Sheffield Steeldogs have boosted their defensive ranks with the signing of Tomas Brcko.

The Slovakian brings a wealth of experience to the EPL, having played nearly 400 games in his homeland – mostly in the top flight for MHC Martin.

Last season he iced for IL Kråkene Moss Hockey in Norway, where he scored six goals with 19 assists in 30 games.

Steeldogs’ boss Greg Wood said: “Having decided to go with a British netminder and with Lee (Haywood) moving on, we are filling the gap with a solid stay at home ‘D’ man.

“He will not only steadies us up defensively, but he’ll be there to develop our younger guys. He will bring a lot of experience to the table.

“Tomas comes highly recommended from Stano (Stanislav Lascek). Just look at his stats – he’s played nearly 300 games in the Slovakian Elite league.

“It’s a higher league than we’re playing in right now. His stats stand right out and show that he’s a good player.

“I expect Tomas to produce, but he’s primarily a stay at home defenseman although that role is a little different in our league.

“I’m going to try and get more out of him, get him to play in a creative way, but if he comes in and settles our defence down then that will be brilliant.

“If can he add a little offense, then that will be even better.”