Cardiff Devils Confirmed Signings & Departures 2023/24

Mooney#16

Mooney#16

Well-Known Member
#521
#521
Yeah but Pete retained Ben O’Connor. We’ve had that experiment in Cardiff. GB and Devils will be two very different selection processes.

Mosey and Ruopp are imports in this league but can play for GB for starters. It’s a genuine toss up between Batchy, Tetlow, D Phillips etc but with the others all signed up do you just turn Batchy away in frustration as he’s still amongst the top 10 Brit D men in the country.

He had an off season but glad Pete Russell sees it as his job to coach him into form rather than just jettison him. EIHL calibre Brits are in high demand this summer. You do not get rid without a significant plan behind it given the league drop downs and retirements.
 
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fridaysfingers

Well-Known Member
#522
#522
Regarding being on the end of a big CLEAN hit.
Do you guys think that these should always be reacted to in an aggressive manner?
I’m not necessarily talking about JB here but in general.

I was watching NHL network a couple of days ago and they showed Tom Wilson Washington Caps tough guy, (also very good player) get crushed against the boards by Brady Tkchuk.
They both came away from it laughing.
 
Finny

Finny

Well-Known Member
#523
#523
Swarley said:
I don't lay the blame purely on Batch but he's a seasoned player who should of stepped up and been a driving force to correct duponts mistakes,
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You can't really be suggesting a player ignores the tactics from the coach and does what he want?
 
Finny

Finny

Well-Known Member
#524
#524
BostonBart22 said:
Just seems strange that PR ditched him 2 out of last 3 seasons fro GB set up and still got faith in him to do it for the devils..just saying
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For GB you need to be in the top 20 British players in the league.
For an EIHL team you only need to be in the top 50-60 British players in the league.
 
J

jenks33

Well-Known Member
#525
#525
Goes without saying that next season is a biggie for Batch. I thought he was very poor last season but as others have said he was excellent in the 2021/22 season. I'm sure he's aware of the stick he's been getting + I'm not convinced Pete Russell is his biggest fan so he's certainly got a point to prove next season.

So is that Batch and Mosey as our 3rd D pairing? To be honest that would concern me. I hope i'm wrong but that's a D pairing that i can see struggling. When do we see Richie dropping down to that 3rd D pairing? After all he will be 37 at the beginning of next season. The season after next maybe?
 
K

Kristoff

Active Member
#526
#526
ASHIPP said:
I would imagine Ben Davies will get his own announcement soon. He deserves it. This young man is instrumental on the PK for Devils and is impossible to play against. He, Sam Duggan and Riley Brandt formed our most energetic and entertaining line last year.

Would imagine we will play 6 Brits this year (like last year) and one less import to start....with potential to make changes during the season.
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Would you carry a spare Brit for the sake of if?
 
K

katie.sinclair1

Active Member
#528
#528
If as anticipated Bowns will return and hopefully Ben Davies, with the re-signing of Batch then we are going down the 6 Brit route. In an earlier post I said that if that was the case I would be disappointed if Batch returned, not just because he would make up the six. He just didn't seem engaged at all last season and coaching aside, his effort levels were no where near the previous year. if he is paired with Mosey then worried about how we'll do. You always look at the signings of other clubs and there appears to be some quality coming into the league. Hopefully we have also have some coming in to get us excited, not quite feeling that yet! Still time though. When is the Calgary summit, could be then?
 
B

BostonBart22

Well-Known Member
#529
#529
katie.sinclair1 said:
If as anticipated Bowns will return and hopefully Ben Davies, with the re-signing of Batch then we are going down the 6 Brit route. In an earlier post I said that if that was the case I would be disappointed if Batch returned, not just because he would make up the six. He just didn't seem engaged at all last season and coaching aside, his effort levels were no where near the previous year. if he is paired with Mosey then worried about how we'll do. You always look at the signings of other clubs and there appears to be some quality coming into the league. Hopefully we have also have some coming in to get us excited, not quite feeling that yet! Still time though. When is the Calgary summit, could be then?
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On the plus side if any forwards get injured then batch and mosey can step up, both very good at it as well..
 
B

bozzer

Member
#530
#530
katie.sinclair1 said:
If as anticipated Bowns will return and hopefully Ben Davies, with the re-signing of Batch then we are going down the 6 Brit route. In an earlier post I said that if that was the case I would be disappointed if Batch returned, not just because he would make up the six. He just didn't seem engaged at all last season and coaching aside, his effort levels were no where near the previous year. if he is paired with Mosey then worried about how we'll do. You always look at the signings of other clubs and there appears to be some quality coming into the league. Hopefully we have also have some coming in to get us excited, not quite feeling that yet! Still time though. When is the Calgary summit, could be then?
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7th to 16th July Is the summit
 
ASHIPP

ASHIPP

Well-Known Member
#532
#532
Kristoff said:
Would you carry a spare Brit for the sake of if?
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It wouldn't be for the sake of it.....we would be playing all our Brits as they are good enough to perform roles. I don't think for a minute that the coaching team will regard any of them as 'spares'.
Devils have gone this route several times before, bringing in another import for injury cover later in the season.
Teams will always be carrying injuries. Cover will always be required.
 
M

mgnewp

Member
#533
#533
For all the moaners out there about re-signing Batchy, do people not read the full release before turning to the keyboard
1) it’s the 2nd year of a 2 year deal signed after his best season ever
2) poor last season in comparison but coaching and testimonial distractions have to have been a factor but he was not the only player affected and not the worst either.

The truth is he will either have a bounce back year or he won’t and at the end of next season decisions will be made.
 
M

moggy#9

Well-Known Member
#534
#534
Defensive pairings and forwards doing their job defensively will be key to batch returning to form. I'm hoping that the new coaching staff will ensure that the environment is right for everyone to play at their best.
 
K

katie.sinclair1

Active Member
#535
#535
For all the moaners out there about re-signing Batchy, do people not read the full release before turning to the keyboard
1) it’s the 2nd year of a 2 year deal signed after his best season ever
2) poor last season in comparison but coaching and testimonial distractions have to have been a factor but he was not the only player affected and not the worst either.

The truth is he will either have a bounce back year or he won’t and at the end of next season decisions will be made.[/QUOTE]

Yes I did read the full press release. However, his contract would not be the first to not be honoured if circumstances had changed. There was a definite change in Batch last season, I was often frustrated watching him play. The whole team had the same coach, didn't stop some from giving their all. Others have had testimonials and still focused on their day job. Over the years I have always appreciated Batch's efforts for us, but for whatever reason it wasn't there for me last season. Really hope that everything clicks this year as he and the team as a whole will benefit.
 
E

Ejercito Rojas

Well-Known Member
#537
#537
Finny said:
You can't really be suggesting a player ignores the tactics from the coach and does what he want?
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Didn’t DuPont himself imply this very thing on more than one occasion in post match interviews after embarrassing losses?

He was close to tears after the Belfast debacle and iirc he said the players 'just stopped playing'!
 
J

jenks33

Well-Known Member
#538
#538
James said:
great interview again by JP. Not afraid to ask some good questions (in a very polite way)
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Yeah a good interview to be fair. Refreshing to hear that Josh, Pete and Todd have had a sit down and discussed what he needs to improve on next season. Get the impression he’s been told last season was nowhere near good enough. When JD asked Josh about last season it would have been concerning had he said he thought it wasn’t as bad as some people made out but he was honest enough.
 
Mooney#16

Mooney#16

Well-Known Member
#539
#539
Out of interest for those of the opinion to not bring Batchy back which British D man would you replace him with.

Ritchie - Already here
Ben O Conner - Nope
Davey Phillips - Not for me.
Josh Tetlow - Very comparable but would be more expensive
Sam Jones - Maybe but again more expensive
David Clements - He ain’t leaving Blaze.

It’s easy to say get rid on a keyboard but strategically what is your counter move.

For me whilst Batchy didn’t have a great season he brings a lot to the table you simply can’t ignore.
 
lloyd_jeff

lloyd_jeff

Well-Known Member
#540
#540
I‘ve never criticised a new coach before the start of a season (memory permitting), prefer to wait until the opinion turns into demonstrable incompetence, or not. Batchy for me as Mooney alludes to is more of a no option signing than a want, which is worrying given managements position on leaving time wasters lace up and coast the season. I’m sure PR is more than capable of informing Batch on the wants, needs and expectation, hopefully Todd allows PR all the tools necessary should Batch decide to take another yr off. I hope Batch does play in the ethos of a Devil because he sure as ditch water didn’t last year, he owes it to the club and himself.
 
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