Post-Season Review: Cardiff Devils

The 2025/26 EIHL season has come to a close and what a wild ride it has been. The twists, turns, ups and downs couldn’t have been crafted better and the theme park it was based in, also provided enough entertainment to stream into the $£ millions.

From hairy takes, to egg salad, scrambled statements and mind numbingly inane business decisions, the enigmatic Department of Player Safety (DOPS) flip flopping on its role and duty, to fumbled PR releases and dreadful behaviour off the ice, this season has had it all.

Including a fairy tale story that was mothballed in production, just to scavenge some box office sales, leaving the reputation of the league in tatters once again.

It could have been salvaged for an all time finale to send off the loyal fans and patrons of this incredible sport, yet, the final trick in the deck of claws was to leave those supporters feeling underwhelmed, exhausted and utterly fed up. Surely, a future change of venue will refresh the tried and tired formats?

A final flourish that included a team with its first ever playoff berth, another for its first in over a decade, after knocking out the top seed and champions being the 8th seed, making the finals weekend itself half purple and a chance to really boost the profile of those clubs.

Then, the organisational brilliance of those venues, coupled with nepotism and a hands off occasion by the league itself, truly ended in fashion of a bizarre campaign, that ultimately had 3 separate champions and no further progress to have this sport truly recognised across the country.

That was the season in a nutshell. There have been other brilliant strides made, through charitable work, incredible milestones reached (not 100% verifiable, thanks to a reluctant omission by the ‘stattos‘), with some significant improvements for all 10 teams in many aspects.

That was just am honest synopsis of what happened, so, here is the review for how the Cardiff Devils season went, including whether set expectations were met, bettered or faltered.

The 2025/26 EIHL Season

The Devils finished above expectations for many this season, securing 2nd overall comfortably, with only a 5 game swing from the back to back champions, Belfast Giants.

By no means was the winner dominant in any capacity, for the second season running, demonstrating how little there was between the top three teams and the 2026 playoff runners-up, Sheffield Steelers, who managed a 4th place finish in the league.

Despite a long term injury to a few players, this season offered none of what happened previously in terms of affecting team morale or overall performance and outcomes, as they flourished as a unit and won some silverware.

For the briefest of moments at the Christmas break, Devils lead the league and with goals scored, being the first to net 100 biscuits during regular season action.

Then, a familiar mid-season wobble happened, however, with company. The teams that just finished behind them, also experienced their own troubles with keeping consistency, allowing the Giants, again, to squeeze through and park themselves aloft the top of the rest.

A challenge cup exit, despite a dominant start became a sour point of seemingly no return, however, following a split weekend in Belfast, who were later crowned EIHL champions, they found a resolve that hasn’t been seen since 2019.

A determination, an attitude and character that wanted to end the season with something to remember and celebrate, so, along with some notable exceptions for the playoff finals, they skated toward another end of season triumph, their second in 4 years and third trophy in that time.

Level with Steelers (domestic grand slam) and Panthers (Continental Cup*, Challenge Cup* and Playoffs*).

For a team written off as mid table and having no chance of winning silverware, especially after a season where they were heavy favourites for a grand slam and fell apart in the process, they backed themselves, stayed strong and put the nay-sayers and doubters to the side.

It was a team built for entertainment, with the prospect of genuinely contending an after thought, as expressed by the owners during a summit announcement.

Of course, this never deterred the fan base, who automatically set expectations to win the league and compete for each competition.

No matter the reminders, the blinkers were on and if you told the same sections of those supporters who were dismayed by the team performances and club announcements 6 weeks ago, that the season would end with a 5:2 Playoff Final win over Steelers, they would laugh at the very thought.

Such is the fickleness of sport and how it swings from one end of momentum to the next.

Such is the way of ice hockey.

Expectations

The Coach

Last season, the expectations in terms of recruitment were to let the new coach lead. Speculation had been rife with this direction, with the prevailing view that not many (players) were strictly Thompsons choice or choices.

He began the season with recurring sound bites of ‘this is a good group’, ‘those guys are tight and have great character’, all accolades that are seemingly normal, but in reflection, it was an operation of appeasement as he worked out who was who and what they would bring.

That slump mid-season brought the ire of the coach to the forefront, of which his mind was made up by March. Hopefully, moving forward, the playoff win hasn’t cauterised a wound that needed treating.

The expectations this off-season, remain the same with added venom. Build on the playoff win and with the new ‘revenue’ from increased prices for match day operations, use this budget to build a far stronger team to achieve it.

No matter the season long debate of ‘goals vs no-goals’, a collective agreement is that, if there were better additions to a few positions, that 5 game swing would have ended MUCH differently.

The entire season could have been and Devils aren’t alone there. Steelers could have been more dangerous and prominent, Panthers might have had less injury woes that derailed them, despite 2 championship* wins and Giants could have been genuine value for money, even making at least one of the finals and being accepted as competitive in the CHL.

No matter how a fan or person associated with any part of the industry would see things, this season on ice and for results was pretty entertaining and the margins are closing.

As for the coach, he finished in his first season with 2nd place and a playoff trophy. He would absolutely be focusing on the challenge cup next season (if that stays), let alone taking over Giants and truly setting the tone for the next 5 years.

After all, just days after winning silverware on the very final day, Thompson and his team were announced as staying on.

Stability at long last.

The Signings

Amongst that, the club would likely be navigating a higher than expected turnover of players, either due to needs must or retirements. I expect this off-season, league wide, would see a lot of players retire or move around. It will be a banger.

As for this club, the defence is near perfect, there is a big question mark on future goal tending and depending on who you talk too or care to listen too, the forwards are certainly getting revamped.

If favourites leave or hang them up, that is the business. That is the only guaranteed expectation.

The Brits will be a focal point once again, as the higher end talents are slowly seizing up and the opportunities for the rest have been few and far between, dependent on which team you would speak too.

It leaves a lot to think about essentially, north of 35 years old as a risk and the Brits will want more in the long run.

I would have still wanted at least 4 additional changes for the roster this season, on top of the ones added, mainly to ensure that the expectation of heartbreaks amongst the wider community would have been lessened.

The end of season results also warranted it. That was a team built to claim it all. How far they fell off, whilst losing in 2 finals, required more changes than what happened.

Imagine a Hawkins over Lacroix. Kelly over Kay. A Brannon McManus as a top liner and even a Logan Neilson over Duggan, with Harewood utilised more.

Just suggestions off the top of my head.

No untoward feelings or agenda, however, when you look at that bond between the players and those close to them, the group linked up better than expected.

Clubs do not get that as often as you would expect. Chemistry and buy-in are essential, it could even sink or build a club. That would be a unique forethought going into every scouting hour, unless the team has already been assembled.

The ‘Debate’

Whilst there was an improvement on goal scoring compared to the previous season, that bar was so low, it would have been a disaster if matched or worsened.

The team ended with 195 GF on regular season, 17 more than previous, who had the likes of Shinkaruk, O’Brien, Duke and more.

It reads good, but for this league, there is a magic number to exceed, which is roughly 219.6 across the winners of the last 5 seasons. From the last three seasons it is reduced to 214.3 – higher than the last two seasons’ wins, with one of those, the winner being outscored by 2nd place overall.

Only twice in the last 5 seasons has the 2nd highest scorers have over 200 goals that didn’t finish first. There is a trend which needs to be met.

Devils in turn have trended overall at 192.6 goals per season across that time frame. So, despite being above expectations (which as argued wasn’t difficult) and only marginally, it certainly was not enough to truly compete.

Believing Sanford for example is an easily 20+ goal scorer was pure fantasy, Martin JUST scraped that together, at his tender age, with Sanford also just managing to hit that mark. He levelled last seasons, not improved upon it.

It took MacDonald until the new year to find his shooting finesse, a good return ending the regular season with 7 goals more than the Goat (2nd overall for Devils) and 2nd in the league overall.

Compared to last season, there were still only three Devils with 20 or more goals in regular campaign games, 28, 23, 20. Shy of 4 goals this season in comparison. Not much you say.

Had Zach O’Brien (17) not had to leave for 4 weeks, the impact could have been bigger and even season-saving for the club in the end, as he finished the campaign on a point per game average, as an easy example.

Food for thought.

This time, the defence stepped in massively, but it still took Fournier two thirds of the season to figure out where the net was before he took off.

In comparison, it took the Devils until the end of season to make their woeful PP work – again, another difference that could have flipped the season on a pin.

Thanks to the previous two seasons, making the goals scored mark looked more achievable. Set up until the previous season, it was around 230.

The aim should be that to be truly dominant.

The whimsical belief that the squad had over 200 goals in them ultimately fell short, but the system was there and will remain so. Next season, it is a must to break that 200 regular season goal barrier and make it the right difference for the bigger picture.

Roster Make Up

Forward, Onward, Upward

There is no doubt adding Brett Ferguson to manage the long term absence of Yaremko was the best call across the league, even though there were some great additions from Booth to Power to Racine, all dependent on roles and needs per team.

Adding a goalie mid way through once the work was already set to sit tight and see the season out is far from a call for a best mid season pick up.

For the Devils it was leadership, veteran presence, stability and reliability. He shored up the middle deck, allowing his wingers to use their pace and creativity and was a menace defensively.

His aura was felt on and off the ice, so seeing him lift a trophy and acknowledge the fans that knew him best, capped off a wonderful, yet unexpected season for him.

Yaremko returned eventually and added a dynamic, punishing edge to the top 6 more than anyone could have anticipated.

His near 60% increase in offensive production helped to lift and seal a genuine championship, leaving him in a position where he could refuse an extension, if he wanted too.

Olischefksi had a better season, leading from the top, besting his initial season, which doesn’t happen often. There is a genuine leader there and a huge potential claim for the next captain.

The link up with Martin and MacDonald was terrific. Another line partnership that took a while, Rome wasn’t built in a day and for the Giants, the barbarians are mustering.

The biggest surprise was Kontos, who ended the season as points leader and one of the top in the league, even besting his previous season at Panthers, becoming a back to back playoff champion.

He brought the best out of Sanford, who found that chemistry he craves, which saw him nail 20 regular season goals and remain one of the most productive imports since the Goat.

The rise of Riley Brandt was insurmountable and wholly unexpected from anyone in this part of the hockey world. We knew there was a player beyond the rough stuff, but this level of prowess was off the charts.

Him and Barrow lead the bottom six in more ways than just on the scoreboard, improving on the last 3 seasons’ worth of mid-pack talent and the third line overall.

The more notable detractions from the squad was the often at times laxadaisical approach to games and effort levels. This was put heavily on the likes of Perlini and Sanford, who for the latter found his groove again.

Perlini went nearly 30 straight games without a goal, so whilst like the team finished strongly, the rest was missing for the most important part of the season. It was over 53% of the entire season.

Those kind of numbers would never be tolerated elsewhere, so for a Brit with his experience, it was ugly to see.

Beyond him, was the unorthodox player of Cedric Lacroix. If anyone thought he was a top 6, multi-goal scorer, I would politely ask them to sit out ice hockey and watch the grass grow on an artificial lawn.

From his skating, game management, fitness, zone awareness, PK ability and man marking, it was a horror show to watch at the best of times. His back checking was happen-chance, so when he managed to barrel into a puck carrier (with his stick held up), it was usually out of desperation to make up the distance after a likely unforced giveaway.

He was one that didn’t pique much expectation at the start and one of two that fell way shorter in the end.

Unmemorable and completely replaceable, the expectation simply didn’t match up with the maths and supporter wide hype, which was the expectation to start with.

Coupled with Perlini’s drop off, the job to find an upgrade for an import and a new Brit is certainly on the cards.

Whilst Caponi’s usage was limited, his role was very much to disrupt and use his checking as an advantage. Oh, did it work. Yet, there were times he was scratched and at one point, was a quick thought for ‘one out the door’ at the end of the season.

Graded at B, I expected more than what he was utilised for. For one weekend, we had a Denver line and it worked. However, as his stock started to drop quicker than oil from the strait of Hormuz, he responded in kind as the season drew to a close.

He complimented the 4th liners and even brought the best out of Duggan. He scored an excellent semi-final goal and has surely adopted the playoff trophy as his own flesh and blood.

He matched that grade, as there is definitely more to him, added with consistent line starts, he grew as a player and looked comfortable with the puck, made smart checking decisions and was active defensively, blocking some monster shots.

There was another notable drop off, another Brit, the much beloved Sam Duggan. He finished the season with 4 points from 47GP. Across all EIHL competitions this season, he notched just 6.

A huge drop even for his ability, by more than 50% on the previous season. I once wrote an article highlighting his stagnation, https://hockeysteve.co.uk/2023/11/30/the-sam-duggan-dilemma/ – posted in November 2023. It seems the groundhog has arrived again, despite the locker room utterly loving the guy, his numbers would surely need to be scrutinised for Thompson to make some driven changes to challenge for the league again.

Blue Liner Magic

As mentioned before, the blue liners have the most to shout happy about, from the puck moving brilliance of Brandon Estes, to the shut down work and heads up vision of Jimmy Oligny, then the rugged powerhouse that is Tyson Helgesen, the additions to revamp the defensive unit made one of the biggest differences for their club.

More carpal tunnel damage was expect from Helgesen, who managed the blue line, the DZ and activated transitionally with ease. A fierce defender, he took his licks well and didn’t give up too many penalties that costed his team. He was definitely up there for once of the better than expected players.

Oligny was the upgrade on the heavily favoured MacWilliam and delivered in more ways than expected. Mobile, excellent, effortless edges, supreme stick work defensively, calm under pressure, excellent outlet passes, changed when he should have, managed his shift balances and stuck up for his team.

Even reeled in some rotten smelling fishies from the river Tay.

Brandon Estes was expected to the be blue liner who sent up the numbers and he started emphatically, at one stage averaging at nearly 4 points per game.

Reliable, mobile, strong, dangerous on the rush – he was one of the best blue liners 5 on 5 this season. On the PP however, it somehow never translated. A habit of slowing down too much effectively killed off their own momentum, which went unchanged for far too long.

An equal and only criticism of both the coach and Estes was on the PP for more than half the campaign. After a repeated call to change up the PP units, saw Fournier and Estes swap, then we saw the PP fortunes change.

Still, he was a grade A addition, along with Oligny and Helgesen.

For the mainstays on D, Richardson had a season as one could expect for his age and presence. As each season goes, the more the expectations for one of the finest to do it rises for him to hang them up.

For Fournier, he finished regular season with 26 points from 54GP, a decent return on the 2nd line. He would have partnered Oligny better as a Quebecois duo. 31 points from 68 total games in the EIHL isn’t to be sniffed at for a 34 year old defenseman.

He had 7 points less compared to last season with 6 more games played. The suggestion he was restricted and then let loose doesn’t translate to either the eye test or the stats.

His line partner certainly benefitted from the structure he worked within, going plus 43 in the +/-, leading the league. It coupled with the amount of shutouts the goalies earned, with the defensive prowess from Barrow, Brandt, Kontos, Ferguson and MacDonald – a lot bought into the system Thompson set up for them.

The game Mosey applied was fast and ambitious, always looking to push the pace and keep the puck moving. It was high risk, high reward with a very high chance of mistakes.

Despite the hugely positive +/-, he gave up the puck a lot, made a lot of passing errors and positionally had to lean on his line mate to clean up for him.

He was still a force on the ice and always noticeable whether pushing forward or closing down the wings. There was an aggression to his game that shown he dialled in from start to finish.

A difficult one to grade, however for 37 years old, if he feels he can go at that level again, you would never say no.

Goalies, Hot Gloves and Golden Bagels

It was a season to remember for Ben Bowns, who finished the regular season with 1.94GAA and 93.19 SV%, not to mention his 8 total shutouts.

One of, if not his best performances of his career, on a testimonial year as well. Huge speculation about whether this was his final season might be revealed this summer, however, what a year he had.

His back up, Stoever was an unexpected addition in terms of goal tending, following a solid showing from Carruth and Bowns the previous campaign.

It was speculated but for it to be confirmed was time for a moment of letting it play out, then judge.

He was initially graded as a C+, more out of respect to the process with the unknown, than for anything else. It signified a heavy reliance for Bowns, which, with a hopeful expectation he could carry the previous form into this campaign just gone, would be justified.

Not only had Bowns done that, but after a solid, then rocky start for Stoever, he also made a claim. He was absolutely one of the best rookie goalies for the season, not alone with Purboo (Flyers) and Stewart (Blaze), let alone additions to Giants and Clan respectfully.

Stoever assumed the starter spot from a Bown injury and never looked back.

He played as many games as Whistle with as many Shutouts and was pound for pound a better product than Jake Kupsky, who of course, had a very mixed season, ending with a league title, thanks to the matched ground work from Whistle.

Stoever earned his praise and certainly raised the level for rookie goalies in this league. His grade? A, for absolutely.

Final Thoughts

Overall this season exceeded expectations, of course it has, with the high of winning the playoffs again. Whether it is viewed as an easy trophy to win or not, you have to be there to win one and it is never set in stone who does.

The manner of the season culminated in how they initially set out, with being direct, dominant and physically difficult to break down.

There were many pieces that excelled, from new additions to improvements within the core returnees. Unexpected high level returns from a position that should have been lucky to see a maximum 20 starts overall, to defiance of a group that refused to be written off.

Every outlet that covers the EIHL, from fan-lead podcasts (including one I co-host) to the official EIHL surveys, had Devils around 4th position with no trophies.

This doesn’t mean however you keep the same group and go again.

The majority produce the same mid-season down turn that ultimately de-rails their ambitions and capabilities. Luckily, Giants weren’t dominant, Steelers had their own issues and Panthers couldn’t become the complete package.

2nd place secured, but it was on a coin flip.

For an easier route with less chance of a heart attack for the coach, there would surely be assertions made on where to improve, as well as who to replace if not by exit interviews, but by players hanging them up.

The realisation of what they can do with their coach, might give some pause for thought. Why not one more for the title? It can be done.

The main focus would be to find a group that can work the PP – that is one caveat, entirely coachable, that should have been changed or amended earlier than it had done.

That could have been a league changing difference, which could also be argued by other teams. Those are very exciting fine margins.

Whilst I would love to be involved in that process of scouting and recruiting new players to build a title chasing roster, I am glad it doesn’t rest on my shoulders to make those calls (yet).

Last year was a busy, unexpected off season.

There is a three part series within this blog.

For this season, it will be a lot more optimistic and even more so, expect the unexpected.

There is now a new ‘arena’ team after Storm moved back to the ‘AO Arena’ – coupled with a full rebuild in Sheffield and expected retirements league wide.

So, there will be a raft of changes this offseason, of which Devils will need to prepare for to stay competitive and ahead of the game.

Let alone a potential European tour to plan for, as playoff winners typically get Continental Cup qualification.

We also call this, silly season and I am here for it.