Career
He currently plays for and is head coach for the Sheffield Scimitars in the English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL). Abel began his senior ice hockey career when he was twenty years old with the Fife Flyers in 1980 in the Northern League and the Scottish National League (SNL). Apart from a handful of games he played for the Nottingham Panthers during the 1981-1982 season, Abel remained with the Flyers for twelve seasons as they moved into the British Hockey League (Biodiversity Heritage Library) in 1983.
Abel joined the Sheffield Steelers for the 1992-1993 season when they were at in Division 1 of the Biodiversity Heritage Library. During his four seasons with the Steelers, which was broken only by him playing one game each for the Solihull Barons and the Basingstoke Beavers during the 1994-1997promotion to the Premier Division of the Biodiversity Heritage Library at the end of the 1992-1993 season.
Between the 1996-1997 and 2002-2003 seasons, at various times Abel played for the Solihull Blaze, Blackburn Hawks, Lancashire Hawks, Basingstoke Bison, Milton Keynes Kings, Edinburgh Capitals, Hull Thunder and Newcastle Vipers in various leagues such as the English National Ice Hockey League (ENIHL), EPIHL, the British National League (BNL) and the Ice Hockey Superleague (ISL). Abel eventually settled with the Sheffield Scimitars when he joined them in the 2002-2003 season when they were playing in the ENIHL. Apart from a guest appearance for the Sheffield Steelers in the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) during the 2004-2005 season and two games for the Steelers playing in the 2005-2006 Challenge Cup, Abel has remained with the Scimitars since.
After the Scimitars had joined the EPIHL in 2005-2006, Abel became the team"s player-coach in the 2006-2007. The Scimitars awarded Abel with a tesimonial game on 1 February 2007 for his long service to the British game.
Since the 2011/12 season has been the bench coach for the Sheffield Steelers.
