As part of our countdown to the big puck drop in 25 days, we begin our look at the other teams around the league.
We start here with a look at the new, improved Cardiff Devils, as analysed by friend of the blog Sean Phillips.
It’s that time of year. Hockey fans up and down the British Isles are analysing the Elite League rosters with spreadsheets and Eliteprospects at the ready in the aid of backing up their predictions.
That’s all well and good, I’ll probably throw a few stats in here, but as we’ve seen through the Elite League era, stats can mean nothing. The game is played on ice, not paper as they say.
For those of you that don’t know me, I’m 19 years old, have been following ice hockey for twelve years as well as playing occasionally and hoping to progress into a role as an official. Think Bill McCreary, not Mike Hicks!
My take on the Cardiff Devils this year is a little more than just the roster. But where better to start from the back;
Netminding
In my opinion, the Achilles heel of the Devils team this year. Ben Bowns at the tender age of 23 backstopped the Stingrays last year and gave the jellyfish a chance to win each and every game and I was very impressed with him when I saw him play on numerous occasions in Hull. The Rotherham born netminder is on the brink of stealing Stephen Murphy’s starting spot in the GB cage and gives the South Wales outfit the benefit of an extra import skater.
My worry with Bowns is that he’s going to have to carry this team over the next few years and the Devils really need to be patient with him to ensure we get his best years out of him. Facing up against the Erhardt teams more frequently will really test Bowns and this is his chance to prove he deserves to be in the crease from the start at Eindhoven come the 2015 World Championships.
This year also sees the signing of third string GB netminder Mike Will who is certainly an upgrade on Joey Myers and when called upon, will be more than capable of keeping the Devils in a game and keeping starter Ben Bowns on his toes.
Defence
Cardiff have kept the best of their defensive unit as the critically acclaimed Tyson Marsh returns for his third year joining brits Mark Richardson and proven youngster Josh Batch on the blue line. 18 year old prospect Callum Buglass will continue his development at EPL outfit Swindon while appearing for the Elite League Devils when called upon.
New additions to the back end include the Devils European passport holder (Irish) Carl Hudson who almost hit a point a game at French club Morzine last year, Scott Hotham who boasts a decent pedigree at AHL and ECHL in North America and plied his trade in the DEL last year scoring 13 points in 29 games. Both will add an attacking dimension to the Devils defence this year and will need to incur similar point production for the Devils to be competitive this year.
Meanwhile two-time draft pick Trevor Hendrikx is the stay at home D-man that the Devils have chosen to hopefully replace the departing Mark Smith. With over 250 games in the East Coast League and earning himself two AHL call ups, Trevor joins from CHL club Allen Americans where he played alongside new Nottingham Panther, Mike Berube.
In summary, each player stands over six foot making them a tall yet very mobile looking defense. These guys look like they’ll punish opposing teams on the scoreboard, but will they keep them from firing back? I’m not so sure.
Offence
The Devils maintain a strong british contingent this year despite Ben Davies’ decision the fly the nest. Work horse Luke Piggott, speedster Chris Jones and power forward Matthew Myers return to their hometown club whilst ever improving Adam Harding will link up when called upon from EPL Swindon. Penalty shot specialist Jake Morissette also rejoins with player-coach Andrew Lord completing the list of returning Devils.
When one door closes, another one opens. Davies departure gives Chris Jones the chance to prove he can compete at EIHL level and at 23 he’s still developing. After multiple 50 point seasons in the Devils ENL setup he’s due a big year and he’s been given the opportunity to do so. Piggott is an excellent penalty killer and if he can chip in a few points while continuing to throw his body at the opposition he’s a worthy retention. A player you hate to play against.
After a disappointing homecoming, Matty Myers revealed in the press that he didn’t enjoy his hockey last year. Cardiff fans will hope he can replicate his previous fine form without the weight on his shoulders. I have a feeling it’s going to be a big year for this man.
Morissette proved a very handy player last term. An expert when it came to penalty shots and hitting the net when we needed it despite not being able to settle on a line or set position. This year Jake will be settled on a line and used in the appropriate situations and I see him easily beating his points total from last year.
This leaves six brand new imports to introduce to the Elite League fans. 26 year old center Chris Culligan recommended by former Devils netminder Daniel Lacosta and 25 year old winger Joey Haddad who both hail from Sydney, Nova Scotia. It looks solid secondary scoring with Culligan straight out of College hockey into an AHL call up and Haddad with a decent East Coast scoring record. Haddad looks particularly strong with good hands and seems like he’ll be a real fans favourite.
Brent Walton looks to be the Devils main offensive weapon with a point a game in Germanys second tier and coming second in the scoring charts last year in Denmark (He doubled the points of former devil Stuart Macrae) Walton also boasts a level balance of goals versus assists throughout his career showing he knows when to strike and when to set up. I think he’ll score 40 goals this year for Cardiff.
Gritty winger Jesse Mychan is the next new face joining from Colorado Eagles at the ripe age of 22. After his AHL call up to Portland last year, Mychan comes to Cardiff unproven and under the radar. He’ll play a physical game and hopefully chip in offensively too.
The next face is arguably the Devils biggest gamble of the year. Playing only 9 games last year, splitting them in the AHL and ECHL scoring one goal is Doug Clarkson, younger brother of Toronto Maple Leaf’s David. At 6’5 he’s a big guy with not a lot of scoring history and yet not a lot of penalty minutes. Really don’t know what to expect from this guy.
Last but by absolutely no means least, Joey Martin completes the Devils line up for 14-15. At 26 he joins at the peak of his career fresh from a point a game season in the East Coast league and another AHL call up to Bridgeport under his belt alongside Houston and Texas. Excited to see what he has in store for us this year.
Coaching/Management
The Devils were given a new lease of life this June after the worst EIHL season revealed the cracks in the wall that owner Paul Ragan had tried to paper over. Players came out to say they hadn’t been paid and Ragan eventually sold the franchise and IP rights for an undisclosed sum to a consortium of Canadian businessmen headed up by former Belfast General Manager Todd Kelman and primarily funded by private equity investor Steve King. The consortium also contains Greenbank Partnerships, the developer of Cardiffs new state of the art facility due to open next July making this the most sustainable ownership in the Elite League.
After the issues last year, Todd Kelman appointed Neil Francis (Also part of the ownership group) as Director of Hockey and worked together to appoint player coach Andrew Lord. Whilst all three have been involved in the team recruitment, Kelman will run the business, Francis will run the bench and Lord will run the locker room, practice, tactics and dictate the style of play. Lord himself is one of the best all-round players I’ve seen in Cardiff recently and plays with his heart on his sleeve. That’s a style I expect him to coach into his players and his gameplan to make the BBT a fortress in its last dance at the EIHL ball.
I’m truly excited about this year. The players look solid but the organisation as a whole feels stronger instantly. A lot of that stems from Todd, but on ice, Lord is the perfect man to lead by example as the perfect Cardiff Devil. He and Neil Francis know all about what Devils fans love and want from a team. And it looks like they’ll get it. Will it come with a bit of silver? We’re underdogs, no doubt about it. But Nottingham can’t hold on to the Challenge Cup forever and the play-off winners could be anybody. Although we don’t look a title challenging side we look a team that’ll give it all each and every night.
The Red Army is back. Armed and dangerous.
By Sean Phillips - @CdfDevilsLive - @SeanyP95
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