We have always believed in the value of our product, and this deal underlines that. Coupled with welcoming fans back into arenas, we can’t wait to get theseason up and running.”

Smith led an induction day for his team on Monday.