New players - who will be the stand outs

[Slartibartfast]

Who do you think will be the standing signings? Who are you most looking forward to seeing.?
For me Brendan Mikkelson with his NHL pedigree is an obvious stand out but the awards won by Matt Register albeit in a lower league still make him look interesting and he racked up a lot of points in the ECHL (a bit higher than Gleason Fournier)

Brodie Dupont looks like a stand out up front with a decent points tally in the AHL and ECHL.
But the ones I am most curious about are Cox and Sandford. These guys had a great partnership in the WHL and are young. It will be interesting to see how they adapt to the EIHL. I think they will be our second line though I can't work out who will join them.

 

[Wannabe2]

If Cox, Sandford, and Lammon turn out to be the business then we are in a great place, as the other guys certainly look high class. They are obviously good enough for our coach so they must be hidden gems, can’t wait now folks, it’s just one week away, 7 days to Happy Hockey Days.

 

[Devil94]

McNally seems to have gone under the radar a little bit, but he could be real star and a fans favourite. Seems to have everything, speed, skill, toughness, and a bit of a pest too.

 

[Diablo3]

Regardless of the obvious talent our new guys have. I hope they get given time to gel before the keyboard warriors start on them.
This has the makings of a great team and I am so looking forward to next Thursday.

 

[august04 2.0]

McNally seems to have gone under the radar a little bit, but he could be real star and a fans favourite. Seems to have everything, speed, skill, toughness, and a bit of a pest too.

Agreed, he could be the big fan favourite from this team and I think he'll have a few dance partners from other teams too this year. Could be a great season.

 

[con1975]

Regardless of the obvious talent our new guys have. I hope they get given time to gel before the keyboard warriors start on them.
This has the makings of a great team and I am so looking forward to next Thursday.

Agree 100% this team is going take time to gel and get used to the officiating,lets give them time

 

[SteveKing]

At the risk of getting expectations higher than they should be at this stage, I will share a quick story from this week. I was out for a pint with the assistant general manager of the San Jose Sharks who is a friend of mine. The guy that brought us Tyson Strachan in fact.

We were going through our roster and he knew absolutely all of our new players. The bigger name, more established guys were all good but the three guys he was most excited about were Cox, Sanford and Kozun. He thinks Cox and Sanford will be absolutely dynamite in our league. Fast, skilled and play with some jam as well. He thinks Kozun could be a real find. And finally, he also knew McNally quite well and he thinks he's going to surprise some people with his skill in addition to the obvious physical play.

I was pretty excited hearing those comments on our players but now we'll need to see how they adapt to our league, to our coach and to each other. The beauty of sports!!!

 

[sjkelly07]

At the risk of getting expectations higher than they should be at this stage, I will share a quick story from this week. I was out for a pint with the assistant general manager of the San Jose Sharks who is a friend of mine. The guy that brought us Tyson Strachan in fact.

We were going through our roster and he knew absolutely all of our new players. The bigger name, more established guys were all good but the three guys he was most excited about were Cox, Sanford and Kozun. He thinks Cox and Sanford will be absolutely dynamite in our league. Fast, skilled and play with some jam as well. He thinks Kozun could be a real find. And finally, he also knew McNally quite well and he thinks he's going to surprise some people with his skill in addition to the obvious physical play.

I was pretty excited hearing those comments on our players but now we'll need to see how they adapt to our league, to our coach and to each other. The beauty of sports!!!

I love the fact that our owners are so engaged with us fans, it's so refreshing to see and hear the likes of SK, TK, JS on forums, social media and podcasts discussing the Devils. Look at Steve, casually hanging out with an assistant GM of an NHL team, discussing the Cardiff Devils roster, how mad does that sound . I for one cannot wait for next Thursday, to see these guys in action. #newera

 

[jenks33]

I agree about Cox, Sanford and Lammon. I think a lot of us assume they might be on a line together and if they gel it will be huge for us as I’ve got no doubts that Reid, Dupont, Crandall will put up good numbers.
O’Connor’s another one. He’s probably a bit hurt about how it ended in Sheffield so fingers crossed he’s very motivated to prove a few people wrong.

 

[Devil94]

Are the players all here now Steve, and can we expect a full roster for next Thursday?

 

[SteveKing]

I believe we’re still waiting on one player. It’s been a nightmare this year.

 

[mjh]

Can't believe we're nearly there now. Missed this so much! I'm really excited to see the whole team and particularly how the returnees respond to a new coach. Could be interesting to see how guys like Batch continue to develop their game under a new regime. Also intriguing to see a net minding duo following on from our previous approach. So much to look forward to.

 

[tim78]

Dear Mr King,
Please can you be considerate to all the away teams, I like to see competitive hockey and not leave every UK team depressed leaving the Rink every weekend

 

[jenks33]

Looks like it might be Crandall that we’re still waiting for? He was still in Minnesota earlier this week

 

[Devil94]

Looks like it might be Crandall that we’re still waiting for? He was still in Minnesota earlier this week

From the whole squad picture they just posted, looks like its Brodie Reid that's not here yet. Skalde Jnr all dressed though.

 

[jenks33]

From the whole squad picture they just posted, looks like its Brodie Reid that's not here yet. Skalde Jnr all dressed though.

Is Crandall next to Sanford? He’s the only player I don’t recognise. Doesn’t particularly look like Reid or Crandall in my opinion but it must be one of them.

 

[Slartibartfast]

I forgot to mention O Connor. Its probably because he does not feel 'new' as we know him so well but his points are on par with Gleason Fournier who I consider the god of offensive defenseman. I think a renewed challenge and playing for a team like Cardiff will give him an extra boost. This team is looking great at the back and front.

 

[Wannabe2]

I for one are expecting big things from Ben O’Connor, he really is a class act and a great signing. Well pleased with his signing, as I am with our new coach and the whole of our playing squad.Happy Hockey Days.

 

[august04 2.0]

I’d love to hear an interview with coach Skalde before the game on Thursday, would be nice to hear his thoughts about the upcoming games.

 

[ryanxglenton]

Really looking forward to see McNally, Dupont and Register!
But to be honest i'm looking forward to seeing how the whole team do. Proper excited!