TO say last season was a frustrating one for Sheffield Steeldogs’ netminder Alex Oldale might be putting it mildly.
Two spells out injured - the second proving to be season-ending - restricted the 21-year-old to just 21 performances between the pipes.
But a summer of rehab has left him well-placed to resume a career which, after coming through the junior system in his hometown of Sheffield, saw him gain invaluable experience during a two-year spell with the Elite League’s Manchester Storm.
Last summer he was persuaded to return home for the start of Slava Koulikov’s tenure behind the bench and, despite the subsequent injury frustrations, Oldale is excited about what the future holds for both him and those around him.
Shane Owen was brought on board from Fife Flyers during the summer to be the team’s No 1 netminder, but Oldale can expect to be handed his fair share of starts during the 2026-27 campaign, having impressed last year.
As part of his deal, Oldale is one of a number of Steeldogs’ players who get to spend time training with neighbouring Sheffield Steelers in between games, something he feels is of great benefit.
“I spent the majority of the summer just strictly focussing on rehab,” said Oldale. “There was obviously a lot of gym work and then I kind of got back to ice mid-late July, which set me up nicely for starting back in the middle of August.
“But yeah, I had to make that time up from last year and work hard through the summer to get back. It was frustrating at times, but you just have to find your feet again, work hard no matter what you're doing, whether it's rehab on the ice, off the ice, and it'll figure itself out.”
The off-ice support network available within the Steelers’ organisation was something else which Oldale credits with his successful rehab.
He is also relishing every opportunity he gets to train alongside players competing at the next level.
“The two-way path is great - the training opportunities with the Steelers and then the playing opportunities with the Steeldogs, they work hand in hand,” he added.
“And the skills and the stuff that you take from the Steelers’ skates with the more experienced guys to then utilise that with the Steeldogs, it not only brings my game on or the other two-way guys' games on, it just brings everyone's game on. It just benefits everyone.”
The Steeldogs will look to bounce back from last weekend’s pair of overtime defeats to third-placed Romford Raiders when they host Peterborough Phantoms on Saturday night.
They then hit the road for a first meeting of the season with Yorkshire rivals Hull Seahawks.