Steelers add power and toughness

SHEFFIELD,U.K-The Sheffield Steelers have added some much needed toughness to their line-up with the signing of former Basingstoke Bison captain and power forward Brad Cruikshank. Cruikshank will initially join until the end of the season, after handing in his notice at Basingstoke. Financial trouble at the Hampshire club left Cruikshank with no choice but to look around for potential employers.

Sheffield head coach Dave Matsos is delighted with his new signing. “This is the power forward we have been looking for, with the long term injury to Nathan Gillies we had no option but to look for a replacement,” Matsos said “This now gives Nathan time to fully recover from the elbow injury and when he is back to full fitness we will re assess the situation and move forward.”
Many Steelers fans believed changes were needed, and Gillies was the player who was in the firing line, having only picked up four points in his first 11 games. The fans see ‘Cruker’ as an ideal replacement for Gillies. The British Columbian native has been the heart and soul in Basingstoke for the last three and half years, featuring in 163 games, collecting 141 points along the way. He’s not just known for his goal scoring capabilities, he can also drop the gloves and doesn’t shy away from the tough stuff amassing 793 Penalty minutes in his time in the UK.
Cruikshank was a fan favourite at ‘The Herd’ and was quick to acknowledge the Bison fans, “I loved my time here in Basingstoke, I have met great people and had the best of times here, however I’m getting to that point in my career where I need to win, to play for a winning side,” Cruikshank said “I want to win a championship and I know with Sheffield I have a chance to win every night.”
Cruikshank had a great campaign last season, scoring 30 goals, and registering 30 assists, as well as amassing 260 penalty minutes. Cruikshank is aware of the quality on the Steelers roster and admits it won’t be an easy task to solidify his place in the team. “I will have to earn my place on this team, I won’t just jump on to the first power play or first penalty kill units, I will have to work hard to earn my place on those special teams, that’s the attraction, to compete every day in practice,” Cruikshank said “I think every player on the Steelers team knows what I’m about, they know that I will do anything I can to help my team win and I’m grateful to the Steelers organisation for granting me this opportunity, I won’t let them the players or the fans down.” Contact the author at Scott.antcliffe@prohockeynews.com