Sheffield Steelers forward Daniel Ciampini on being team 'sales rep' and realising his Elite League title ambition

The 32-year-old was confirmed on Saturday night as returning for a second season with the Elite League club, last season’s joint-top points scorer one of those players at the top of head coach Aaron Fox’s list of players he was keen to keep hold of

After getting the deal done, Ciampini has helped persuade others to the charms of playing out of the Utilita Arena, including veteran defenceman Kevin Tansey.

Given how much he enjoyed his first season in South Yorkshire – he scored 65 points in 66 league, cup and play-off games – Ciampini was happy to act as an unpaid ‘sales rep’ for the club, particularly given his own determination to come back and put right what he sees as the ‘wrongs’ of last season when the Steelers emerged empty-handed for a second successive year.

"I have a lot of contacts and have been around a while and sometimes it’s good for players to talk,” said Ciampini, who played alongside fellow Canadian Tansey at HC Innsbruck in 2020-21. “I have a lot of contacts and have enjoyed trying to help attract players here. We’ve signed a couple of good ones that I’m excited about.”

As for his own decision to return, Ciampini – with extensive experience in Europe prior to arriving in Sheffield – said there was little doubt of him heading elsewhere.

"It was pretty easy when it happened,” he added. “I returned from vacation after the season and met up with Aaron. I believe in him and the direction he is taking the team and I want to be a part of that. I loved playing in Sheffield and know we came up short last year.”

Fox believes Ciampini was one of the key core pieces to bring back for 2023-24, believing the 5ft 11ins, left-hander to be one of the most “honest and professional players” he has ever coached.

"He was our most complete two-way forward last season,” said Fox. “I like his defensive game, it is extremely high-end for a guy who’s finished as his team’s top scorer in four out of the five seasons he’s spent in Europe. He thinks the game extremely well and he had stretches last season where he was dominant.

“I truly believe he will build off those numbers next year and that’s why we felt he was one of those important core pieces to get back.

“He’s also one of the most honest and professional players I have coached. He’s the last guy off the ice in practice every day and he truly cares and wants to better himself daily. He will be someone I can count on as one of those leaders in our room that we will need.”