Sheffield Steelers' Cole Shudra back on familiar ice in Leeds as he looks to further Great Britain World Championship claims

It’s reasonable to assume that the past 12 months have comfortably been the best of the 25-year-old’s career so far. How could they not have been?

During two seasons with Leeds Knights, Shudra proved himself to be one of the team’s greatest assets, particularly during the 2022-23 double-winning campaign when he put up a remarkable 120 points in 60 league and play-off games.

An opportunity to return to hometown club Sheffield Steelers and the Elite League then presented itself just a few weeks after Shudra had helped the Knights to play-off glory in Coventry.

MORE – Great Britain v Poland: Sheffield Steelers' Robert Dowd on what playing for GB really means to him

It was a chance he couldn’t turn down and, as disappointing as his departure was for both the team and fans at the time, it has proved to be the correct decision on so many levels.

The left-hander has enjoyed his most successful EIHL season so far, posting 12 goals and 15 assists in 70 games, averaging just over a point per game.

As if things couldn’t get even better for Shudra, his form – which saw him mainly continue in the forward role he nailed down during his time at Leeds – was enough to earn him a first call-up to the Great Britain team for the Olympic Pre-Qualifiers in Cardiff back in February.

Led by Shudra’s Steelers’ team-mate Robert Dowd, GB cruised into the final qualifying stage which takes place in late August and pits Pete Russell’s team against hosts Denmark, as well as Norway and Japan.

Finish top of that group and the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina in Italy beckon.

Before that, however, Shudra wants to secure a seat on the plane to Prague in May, when GB return to the top tier of the World Championships to take on the likes of Canada, Finland and hosts, Czechia.

Friday night sees him return to play in Leeds for the first time since his exit where he hopes to impress head coach Russell in the first of two warm-up games against Poland. The two teams meet again in Nottingham on Saturday night.

And while Shudra only has eyes for making himself a mainstay of the Steelers’ roster going forward, he acknowledges the pivotal role his time at Leeds has played in his career.

“I feel like I’ve taken something from every place I’ve played over the last five years or so,” said Shudra. “I feel like I’ve learned different things from different coaches and different players on those teams.

“Leeds was my favourite two years away from Sheffield, though – great team-mates and great coaches. I can’t thank that organisation enough, and those fans – they were amazing for those two years that I was there and to win two trophies there as well was amazing.

“It just helped me become a better player and, ultimately, that’s what you want.”

Despite all the trophies in the past 12 months, though, Shudra says his proudest moment was in February when he got the phone call from Russell informing him of his call-up to the GB squad for Cardiff.

“I would say it is arguably the proudest moment that I’ve ever had,” added Shudra, who is taking nothing for granted about inclusion for Prague. “Getting that call to play in the Olympic qualifiers was a dream come true – it represented everything I’ve worked for since I came out of the GB Under-20s.

“It was always my goal to try and break into the men’s team ever since then and to be selected as one of only 22 guys for that tournament was my proudest moment.

“Making the team back in February has just made me even more determined to try and make sure I’m on that plane for Prague. Just seeing that group of guys, playing for your country - there is no greater honour.”