Cardiff Devils

Chris Stone of The Inferno previews the 2009/10 season for the Devils.

Cardiff

The Devils team for the 09/10 season looks to be one the best in many years, the re-signing of Mark Smith and Max Birbraer after the disappointment of losing Prpich was absolutely key and certainly seemed to re-ignite interest in the team from the fans of other clubs. A lot has been said about having a British netminder, but with the Devils having had the 2nd best defence last season behind only the league winners, I’m sure he’ll put us in contention for some prizes. We’ve lost MacIver and Teplitsky, but brought in Mark Richardson and Scott Romfo, losing some size but nothing else.

The capture of our entire 2nd line from last season was a good indication of the way the team is moving forwards, we’ve signed some good young Brits and retained/re-signed/signed some good imports. A top 3 finish is a real possibility. 

Belfast

Widely tipped as the team that could have won the league last season had it not been for injuries, the Giants are putting together what appears to be a brilliant team, but can they produce on the ice? They’ve signed an AHL enforcer, but can they afford to have such an import sitting in the box after fighting majors? The signing of Murphy as their netminder surprised a lot of people, but he played well for Manchester last season and should be able to prove himself further this season. Hard to see how they won’t be challenging for league victory this season and probably the CC as well. A big loss in losing David Phillips, but they’ve managed to get his brother to replace him, be interesting to see how good he is.

Coventry

Finishing 2nd in the league last season, but winning none of the trophies up for grabs, the Blaze sure seem to have put together a good looking team for next season, the signing of Brits like Owen, Cowley and Weaver could be key. The Blaze seem to have improved on most fronts from last season so expect a high finish. Only question is how many times can Robinson take being smacked around by Voth in the big blue tent?

Edinburgh

Doug Christiansen looks to have put together one of the best teams seen in Edinburgh for many a season. He surprised everyone by signing Andrew Sharp and whilst there are pros towards having a British enforcer, Sharp is a liability on the ice, is it unreasonable to suggest he will do something stupid again this season and end up with a longer ban?  

Hull

A new coach, a new outlook, a new team… Hull look to be putting together a better looking side than in recent seasons, Cloutier was the surprise of the off-season and he seems to be using his CHL contacts to good effect. Hopefully the ‘dull’ tag will be well and truly removed for next season. 

Newcastle

Rob Wilson promised a new, younger team, fans weren’t convinced when the first signing was announced as Longstaff but all the other signings look to be what Wilson promised. With 3 imports still left to sign, including a netminder it’s hard to say where they’ll end up, but the team looks like it has something to prove. Vipers will be splitting their season between the MRA and Whitley Bay, hopefully they can make it a success. 

Nottingham

The team I’ll be watching next season look to be purely average on paper, some of their own fans are predicting a finish outside of the top 4. Hopefully they’ll play well as a team, with a netminder to protect their enforcers in Kevin St-Pierre they should be entertaining to watch. Matt Myers will be starting for them for a few games at the start of the season before moving to the ECHL, could be a big loss for coach Corey.  

Sheffield

The Sheffield, then FEC, then Sheffield Steelers again have retained a large quantity of last seasons league and playoff winning team so it’s hard to see them not challenging for titles again this season. The loss of a major Brit in Ashley Tait may hit them harder than expected though…

1. Coventry
2. Belfast
3. Cardiff
4. Nottingham
5. Sheffield
6. Edinburgh
7. Hull
8. Newcastle

Not convinced it’ll finish like that at all, but it’s too hard to predict this season. Maybe a better thing would be for me to say the league title will go to Coventry/Belfast/Cardiff/Nottingham/Sheffield!

Cardiff for the Challenge Cup though!