Ben Davies is off to Basingstoke

[wildthing74]

It hasn't been confirmed that it is a 2 way yet.Its what PR said the club had asked for but said certain procedures have to be followed.Don't know what he meant by that?
I agree that a 2 way would work so he can play in the interim but I think even if we are down 1 forward he is better being with us.It will only benefit us if we have all 9 other forwards fit.

 

[Finny]

From the Q&A transcript on the official website it sounds like nothing with be agreed until Adams and Ben sit down and have a proper chat.

 

[ASHIPP]

It hasn't been confirmed that it is a 2 way yet.Its what PR said the club had asked for but said certain procedures have to be followed.Don't know what he meant by that?
I agree that a 2 way would work so he can play in the interim but I think even if we are down 1 forward he is better being with us.It will only benefit us if we have all 9 other forwards fit.

I am well aware nothing has been agreed yet but a two-way would allow him to get regular ice time he deserves whilst being available to continue making a valuable contribution to the Devils' squad. Hopefully he and G can discuss something mutually beneficial to Ben's development, and the team.

 

[Hockeyfan1]

All he needs is an injury.....! Thats the problem, he sits around and waits for that! I know he is young and his career is just beginning, but he must want to play hockey and it cant do his confidence any good to be benched game after game, when he has proved himself in the past. Especially back at the beginning of this year during Voths injury!

Clare, i dont agree with you that Ben has suddenly got miffed and is off! He has been making his unhappiness clear for a while now and the fact that everyone was shocked that he wanted to go.....i wonder!

I also don't understand some people on here saying that Ben is walking out on the club, but some also say that he needs regular ice time to improve and develop as a player. Maybe, Ben is just doing what he needs to for himself after giving so many of his first years to the devils, and i think everybody is guilty of doing what is best for themselves at some point. Maybe playing hockey is more important than holding a piece of silverware at the end of the season that he has contributed little towards due to lack of ice time!

Again just my thoughts!

 

[Clare]

Yeah true - he seems to have been miffed for a while now!! Can see why, but he shouldn't expect just to be able to walk into a job. Sam is better, so Ben is dealing with it.

 

[Rempel16]

Maybe playing hockey is more important than holding a piece of silverware at the end of the season that he has contributed little towards due to lack of ice time!

Well 12 points in 33 games suggests that he has contributed more than a little.

I just hope he doesn't regret this decision in years to come. Many many players go through their entire career without winning a trophy, and most will openly admit their disappointment at this.

Ben has a chance to get the elusive winners medal at just 19, he will get his chance to play EPL hockey in later years, if that's where his ambitions are.

For what it's worth, as good an impact player that Ben is, I still don't think he's ready to hold down a regular spot and his limited ice time at the moment is about fair. I don't know Ben personally and people are saying what a great person he is but I just wonder whether he has the mental aptitude to be a great hockey player?

He gave up the 3rd line spot with very little fight when S Smith was struggling a little in the first couple of weeks, he's happy to forfeit potential silverware just to play regularly (not a winner?) and the timing of his decision hasn't been the best.

I hope he knows what he's doing.

 

[Mooney#16]

I think people are being a little harsh on Ben. He's a hockey player. He hoped he would be having his big break with a regular shift on a fixed line but it hasn't happened so he wants to be playing hockey elsewhere. I'm not sure there's much wrong with that. Trophies and silverware i'm afraid come a poor second to playing the game to most players. Players know if they contributed to success or not and if they don't feel they did then whats the point in having it. It's hollow. People dream of scoring game winning goals in deciding games not watching them from the bench.

It's obvious that Sam has settled on the third very well and they are a good unit. I think picking the bones out of who's better isn't right as they are different players and bring different qualities but hockey is about how people play together and Sam just fits the bill better on that line. On another it might be Ben suits it better. He is just the unfortunate one who misses out. I think to criticise his work ethic and apitite to compete for a spot is wrong as you're criticising something you will never know the truth about. He could be training as hard as he can but the chemistry just won't come and he continues to remain on the bench.

It's no criticism of G as he's doing what is neccessary to win a league championship and therefore his job. Developing Ben just isn't on the agenda right now and who can blame him so giving him ice time would be a risky stratagy. I just don't see there's alot of blame here on either side. It's just unfortunate. Credit to Ben though for having enough love for the sport he wants to be playing this much to walk away from a league champioship contending team.

 

[osh]

Mooney. I think you are spot on with the above post. Ben will be available to come in at short notice if injuries dictate, whilst he will also be getting actuall match fitness under his belt at Basingstoke. He will learn from Mo no doubt, and I think its a brave decision of his. I see this a a stepping stone to him coming back into the fold, especially as it would appear we need to be strengthening our Brit contingent if import numbers drop next season ( as has been reported)

 

[ASHIPP]

Mooney. I think you are spot on with the above post. Ben will be available to come in at short notice if injuries dictate, whilst he will also be getting actuall match fitness under his belt at Basingstoke. He will learn from Mo no doubt, and I think its a brave decision of his. I see this a a stepping stone to him coming back into the fold, especially as it would appear we need to be strengthening our Brit contingent if import numbers drop next season ( as has been reported)

Indeed. I might be mistaken, but wasn't there a mention that they were already keeping an eye on other British players? Wonder whether those would be from current EIHL teams or EPL?

 

[clairey_faerie]

not sure if this has been posted yet but...

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sports...davies-leaving-cardiff-devils-91466-27933730/

 

[Koop11]

Good to read that he is on a two way contract should we run into injury problems or anything like that.

I can see the benefits for Ben moving but also the downsides to his decision. You would think he will get regular ice time at Basingstoke which is important in developing his game but he has proved he can play at this level and I fear that not training with a Elite League winning team and getting ice time, albeit limited this season, may be a backwards step.

There are pros and cons for Ben in whatever decision he made. For the Devils, this is a blow but I hope there has been no bad blood in this recent development. Ben is a great little hockey player who I’m sure will have a bright future (hopefully with us). I just hope this decision does not heavily impact on his potential.

 

[Finny]

Good to hear that we will be able to call him back if needed.

 

[Mooney#16]

To spin this take Weller. By his own admition he hasn't played alot of powerplay and and penalty kill in his career and that was whilst playing in the top league in the world. He has dropped out of the North Americam system to a much lower standard league that he takes in his stride but he has been placed on the Powerplay and Penalty Kill lines which is something new to him. By his admition he was training with other nhlers in north america and waiting for a contract but then decided nothing could compare to actual ice time and learning something new for next season like powerplay and penalty kill. If he gets his dream return to the NHL he will return with an improved experience of special teams and increased ice time and perhaps just return a better quality player.

Who's to say Ben taking up an opportunity in Basingstoke won't provide the same chance for him to refine some skills and learn some more i.e. powerplay and penalty kill. He might just actually return a more well rounded player for the experience.

 

[Finny]

I don't have any problem with Ben going to Basingstoke to get extra experience. My disappointment was that he chose to do this in the middle of the season. If he had opted to wait until the summer and then join them allowing us to bring in a replacement for him - he would have got my best wishes and not one criticism.

 

[Mooney#16]

Fair Comment. Can see why the club wouldn't be happy. My only reply would be half a season can be a long time in a hockey players career. Reality is it could be 5% of his career wasted. Even more if he was to get a career ending injury.

 

[osh]

I don't have any problem with Ben going to Basingstoke to get extra experience. My disappointment was that he chose to do this in the middle of the season. If he had opted to wait until the summer and then join them allowing us to bring in a replacement for him - he would have got my best wishes and not one criticism.

Oh dear, once again i have to disagree with your thoughts Finny. Ben will more than likely be one of our Brits next season, due to import numbers dropping. So in the meantime he goes to Basingstoke for match practice. Any pro in any sport will tell you they can train all they like, but you cannot beat match practice and thats what he will get with Mo's lot. Any injury problems here and he comes back straight away to help. Surely it is to his benefit that he gets to play regular shifts which will obviously improve his match fitness, confidence and ability rather than see him spend less than 5 minutes on the ice if he is lucky at the present time. Good for him I say.

 

[James]

http://www.cardiffdevils.com/news/the-d ... he-detail/

"It's an unfortunate situation, and the guys on the team feel pretty let down by this. There are several players who want more ice time; on the Powerplay units and the penalty kill for example, but there is a way of going about things and they are doing it the right way - this (Davies's situation) is not how we do this."

 

[TheStub]

Sounds like G is not impressed, and I wonder how this would effect his chances with the team going forward. There is the obvious savings for Cardiff based players, but he may have burned his bridges now.

 

[DevilDom]

Sounds like G is not impressed, and I wonder how this would effect his chances with the team going forward. There is the obvious savings for Cardiff based players, but he may have burned his bridges now.

I hope not. Whilst I don't agree with the way Ben has approached this I think it would be a lack of judgement on G's part if he allowed this to affect whether he re-signed him in the future. Ben is a young man who has obviously made an impulse decision after getting fed up with the situation he was in. He would probably have a regular shift on half the teams in the Elite League and has further to improve. Brit players will be a more valuable commodity next year if as muted import levels drop. I certainly hope G acts like the sensible professional he is and doesn't allow this to cloud his future judgement.

 

[ASHIPP]

I don't have any problem with Ben going to Basingstoke to get extra experience. My disappointment was that he chose to do this in the middle of the season. If he had opted to wait until the summer and then join them allowing us to bring in a replacement for him - he would have got my best wishes and not one criticism.

Oh dear, once again i have to disagree with your thoughts Finny. Ben will more than likely be one of our Brits next season, due to import numbers dropping. So in the meantime he goes to Basingstoke for match practice. Any pro in any sport will tell you they can train all they like, but you cannot beat match practice and thats what he will get with Mo's lot. Any injury problems here and he comes back straight away to help. Surely it is to his benefit that he gets to play regular shifts which will obviously improve his match fitness, confidence and ability rather than see him spend less than 5 minutes on the ice if he is lucky at the present time. Good for him I say.

Osh - agreed. Ben will hopefully get more ice time he craves and deserves - and as a result return a more rounded player. There is no doubting his ability and determination and there is the re-assurance that he will be available for call-up should the Devils need injury cover. It's disappointing that he will be sacrificing the opportunity to train daily amongst the Elite team, and maximise a rare chance to learn from players of Craig Weller's calibre. Whilst I don't agree with the timing of it, it is Ben's decision. Look forward to his permanent return to the Elite Devils next season.