Sheffield Steelers retain key trio for 2025/26 season

Sheffield Steelers have confirmed that captain Robert Dowd, Kevin Tansey and Reece Kelly will all remain with the club next season.

The 2025/26 campaign will be Dowd’s 18th at the Steelers.

He recently became the club’s all-time record goal scorer, surpassing Steve Nemeth’s tally of 356 goals. And with 870 club appearances to his name, only Jonathan Phillips (1,042) has featured more times for the Steelers.

Following his arrival in Sheffield, Dowd has also spent time with Belfast Giants (2011-12), Sweden’s Troja-Ljunby (2012-13), and then briefly in Italy with Eppan during the 2020/21 campaign after the Elite League season was suspended indefinitely due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Also remaining with the Steelers next season is fan favourite Tansey, who joined the club from Danish side Herning Blue Fox’s ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The talented two-way defenceman, who agreed a two-year contract extension last summer, recently passed 100 appearances for the club, tallying 54 points during that time.

He previously spent time in Czechia, Austria and Slovakia before making the move to Herning for a season.

Completing the trio of retentions is Kelly, who arrived in the Steel City mid-season from Glasgow Clan.

A promising young British defenceman, he struggled for ice time during the second half of the 2024/25 campaign, making just 13 appearances in total.

Spending time playing his junior hockey in Ontario between 2016-20, he returned to the UK on a two-way contract with Bristol and Cardiff before returning to his country of birth, Scotland, ahead of the 2023/24 season.

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