Steelers sign of Josh Nicholls - Confirmed

[Jayboy]

Sheffield Steelers confirm the final signing of Josh Nicholls from KHL side Kunlun Red Stars.


Josh Nicholls speaking to Peter Spencer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0g87nkb

Aaron fox: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0g87ljk

eliteprospects: https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/3 ... h-nicholls

31 Year old centre Josh Nicholls has been confirmed as the Steelers final summer signing as he joins the club from Kunlun Red Stars of the KHL

Playing for the Kunlun Red Star’s, Nicholls has played 86 KHL games over the past four years, where he also had stints with Storhamar (Norway) and Heilbronner Falken’s (Germany). Describing himself, Josh said Aaron wants me to be a high end point producer and says he will give me the opportunity to do so, and I believe I can be! I’m a big smooth offensive forward, I like to make a pass and I am a good playmaker. In tight I can finish and contribute.

I’m excited to get over to the UK and help contribute to a winning organisation,” said Nicholls. “After the time in Russia I wanted to come to a side wanting to win, I need to compete every night and after speaking with Aaron, I decided that place was Sheffield. The KHL is a great league and I have left of lot of good friends over there but with so many changes every year on our team we struggled to be competitive. I’m now coming to a club with a clear plan on how to win.
This is the right move for me at my time of life, I’ve just got married and the decision where to go and play this season was a big one. Once I got talking with Aaron, the Steelers and the UK was an option, then I watched all the Youtube videos of games and became hooked. Then I saw who we were signing and how the squad looked, and I had to be a part of it. I want to play in front of thousands of fans like we do in Sheffield, that fan support was a major pull for me, it excited me to perform for them and I can’t wait to do so.

[Doom]

I don't want to seem too down on the guy, but even ignoring his KHL time, his recent goal scoring record in leagues similar to ours isn't great.

If I can find a positive it's that he did score at a decent ratio in the Norwegian play-offs, so hopefully that's the player we get.

Having listened to the Fox interview it sounds like he's pencilled in on the top 6 and possibly as centre.

Could we see something like:

Ciampini/Nicholls/Vallerand
Allen/Watling/Neumann
Juusola/Simpson/Kiely
Dowd/Whistle/Shudra

That doesn't give us the killer 1st line I was hoping for, but it's a decent top 6 and a strong bottom 6, especially with Dowd on the all British line.

I hope Fox get's the lines sorted quickly so that they can build up chemistry, because one of the issues in the 2nd half of last season was the constant chopping and changing.

Regards

Doom

[Jayboy]

Josh looks like one of those great players we might get!!
I have a fear that Aaron has a set of forwards that maybe a little to much of a tinkers paradise, there is no doubt he loves to tinker!
He to my mind has made some massive gambles with a good few of his forwards in the hopes to get some stud players in at an affordable wage..
The problem is,he will either look a genius or crazy if they turn out to be a set of Martin St Pierre clones...

[House_of_Steel]

What strikes me with this signing listening to the interviews is Aaron’s gone from using the word Premium guy on the top line (his words in the interview when we signed Watling), to this lad being top 6 and talking about playing around with the line combinations! that’s fine if it’s a mid season signing, but we’re in pre-season!! If Aaron thought he was genuine top line material they would be only one place penned in for him. Yet again we’re in a situation where we are asking players to be better than their CVs suggest never works though does it!


Anyway I’ve got him penned in middle 6 and 12-15 goals we needed a player capable of producing 25-30 this isn’t the guy, hope I’m proved wrong but I doubt it.

*Sorry I missed the uni deal aspect of this article

[ginger]

As mentioned on other thread, difficult to read his CV given how much time he has been outside of usual recruiting leagues. To take the St Pierre comparison on - he's 6 years younger (only 31), and not undersized, so should not have the issues MSP had.

He scored very well in junior, so obviously knows how to make plays and put the puck in the net given the opportunity.

In terms of lines, I expect we'll start off with keeping Ciampini Neumann and Allen together, so expect Watling Vallerand and Nicholls as top line.

[House_of_Steel]

As mentioned on other thread, difficult to read his CV given how much time he has been outside of usual recruiting leagues. To take the St Pierre comparison on - he's 6 years younger (only 31), and not undersized, so should not have the issues MSP had.

He scored very well in junior, so obviously knows how to make plays and put the puck in the net given the opportunity.

In terms of lines, I expect we'll start off with keeping Ciampini Neumann and Allen together, so expect Watling Vallerand and Nicholls as top line.

He scored 8 goals in 32 DEL2 games and 4 in 15 games in Norway in the past 3 seasons. For me them numbers would need to be a lot higher to class him as a top line goal scorer taking into account those leagues are similar quality. His playoff numbers are pretty good but as we all know the league is the main event on these shores.

[Johnny777]

What strikes me with this signing listening to the interviews is Aaron’s gone from using the word Premium guy on the top line (his words in the interview when we signed Watling), to this lad being top 6 and talking about playing around with the line combinations! that’s fine if it’s a mid season signing, but we’re in pre-season!! If Aaron thought he was genuine top line material they would be only one place penned in for him. Yet again we’re in a situation where we are asking players to be better than their CVs suggest never works though does it!

No mention of a uni deal, which if you listen to the interviews and read the articles further back was our intention. This would suggest to me we lost out on our intended player a few weeks back (Lessio)maybe?

Anyway I’ve got him penned in middle 6 and 12-15 goals we needed a player capable of producing 25-30 this isn’t the guy, hope I’m proved wrong but I doubt it.

Extract from the Steelers press release on the website: “Josh is coming in on the 1 year MBA option with Sheffield Hallam University and that played a huge part in getting this deal done. We agreed this deal with Hallam late and it has helped get two guys we don’t get without that deal so that has been huge”. So we have used a uni deal but do feel Josh is at best Plan B for the final signing

[ginger]

As mentioned on other thread, difficult to read his CV given how much time he has been outside of usual recruiting leagues. To take the St Pierre comparison on - he's 6 years younger (only 31), and not undersized, so should not have the issues MSP had.

He scored very well in junior, so obviously knows how to make plays and put the puck in the net given the opportunity.

In terms of lines, I expect we'll start off with keeping Ciampini Neumann and Allen together, so expect Watling Vallerand and Nicholls as top line.

He scored 8 goals in 32 DEL2 games and 4 in 15 games in Norway in the past 3 seasons. For me them numbers would need to be a lot higher to class him as a top line goal scorer taking into account those leagues are similar quality. His playoff numbers are pretty good but as we all know the league is the main event on these shores.

What line was he playing on in those leagues? What had the coach asked of him? What was relative team ability? We're in there problems in settling in the country?

Not trying to be argumentative but there's so many other factors that can change production in a player. Which is why I'm going back to his junior stats. Usually in junior, players are being played in their best suited roles, so that to me suggests that he can score. He's not a pure sniper, but whenever in a comparable league to ours, he's put up 0.8 to 1 ppg. Which on limited sample size, and discounting a few games with new teams (I'd always discount about 5 games in each season with a new team), puts him at around a PPG.

He's on a uni deal, so my guess is we couldn't have afforded him without one. Worth considering as gives indication of his perceived value on the open market.

[House_of_Steel]

What strikes me with this signing listening to the interviews is Aaron’s gone from using the word Premium guy on the top line (his words in the interview when we signed Watling), to this lad being top 6 and talking about playing around with the line combinations! that’s fine if it’s a mid season signing, but we’re in pre-season!! If Aaron thought he was genuine top line material they would be only one place penned in for him. Yet again we’re in a situation where we are asking players to be better than their CVs suggest never works though does it!

No mention of a uni deal, which if you listen to the interviews and read the articles further back was our intention. This would suggest to me we lost out on our intended player a few weeks back (Lessio)maybe?

Anyway I’ve got him penned in middle 6 and 12-15 goals we needed a player capable of producing 25-30 this isn’t the guy, hope I’m proved wrong but I doubt it.

Extract from the Steelers press release on the website: “Josh is coming in on the 1 year MBA option with Sheffield Hallam University and that played a huge part in getting this deal done. We agreed this deal with Hallam late and it has helped get two guys we don’t get without that deal so that has been huge”. So we have used a uni deal but do feel Josh is at best Plan B for the final signing

Sorry didn’t see the uni deal aspect.

[Joesteeler]

As mentioned on other thread, difficult to read his CV given how much time he has been outside of usual recruiting leagues. To take the St Pierre comparison on - he's 6 years younger (only 31), and not undersized, so should not have the issues MSP had.

He scored very well in junior, so obviously knows how to make plays and put the puck in the net given the opportunity.

In terms of lines, I expect we'll start off with keeping Ciampini Neumann and Allen together, so expect Watling Vallerand and Nicholls as top line.

He scored 8 goals in 32 DEL2 games and 4 in 15 games in Norway in the past 3 seasons. For me them numbers would need to be a lot higher to class him as a top line goal scorer taking into account those leagues are similar quality. His playoff numbers are pretty good but as we all know the league is the main event on these shores.

Agree with this.

His stats in the DEL2 don't suggest we are in for a top liner.

I'm hoping Josh turns out to be a bit like JJ Piccinich, have low expectations but massively exceeds them.

At 31 years of age, his junior career is irrelevant at this stage.