Vallerand pledges to be a huge presence in Sheffield Steelers' locker room again

Marco Vallerand - business as usual. Picture: Dean Woolley

Marco Vallerand - described as an "Alpha" player for Steelers - admits he was a subdued version of himself when he re-joined Sheffield halfway through last season.

The player, who normally loves the limelight, was careful that he did not return to the club in January to be perceived as some sort of saviour.

With so many new faces on the EIHL roster, Vallerand wanted to weigh up the spirit of the locker room before influencing it in the way he had done previously.

Recalling the time when he returned to South Yorkshire from HK Olimpija Ljubljana, of Slovenia, the winger said he'd consciously tried to make his presence "smaller" than other seasons he'd spent at Sheffield Arena.

"When I came back, the locker room was quite a different vibe," he told The Star.

"It was not a bad vibe, not a better vibe, just a different vibe.

"I don't feel the way I handled things like I normally do.

"Sheffield was in the mix when I came in, battling with Belfast Giants and Guildford Flames, so I knew they were doing something right.

"And the last thing you want to do is make too many waves, and disturb what has been going on.

"I didn't want to switch the spotlight from everyone.

"I didn't want to be that guy who comes in and people believe he will just change the whole thing.

"It is all about confidence in sports.

"You don't want to take that away from guys.

"I just came in to add something; we had exciting ingredients and I did not want to change the recipe.

"So for the first few weeks, I was just trying to read the room - who are the leaders, what sort of leadership can I bring to the locker room?

"Maybe I was a bit too quiet during that time, so I have learned a lot from that.

"I made myself a bit smaller and a bit quieter and maybe it worked, maybe it didn't, but for me, it wasn't the best for myself.

"I don't know if I would do anything different but I just know I wasn't myself and not the Vally that fans and coaching staff know," said the Canadian, who has just re-signed for Sheffield for next season.

"So I will just be myself from now on - the one everyone has known there for two and a half years.

"I won't be going back to the quiet Marco in the locker room!"

Steelers' coach Aaron Fox regards Vallerand as an "Alpha" player, whose personality can inspire his team-mates.

Fox says Vallerand, who scored 13 points in a 20-game spell for Sheffield last season, will be called on to be a leader in the class of 2023-24.