Brett Neumann back intent on ending Sheffield Steelers long wait for Elite League crown

From an Elite League season that was promising to deliver so much at the halfway stage for Sheffield Steelers, to finish with nothing was a source of much frustration for all concerned.

Neumann was no different to anyone else.

While his first experience of the Elite League was a positive one on a personal level - the 25-year-old Ontario-born forward finished as the second-highest points scorer during 2022-23 - his summer has so far been tinged with a sense of regret at not having lifted any silverware.

A third-place regular-season finish coupled with semi-final defeats in both the Challenge Cup and the play-offs would represent a successful season for the majority of teams. Not so the Steelers, particularly when such a return extended the organisation’s wait for the most prized trophy of all - the regular season championship - to seven years.

Such a wait is what makes returning for the 2023-24 campaign such a crucial one for all concerned.

“It was very disappointing (to win nothing) and I felt like we were there for the most part but we just needed that little bit more," Neumann told The Yorkshire Post from his Toronto home.

“And so I’ve got that hungry feeling to come back in and get it done next time around. I had a really great time in Sheffield, I love the city, love the fans but the end of the season just left me with that empty feeling of not getting the job done, so I’m desperate to get back into Sheffield and win a championship.”

For his part, Steelers’ head coach Aaron Fox was keen to bring Neumann back and although the forward had offers elsewhere - both from Europe and in the Elite League - there was little doubt about where his immediate future lay.

“With a year under his belt in this league now, Brett will have a little bit more familiarity with what he’s getting himself into and what he needs to do in the summer to maybe take that next little step,” said Fox.

“As the season went on, Neums just got more confident - we played him in all situations, he plays with a ton of pace and is not afraid to get to the hard areas.

“I’m expecting him to take another step forward next year which will only benefit our team. He’s such a versatile player, too - I can play him in the middle, play him on the wing - so there are such a lot of positives to having him back there.”