Head Coach Jason Hewitt announced his leadership group for season 23/24 before today’s pre-season fixture against the Solway Sharks.
Taking on the role of Captain for the Dogs will be defenceman Jonathan Kirk, he will be assisted by exciting forward Vlads Vulkanovs and fellow defenceman Tim Smith. Hewitt spoke highly of his three new leaders:
‘I have three new leaders in my group this season. JK will be my captain. He is someone I can lean on, I know I communicate well with him and his play every night is outstanding. He is a leader, has a level head and will lead by example.
Tim Smith will be one of the As. He is a big voice in the room and a guy who gives everything he’s got to his team and the club.
Vlads Vulkanovs will also get an A on his jersey. He leads in his play and with him being younger, it’s an opportunity to show where we are going with the team. He never stops working and I hope people will follow suite.’
‘With it being a bit of a fresh start, I wanted to make some changes. I know there are lots of others in the room who will also speak up when it’s needed and who will be vocal on the bench and lead on the ice.’
The new Captain and his team got off to a good start in Dumfries earlier this evening with a solid performance earning the team a 1-4 victory in a tough rink.
With Dan Crowe getting his first start for the Steeldogs, it was time to put into action the work that has been completed in training. A steady opening 20 minutes saw the Sharks set off well but couldn’t finish their chances. The Steeldogs defence made sure that Crowe was well protected. Spurr opened the scoring late into the first period giving the Steeldogs a deserved lead. Brownley chipped in with two goals and the Dogs looked comfortable at 0-3 through the next phase of the game. Young claimed a goal back for the Sharks but Palmer made sure their joy was short lived by adding a 4th goal.
Sheffield looked comfortable throughout, had more in the tank and always had the edge despite the shot count.
Hewy was pleased with how his team performed:
‘I’m happy with what I’ve seen tonight, Dan Crowe played well in goal and Cam, Jono and Vlads worked well and looked really good. We’ve been on the ice for a few weeks now so it’s nice to hit the ground running.’
‘Solway have some good players, they’ll get better as the season progresses but so will we. I’m excited and very pleasantly surprised by what I’ve seen tonight. I liked how we put things together on the ice. The energy was high and we have used 4 lines tonight. Tomorrow is our first home game and we want to make an impression, I want us to show more of the same and get the fans excited.’
Make sure you’re in the Bauer Arena, iceSheffield to give those Stinkydogs a loud welcome home.
Buy your tickets here: bit.ly/ShfD0g5T1x