A Busy, Unexpected Off-Season for Devils – Part One

All Systems Go Amongst a Raft of Changes

It should be fair to suggest that this was a season that got away from the Cardiff Devils. For all intents and purposes, this should have brought in 4 trophies, including a domestic grand slam and it wouldn’t have been fair to the league.

And rightly so.

However, the season turned out to be a cruel mistress, with a plethora of injuries, prolonged absences and a ruined cohesiveness as a result.

During the campaign, from working with just 3 forwards lines or 5 D, to a full stack of players, even with scratches as well as injuries, Pete Russell had a hell of a job keeping the team together, motivated and structured.

That is not to mention the injuries to what was tipped as the best tandem the league had seen for quite some time, when both goalies succumbed to injuries in Continental Cup action earlier in the campaign.

Where the team struggled and eventually fell off toward the end of the season, was tantamount to that ongoing attrition of the fixtures, travel and lack of bodies to keep the high end compete levels running.

Ultimately, there was another issue, one of selection, desired positions and perhaps imposed roles and demands from the coach himself, with a very talented, but narrowly faceted group.

Here is why but before I delve into a short analysis of the season, I am not claiming to be a coach or know better than any coach.

This is an entirely normal, routine sports article, which you could find almost anywhere across any sport and any level on the planet. That is why it is classified as opinion, for this case, highly informed opinion.

Let’s get into it.

The Perplexing Puzzle that Stumped Pete Russell

If PR had a full squad to choose from for 98% of the season, you would have to think, how would he do it? It is one hell of a headache to decide.

Of course, he saw the team on a daily basis in training, so knows who puts in the effort, but the benefit of watching them across the season has honed the sharpness of the blade for the so called skate.

Or you would think so.

It is one thing I wish we had more, a chopping block element in the sport this side of the pond, without the need for having a shoe string to put players on, taking snips each time a player is out or leaves prematurely.

If there were no prolonged or persistent injury issues, this would have been my ideal line up for the team;

Shinkaruk – O’Brien – MacDonald
Duke – Martin – Sanford
Olischefski – Perlini – Barrow
Brandt – Davies – Duggan

MacWilliam – Mosey
Gourley – Fournier
Richie – Donaghey

Bowns
Carruth

Scratch; Batch, Busch, Almquist, Schoonbaert

Player Selection

The most noticeable name in that line up would be Shinkaruk, however, if it was a season without injury, there would be no reason to believe he wouldn’t fit into that top line.

Having O’Brien as centre was a no brainer. That is his natural position. This had become a season long gripe of mine with how the squad was utilised. Why have him on the wing when there was an overabundance for wingers?

Reflecting on his game management, O’Brien simply did ‘enough’ per shift. He didn’t set the barn alight with a dazzling display of hockey prowess that was to be expected from him.

Personal issues aside, there would have been an underlying itch that needed to be scratched. Play me in the best position for the team.

This never occurred.

The suggested argument is having all forwards as ‘utility’ players that can adapt to any position was a stretch and ultimately poor assessment from any individual who either saw it that way or professed it as a reason for a lack of structure from the overall signings.

There is a reason why a centre-man is a centre-man. For face-offs, forechecking, the north-south work, the defensive responsibility, the net front presence.

There is a reason for wingers with a certain handiness for shooting and why you would pair and match up with likewise players to create the best and strongest combinations possible.

There is a reason why, in an import-heavy league you recruit and select players per position, as suited to their needs and abilities. After all, since the start of their careers, that is how they have been (largely) developed.

This also creates an easy outcome and system of balance.

Something, injuries or not, Devils lacked far too often.

Blue Line Mishaps

From who to group with who on the forwards to the blue liners. For once, there was far too many offensive defenders (OFD) as opposed to the classic combination of stay at home D-man (DFD) with the typical OFD.

When you have a combination of Mosey, Donaghey, Fournier and Gourley – this would often offset a critical issue on the blue line.

Yes, Gourley would be considered an OFD. We know he could hit and be a boss on the boards, but his natural instinct was to push up the play and be the point man to send a 1-T. Often failing the latter.

Even MacWilliam frequently went for a jaunt up the boards and around the opposing teams’ net. The mindset was there to take the game by the scruff of the neck and force the issue to get ahead.

The outcome? Their lineman was often caught in no mans land, out of position or unable to recover their position defensively to shut down a counter attack.

An over reliance on some players to be the quarterback often lead to an easily scouted scenario where the forecheck would become too rigid and static, so line up the forwards down the middle, intercept the rushed, panicked saucer passes and off you go.

The boon within that plan (to be patient and wait to pinch and breakaway) was that the trailing D was usually too slow to chase and the forwards seldom back checked to pose a threat on a breakaway.

Therein was another issue. Delete Gourley from the D group, the average age was just over 34 years old. This is a factor, despite Richardsons’ longevity and Moseys pace. It was always a factor.

The ultimate imbalance was getting the right age combinations. The mobility and shift recovery was very noticeable compared to previous seasons and it will only continue if the same method in recruitment is used.

Player Recognition

Other issues within the roster that never seemed to be addressed, even in spite of injuries was where to play forwards like Reid Duke and which centres were best for which lines.

In the very best of situations, Joey Martin had a season to remember, where many were willing to accept seeing him as a third liner.

He ended up staying in a top 6 role, leaving Duke as a winger on the 3rd line, much to the ire of a passionate fanbase, for once, chiming up with a good hockey query.

Why didn’t they play Duke higher up the roster?

His tenacity, drive, hands and ability off the puck was second to none. Fantastic pace, nose for net, eye for space and top hockey IQ was highly noticeable, except he really couldn’t land a hit.

I lost count of the time he flew at at unsuspecting players to crush them against the boards and just woefully send himself crashing instead. It drew the attention of the officials, as in real time it might have been great hits but a highly possibility of them being dangerous.

To me, as an observer of his game, he was just trying to make an impact on the game and raise his hand for more ice time. Perhaps due to the latter, taking his frustrations out on the opposing players.

What was evident, PR didn’t know what to do with him.

A player who maybe had too much recognition was a surreal choice of fan favourite, Tyler Busch. Since he joined he has delighted and frustrated in his time as a Devil.

He would score in bunches and then would disappear for a while.

Praised for throwing hits and playing with grit. Seemed like the perfect Devils for many in the fanbase.

He was clearly liked by the coach, who preferred to ice him over others who could have slotted into the third line role. He often found himself as leading the top line. Reward for endeavour.

His production however was anything but and his industry was left wanting.

He played a significant amount of games more than the previous season, with an increased role and ice time as a result. Yet, even with the imposed demands upon a depleted roster due to injury, he still ended up with less points than the first season.

Which was low enough to begin with.

Then you pay attention to the his play off the puck.

Never around the net for the puck or causing mayhem around the crease. He would battled behind the net or on the periphery, but never stayed long enough to be a difference where needed.

He would score early, then for the rest of the game, wait and wait and wait for the puck to land on his blade. Case in point, that first game in Belfast (including the whole double header).

When he done enough, that was all. Job done. This is how it genuinely came across.

Alarmingly, despite the loss the first night, with 4 goals unanswered and no production from the top 6, with a third line that was left to no mans land, he was selected again to repeat the roster set up in game 2.

This ended up being a blow out, 6 zip with 9 unanswered goals. Not all his fault at all. It is the selection and preferences that was to blame.

Defensively he lost his man too often, especially up the middle and often go drawn to the corners when not needed, leaving space behind him for poachers to execute.

If things were hitting a critical point in the game, he would often lose draws, the reason being he was more interested in getting a response from a player, to tilt the game the old fashioned way.

Case in point, the Playoff Grand Final. An absolute liability.

Sometimes, player recognition comes from a good place, but poorly thought out or executed and leaves you wondering on the purpose in the first place.

Middle Men

Going back to over reliance on some players, this lead to an inability to select the centres to build the lines.

Yes, we don’t know what promises, if any, were made with contracts and signings. If that would be a thing.

However, seeing Olischefski on the top line all season created a pipeline issue for a squad that was over-abundant with centres.

Of course, there was a period of the campaign that lead to no option but to play the strongest lines possible with what was left due to injury or even suspension mixed in.

Olischefski as a top line centre was not one of those iterations to even factor in.

His game is superb. He has of course re-committed to another season with the Devils and seems very happy here.

This shouldn’t guarantee a top line role when the production wasn’t there. Yes, having hard workers is crucial and an attainable trait.

To win championships in this league, you NEED a productive top line centre.

Case in point, Joey Martin.

Another was a player who won a league double, Scott Conway and he didn’t play anywhere near his best (likely due to managing a knee injury) leading as a top line C with 57 points in 54GP.

Sheffields’ Mitchell Balmas, who also played in the CHL that season had the same points return.

Olischefski had 33 points from 53GP.

Not even close.

This is where facts plays a huge role in where selection should be considered. No matter how much you like someone, if you are competing to win championships, you need to prioritise the right ingredients to perfect the winning recipe.

This lead to a cascading effect for the rest of the season where the centres were concerned. The club had 7 to choose from with 2 used as wingers predominantly and an outright winger used a top line centre.

The recipe simply doesn’t work.

His (Olischefski) game was built around face-offs and the forecheck. This is where he made his money and rightfully, earned praise as one of the best on the dots across the league.

He put in the work to defend also, so the ingredients were there. Just the final touches, the all important ones.

You can work your socks off each night, but if the final product, the all important one, points (assists, goals) aren’t there, the team simply will not benefit from this when the positions weren’t utilised.

Identity

Ultimately, the lack of understanding the roster and over-rating sub par players lead to a split feeling on what this team could do. The players were there to win more than just a small European trophy, overshadowed by superior competition entirely.

The players rostered in for that season clearly wasn’t chosen by PR, these were the ultimate wish list guys the owners wanted from day one.

The ultimate goal should and always be the league and to get each trophy back to South Wales.

That was the mission. From day one. Especially the last season.

The injuries didn’t help, but as the season wore on and the selections continued to draw blanks and the game plan being found out too often, just one line gave the fans something to cheer.

That line of course was the 4th line, even without Brandt during his own injury spell. The hard forecheck, the targeted back check, the sight of skater literally buzzing around the neutral zone and carry into the OZ, chip on net and rush the play was a delight to see.

The echoes started in a cesspit of a chamber that became a prevailing theme across the rest of the fanbase. Why can’t EVERY line play like that.

Was Russellpuck too flaccid for this league? In retrospect, the season was a tale of two halves and not just for the Devils. Steelers went into a rut, then finished 2nd. Giants started so slow, they weren’t even considered top 3 until the Continental Cup final weekend.

Panthers were hot and cold and limped into third.

Flames were so hot and cold, they became irrelevant.

Storm was so disjointed, it ultimately left them outside of playoffs with too much to overcome, but they played up right until the end.

Clan were abysmal until the final stretch and came out swinging.

Blaze, tipped for a bottom end finish, had a swagger that was infectious and left them not far off the top, finishing mid table.

Anything could have happened.

So, was his style of hockey that bad? Was the Devils identity eroded? If so, that happened before Pete Russell arrived and to back him up, the ‘Lordo Era’ has gone. Let it go.

The fact the Devils core is still predominantly made up of Lordo-era players, proses an untold truth those fans who long for a return to the Lordo ways will never admit. That it is likely the problem.

A problem that won’t be going away until they hang up the skates on their terms. That is a fact. For the 5th straight season with a 4th coach in that time, identity now is as important as ever.

With that existing group, many of which are Brits, you would have expected PR to have an enormous impact with them, even bringing in a pipeline of new prospects to replace the literal old guard.

This never materialised. Instead, a reliance on yes men was the preferred option, knowing he was safe in the fact the existing core would turn up and do their job.

That was the ugly factor in the overall identity. Nothing was asserted into their make up on and off the ice.

Meekly apologising for a poor performance simply wasn’t enough, especially when tactics and line ups weren’t changed or even improved. There was no tough calls made. No ultimatums given, nothing.

The first half of the season, they were being praised for having such depth for scoring options and the only headache would be when the team was at full strength.

It ended up being a migraine that wouldn’t shift, so instead, the easy route out was taken.

Regardless, the positives were there, the relentless effort, high intensity forecheck and creative link ups did work. To a point.

Once that was sussed and the lines shut down along the boards and a trap set up in the NZ was established, they struggled to get around that and then they chased the game or got bullied off the puck.

That was a no-no from hardcore and even new fans. Was there more to it or did PR simply not understand each individual player enough to make an informed decision when changes were needed?

It seems increasingly the identity became a lack of preparation and willingness to adapt.

Injuries

Knowing the longevity of some injuries and the amount that built up toward the half way point of the season, lead, reluctantly, to the organisation having to find new recruits to fill the gaps and give the coach a team to ice each night.

The fact it was a reluctance was a telling part.

Was that from the top or was that because of the coach? The initial players ear marked to join the team, typically got injured after agreeing to terms. The plan B from this was a couple of players with good industry but nothing else to offer.

They were stitches to the wound that had already got infected.

The point where changes should have been made was long past the point they should have acted, the responsibility falls on the top as well as PR.

Knowing how things with Shinkaruk would pan out and it wasn’t an unknown for the club, there should have been a replacement brought in before or just after Slovakia in the Continental Cup.

Like for like at least.

Some injuries were unavoidable, but that is where the two ways should be utilised. Again, this was a reluctance, often citing that the parent club has precedent and they could just call up out of the blue. This was more to the recruitment of the two ways rather than the players and their clubs.

A lesson so far unlearned, even before PR.

Even one of the newer players mid season, Schoonbaert got injured in a game in Fife. It was as perplexing as what PR couldn’t manage.

So was this just freak incident after freak incident or was it from the off-ice preparation?

Since Dan Forbes, there has been a lack of strength, injury resilience and pace across the board on every team since the lockdown.

It is important to note, that to help off set injuries is from icing out more than just twice a week as well as dedicated sessions to work on weaknesses on ice and for the team to train as a unit to work in the gym on other weaknesses.

Even if players are seasoned and know how to train themselves, in a professional environment, they shouldn’t be left alone to their devices, at least not entirely.

So, having the right coaches for the weight room is key to offset injuries, reduce injury time, improving or enhancing recovery, especially non-medical and to provide a season long plan to help maintain and improve performances related to their programme.

The sheer amount of injuries only speaks volumes of this not being in place, at all. Including having players maximise their time on ice before and between games on the schedule they have.

No skating or contact or intensity on the ice, can often lead to unnecessary injuries caused by the lack of it, let alone lack of appropriate preparation and recovery off-ice.

Final Thoughts

This was a disappointment for a plethora of reasons.

I still cannot fathom why an extension was offered before a domestic trophy was secured. A poor decision by the ownership by a country mile.

Then to allow a clause that should an offer from another club come in, it can be accepted. Even if there was concern to how the relationship was panning out and a lack of domestic success after two seasons, have that discussion beforehand to set the conditions and expectations for the next season and contractual period as a whole.

The second biggest disappointment was a lack of GB influence and uptake from a coach who was also the national team gaffer.

This organisation should have become a culture of British hockey, with players wanting to flock here. Perhaps the longevity of the Brit core from the Lord era put off any chances of this happening and maybe anyone other than them, meant there would be less in their eyes.

After all, Reece Kelly was a popular option for a replacement for the likes of Josh Batch when he hung up his skates in the EIHL, the response was that he [Kelly] wasn’t at his [Batch] level yet.

That was the point, he is and was poised at the perfect time to bring in, even on an agreement for the new season. Instead, Kelly signed for Steelers, leaving Clan and Batch has since retired from the EIHL, not even playing his last minutes in a Grand Final.

Scratching players is a coaches decision. That was horrific disrespect when his very own go-too man, Tyler Busch, got ejected for being hot headed.

Team GB coach.

This was a decision made, knowing already he wasn’t going to return the next season as Devils head coach. This leads to the ultimate disappointment.

As stated before, all the ingredients were there. From his initial interview to set the tone for expectations and the flashes of brilliance his team would put on display on match nights, his lack of willingness to adapt or change, coupled with the lack of promotion and integration of young GB players in his time as head coach, left a sour taste indeed.

Yes, a Continental Cup was won, but against competition overall at the level of the likes of Blaze, Storm and Clan, in a final with less competition than usual.

Since that day, the wheels came off and the cracks didn’t just appear, they became crevasses.

The weeks rolled on, as the team got fuller. But the approach was always the same.

They struggled to win at all on the road against the top three and failed miserably against the eventual Champions with nothing more than a whimper. The Semi Final win coming a full season too late.

Preparation is key to any success, so taking on criticism, ideas and changes that might challenge a preferred structure or strategy surely should be expected. A head coach should be an expert in dealing with this and when needed, adapting to it.

The lack of strategic changes, roster set ups, rotation (of course, injuries limited this to a small extent) and even approach to systems utilised by opposing teams, went missing.

The lack of calling for time outs, challenging brutal calls (which could have changed some outcomes and pushed the team further up the table and even denying Giants another title win in the long run).

“That’s Hockey”.

Like the repeated phrase routinely thrown out in post game interviews, the approach and outcome lacked substance and nuance.

The easy route was taken far too eagerly, knowing the backlash that would come.

Even with Dupont, fans never walked out of arenas home or away, but especially at home. It was embarrassing and in many cases, the performances were pathetic.

Again, the default to lead on the ice, was the same core that hasn’t won a title since the lockdown. No willingness to change.

If they couldn’t influence things when the coach was uncomfortably silent on the bench, just willing for the final buzzers to sound, then where does an organisation go from there?

Paul Thompson.

Part Two still to come.