What to expect from the new coach; system, recruitment style, the current roster, changes and potential targets
The 2024-25 EIHL Season
The Cardiff Devils finished a disappointing 4th place last season, after a valiant beginning to their campaign, at one point having a healthy lead at the summit of the table.
As the season wore on, injuries mounted up at an unprecedented rate, causing a lot of selection restrictions with a dash of hopeful recovery times, seeing their Challenge Cup campaign limp into the knockouts, then edge into the final.
Along the way, they secured the IIHF Continental Cup, their first European triumph, being the second UK team to do so.
Then, in the Challenge Cup final, succumbing to an embarrassing shutout defeat to the Giants, just days after being routed in Belfast, going 10 unanswered goals in the process.
The title charge switched hands as the Devils’ campaign wound down, their losses pre-Conti final mounted, then on the day, they were surpassed by the eventual league and cup winners.
Their annihilation and miserable embarrassment painted a sharp picture on the reality of their season.
It ended in another final, one of three for the season, in a double OTL to the Panthers.
Their regular season ended as 32-18-4, earning 68 points.
The Challenge Cup saw them sneak into an automatic semi final spot, going 6-3-1, earning 13 points. This was earned on the final day, beating the Panthers to send them to the only 1/4 final in a terribly organised system for a cup competition.
They lost every game on the road vs Steelers, Giants and Panthers, including an uncomfortably despondent showing in Manchester during their losing run, being shut out 6 nothing.
Expectations
There has already been a massive question on exactly who will be retained for the next season. Even despite the coaching change and therefore change of direction, this would have been a very strong possibility. However, despite the obvious need and call for changes, some still want a stonking majority back.
For example, the retirement of long term, career Devil and GB legend, Josh Batch from pro hockey, opened up a debate of who would replace him.
The choice was stark, someone like Reece Kelly. But this was outright dismissed, then he signed for Steelers and since the retirement of the British anchor point in the Devils’ Brit core and blue liner make up, Devils announced instead the up and coming 18 year old Brodie Kay from Fife Flyers.
The next question to that was, had this been a coaches choice or a done deal from the management before the end of the season, regardless?
It does however provide a signal for longevity either way, no matter who was signed. There is a remarkable potential from Kay, who has shown his worth at international level and received high praise for his maturity and play whilst with Fife last season.
So if you put him into an environment with the likes of Mark Richardson, Ben Bowns and Sam Duggan at least, he has ample opportunity to grow as an elite professional athlete in a top European club, under a vastly experienced and successful coach.
My thoughts are that he will soak everything up without issue.
The expectations should, rightly, be that the new coach has the biggest say in the recruitment. Even with potentially a year or more of talks with would-be players from the ownership group and their own scouting, a new coach will have a new view on what would be genuinely needed.
Last season was a roster stacked of favourites that finally agreed to play for the South Wales outfit. However, it came at a huge risk.
First, the age. Which was evident in a lack of compete and being caught flat footed too often, as well as lack of mobility in the danger areas.
Secondly, the risk for injury. No further comment there.
So, the first and foremost expectation would be to root out players that were high risk to injury and improve upon speed, details, mobility on and off the puck, as well as a work ethic that would fit the mould of the club and its new coach.
Then, a roster that is coach-specific, not players presented to them and asked to win a treble.
There are 7 players yet to be announced, 6 after Monday mornings announcement from Denver Uni Pios about Forward, Connor Caponi.
Of those 6, a goalie is needed, a Brit to re-max out for 6 players the club usually go for and an import D, unless that is the Brit quota.
As for a goalie, this is anyones guess as it is really dependent on several, albeit annoying factors. Prioritising a testimonial stud, mitigating injury risk, preparedness to pay for quality or not and balancing that on likelihood of game time, attributing to wins and coaches preference.
The ultimate question is either young fresh out of college or someone who has had pro experience but not looking beyond expectations at a championship team?
Coach Thompson
It goes without saying that new coach Paul Thompson is as close to a Lord-style appointment as you could get. It was begrudging. The disappointment from the departed Pete Russell was a sour taste, absolutely. It was meant to be a new era, one of longevity the club and fans desperately needed.
It wasn’t to be.
Sure, the same expectations from a minimum are there. Hard work, punctuality, details, honesty and being realistic are key elements.
His style of hockey is dogged, driven and in your face. The team will be well drilled with a no stone left unturned mentality.
That goes from practice and meetings, to leadership roles and product on the ice. No corners cut this time.
The only issue is, would they get a squad together for the new season?
What is fundamentally needed is a squad that can rain goals on their opponents. They struggled to put away teams like Fife, Stars and Storm last season, when their competitors put up 8+ goals.
What they will be looking toward is toughness, which was severely lacking in seasons gone by. The issue here is balancing that with high end goal scoring.
What you will see here a massive decline in goals scored across the lines, as last season was their worst overall (178) since they last won the league (235). To suggest goal scoring and scoring depth has been fine and not an issue to focus on, is a wild statement.
(Of course, 19/20 saw a pivotal dip as the season didn’t finish, however it provides focal point to measure, as that was a title winning year for the Devils before the shutdown, such as the win rate heading toward a higher total).
The magic, key facors are to make medium to long term goals for the season, such as number for league wins to be above 35 at a minimum and for the goals to reach the 230 to 240 mark overall.
From the last time Devils won the EIHL title, they have struggled to really hit the mark, especially since the return from lockdown, averaging just over 29 regular season wins per year, whilst the league winners massively left them behind.
The closest yet was last season, with which was a tightly run affair, so had those earlier season games vs Giants came up trumps for the good guys, no title to Belfast and perhaps a different article being written for a different summer and off-season.
The Roster so Far
There have been 10 returning skaters announced so far and GB legend Ben Bowns, including the majority of the go – too Devils GB core, as well as Evan Mosey, Cole ‘Goal’ Sanford and last seasons leader overall, Josh MacDonald. Not to mention the Goat.
This has for been for many a delight, knowing what they will bring, despite their level of fan appreciation and favour, they do have a wealth of experience.
The big talking point is that how many should return, especially with a new coach, again?
Forwards
Last season Kohen Olischefski spent the majority of his TOI on the top line, playing centre. Whilst he done pretty well on the dots, his overall production aided a team that eventually relied on too few players to convert for points.
This left an equally big question of, should he return, where should he play? Considerably favoured by his former coach and would no doubt have had raving reviews by the ownership, ultimately at face value, he under performed as top liner.
Placing him on a line that can work around him is key, so the expectations are starting to look like he would be middle 6 for most of the season, as the Goat who is following up an incredible year, capped with a testimonial also occupies this role.
Olischefski with Barrow is a must, due to their work ethic alone, let alone their pre-Devils history of college hockey together. Adding a bonafide centre for them would complete the compliment. Perhaps another DU alumni, Connor Caponi?
Currently the 2nd line would look to be occupied by MacDonald – Martin – Sanford, who last season combined stacked up a total of 152 points and were amongst the top 5 points scorers in regular season. Olischefski was 5th with just 33.
Interestingly, Belfasts top 3 point scorers had 151 points in regular season, it was the depth scoring that helped them long the way, such as PO Morin (36) and Kawaguchi (37). They also had a full compliment of blue liners contributing across the board, averaging around 30 points each.
Their bottom 6 combined for over 125 points, with a lot of movement throughout the lines all season.
Compared to the Devils bottom six, Busch and Barrow respectively combined for just 41 points between them and the wider defensive unit, also dropped off entirely.
The Devils never really strayed from their lines, partly due to lack of options to squad rotate and when there was availability, PR only opted to flip the top and third line, if Busch or Barrow squeaked home a goal or an assist the game before.
Much has been lauded about the Devils 4th line, the ‘energy’ line or for better expressions, the ‘Benergy’ line.
This season however saw Brandt laid up with a long injury spell as well as the namesake, Ben Davies, who suffered a clean arm break after being illegally cross checked into his own net. It wasnt easy going for the majority of times.
Davies of course is a career workhorse who inspires those around and watches him. A club and GB legend. Realistically speaking, he cannot always keep this going. Brandt on the other hand faces the other main point of risk for injuries.
So, with a Connor Caponi recruited and considering the last battle between the big hitters, with Pietroniro getting the chop, it looks likely that Brandt wouldn’t be kept on. If so, there will be a tussle to avoid the healthy scratch week in, week out.
Sanford however. was a little surprise, as he initially looked to move on last season before returning early for his 4th and has then extended for a 5th. Slowly but surely, he could be another Joey Martin. The issue is, there hasn’t been anything spectacular to back it up with silverware.
But that goes for most of the existing ‘core’.
So, will Goal Sanford join them?
Much has been lauded over Sanford, after all, in regular season he has gone over a point per game with 218pts in 208GP so far in the EIHL. That is in very good territory.
How his game breaks down, actually expels some inflated myths about his performance and contributions. Especially defensively. He has a decent shot efficiency, but will usually throw the puck at the logo of a goalie, meaning it affects his finishing.
He is decent scoring player but his strengths are providing offence for his team mates. He has an equal split for goals and assists and over 50% of those apples are from primary set ups.
His power play goals average (PP.G Avg) reads pretty low, but he has been pushing up the rear for power play specialists such as Brodie Reid and Josh MacDonald, with Zach O’Brien and Joey Martin thrown in. Sprinkle in some Marcus Crawford and he is in the mix, but not proficient on goal.
When I will eat into his power play contribution overall, this is where the deeper, more advanced stats will see some easier reading.
He has gone on a year to year slump in offence, meaning that for this being his 5th season, he will really need to rekindle that form he had in 22/23 and get pucks to net, not just the opposing net minder.
In essence, you don’t want him near a PK or on the ice when under pressure defensively, so saving him for getting the team going in the OZ is where you would maximise his strengths. PT will work on the finer areas and will be demanding, so those details will improve, including the overalls already calculated.
Defence
Kay, you should expect to be the Brit-Scratch, rotating with Duggan or Davies when called upon. So, with 4 RHD’s already announced, a left handed blue liner would be the obvious choice as the team cannot compete successfully with 5 defenders and a rookie.
Along with Brodie Kay, the team have added in Tyson Helgeson and Brandon Estes to reshape the Defence and the blue line have had a massive overhaul already, providing size, strength, mobility and a nastiness that was missed over the years.
Helgeson would be a tough player in this league, with Estes adding to the flair they already have with Mosey and Fournier.
This was a huge sticking point across the season, as the blue liners were beaten for pace, missed too many passes, which lead to giveaways, unforced turnovers and being caught on the OMR that inevitably lead to game after game of chasing the scoreboard to claw something back.
Not to mention the half way line walk ins that weren’t picked up or tracked but not engaged before a puck zoomed through the glove side of the goalies. To round off the blue line, a big, BIG player must be signed to complete the group.
Of course, a back up goalie would need to be sorted. My hope is that this isn’t a first year pro or an average college goalie. There needs to be a definitive back up for Bowns, who also experienced injury last season, plus, his age.
He has already announced his retirement from international level after the next tournament for GB. His testimonial is also this year. He needs to be able to rely on a solid net minder without having an issue and so does the club.
Anything less or the same as the existing returning roster across the board would hamper the chances for the team to compete for silverware this year.
Additions from the Summit
Connor Caponi, Forward
An early announcement was made for Connor Caponi, in a post that had a link that was hastily deleted by the DU social media team. Rumoured all summer, this was a player that would add excitement but level wishful thinking of what players may not return.
A hard hitting grinder that helped lead his NCAA Big 10 team, Denver Uni Pioneers (Pios) he has a pedigree that the club strive for. A no nonsense player that takes no exceptions. A missing element from seasons gone by unless the team are defeated and had nothing left to offer.
Grade; B
Cédric Lacroix, Forward
A player that has some pedigree to the league as a whole with family connections stretching back to the glory days of British hockey, in terms of goon dancing.
A hard hitting, ferocious utility player that will do what his coach and team needs him to do, Lacroix is a player that will be loved or would need time to warm too for Devils fans.
Yes, the team needed a gritty edge to their game and a playing identity is definitely being reset.
Last season he sat for 144 PIMS, so a goal scoring contributor isn’t what to expect here, in a season where goals were found wanting and needed improvement upon.
Entertainment value, he might be a combination of Brandt and McNally. For those who celebrate.
For a championship value, the jury is out so far, but time will tell.
Grade; C-
Brett Perlini, Forward
An unexpected announcement for a programme that was built as ‘4 new additions to join the team’, so who knows what has happened there. Perhaps there are still details to be worked out and timing wasn’t perfect this year.
You know what to expect for Perlini, this was an expected one to round off the Brit group, however, he will need to start as he left off. Like Sanford a couple seasons ago, he started off very slowly before getting into the swing of things.
Grade; A
Christian Stoever, Goalie
A goalie comfortable in his level at NCAA, where teams generally struggle to score has been a chosen route to confirm expectations as noted before.
He would be expected to learn a lot and be dialled in, ready to go when needed but not always required. Hopefully, Bowns can use this as an opportunity to start his next career step, to help develop young goalies with a very high ceiling.
We have seen these types of signings pay off, yet others falter, as is the way of the EIHL. He is in very good hands, no matter the end roster to start the new season.
Grade; C+
Overall, size, durability and toughness seems to be the method chosen, that for a long time, has been missing. However, there are gaps and a LOT of space left to make up ground, especially for goal scoring.
ScoutDeck; Top Picks
With the annual stampede being released Monday evening (July 7th) and a player already confirmed to have joined the team (Caponi) this leaves some areas to explore of the would be new recruits.
Over the weekend, the club teased there would be 4 new players joining, potentially announced at the summit, with Caponi, that would mean 6 skaters (Including 1 D) and a goalie.
Following the exposé they have announced there would 3 spots left, so 2F and 1D at a push.
Defence
The blue line spread as already mentioned is RH heavy, though, not uncommon, balance is key for any new roster.
Having a solid, experienced LHD would help to bolster the group and preferably someone not over 33 years old (Sorry Cap).
Nathanael Halbert, D, LHS, 29, GB ‘import’.
My first choice would be a former captain in the EIHL and a GB international, Nathanael Halbert. He knows the league well and is a leader. He knows the GB core group very well and would compliment the blue liners.
He is the right side of 30, with a couple of good seasons in Europe, playing in Austria and Slovakia, including CHL experience.
He was also the top D-man in the D1 promotion tournament, as well as a top scoring defence man in that competition.
He also played at McGill Uni with Sam Tremblay, Keanu Yamamoto, so on top of two decent seasons with Blaze, definitely not short on player/club/coach contacts.
Jeremy Masella, D, LHS, 26, USA
One player that might provide further youth and size, stands at a towering 6’5, is Jeremy Masella, expected to leave the Hungarian Erste liga.
He isn’t a prolific point scorer, but this would suit the bill considering recruitment trends this season across the league and has the impact value to support his team when needed by dropping the gloves and is ready to stand on business so to speak, for his team mates.
This would be like a cornerstone signing for PT, with his own Mark Louis-esque stamp on the team, much like when his old squads had to face up to the hallowed number 4.
Jake McLaughlin, D, LHS, 29, USA
Not as towering as Masella, but the 6’2 America LH defence man has spent some little time in the AHL but knows North American style hockey, which is a boost this team needs.
He can contribute with points on a good year, won the ECHL Kelly Cup in 2022 and last season became an ECHL regular season winner.
Forwards
Potential forwards would have included players such as Zack Andrusiak (Stavanger Oilers, Norway), Brandon Hawkins (Toledo Walleye, ECHL) or even Gregor MacLeod (Kolner Haie, DEL).
A top prospect for a mid-season pick up in the last campaign would have certainly been Brendan Ranford (Zilina, Slovakia) and even a DEL2 player, Hunter Garlent.
Scott Kosmachuk, RW, RHS, 31, Can
This forward has been on a journey across Europe since the 19/20 season in a former coaches, also former team, Augsburger Panthers. With 2 stints in Austrian ICEHL and previously in the KHL and Finnish Liiga, it might be a tough pull, but last season they snagged Shinkaruk and O’Brien.
Drafted 3rd round by the Winnipeg Jets in 2012, he had a decent career in the AHL and as usually is the case, yet to land in Britain to give this league of a similar style a go.
Would it be too soon to entertain the thought or does the Devils reputation persist?
Ryan Valentini, C/LW, LHS, 27, Can
One that EIHL fans might remember, is Ryan Valentini who lit up the league the last time he was here for Dundee Stars. He ended up as joint 2nd behind a grand slam winner and 2 more points ahead of Goal Sanford for 60 points.
He has proven he can do it at a basement club, with a CV that reads very handsomely. He is a dangerous player that could complement the likes of Sanford or even Olischefski.
Nicholas Baptiste, C/RW, RHS, 29, Can
As a top import that is still yet to sign somewhere this season, Baptiste might seem far fetched, but so did some from the last campaign. The 2013 3rd round draft pick by Buffalo Sabres has had a similar career path as some players already mentioned.
With nearly 50GP in the NHL and going the DEL, Finnish Liiga and KHL route, just shows his worth after a long career in the AHL, but this season has already seen some players of a similar calibre or pedigree making moves to the UK and France, for example.
Perhaps this could be a season where he could kick on and rebound after a yo-yo year for him previously, where, for an example, Bode Wilde, a good effort in the UK might re-centre his game and open up even more opportunities.
He has the potential to destroy this league, as do some of the others already mentioned, but with Baptiste, there would also be some showmanship.
One can hope.
However, if the focus is on the right, high-end players, this would be the bar to set the search and expectations at. A massive season ahead for the Cardiff Devils.
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