We analyse Cardiff's chances following the departures of key duo Jon Pelle and Craig Weller.
New skipper MaCrae to lead Devils without Weller or Pelle
In the Elite League era only two defencemen have won the IHJUK's Player of the Year trophy. The first was Neal Martin (a joint winner with Tony Hand in 2004/05) and the second was Craig Weller. Hence, to be a D-man and to win the award speaks volumes. To quote Cole Porter, you have to be very, very extraordinary.
Martin and Weller. What a blueline that would be.
When the season started last September the Cardiff Devils were on the outside looking in, but when Justin Sawyer morphed into Craig Weller everything changed. As good as Jon Pelle, Scott Matzka and Tylor Michel were, Weller was the transcendent force who powered the Devils within an inch of the league title. Without him on the blueline, Matzka would have spent more time fishing for the puck in his own corner. Without Weller, Pelle wouldn't have benefited from so many odd man rushes. Without Weller, Stevie Lyle would have been hearing the horn far more often. He was simply too good for this league.
Weller wasn't flawless, many times the architect of a goal for the opposition as he was a goal for the Devils, but put Justin Sawyer back on that blueline and it's a two-horse race between Belfast and Sheffield.
Panic
And this year, the Devils don't have Weller. Or Pelle. Or Michel for that matter.
But they do have a new captain in Stuart MaCrae and the usual gallery of rogues led by you-know-who. For all of the bluster and scaremongering emanating from Cardiff Bay this season, the end of summer product is a typical Devils roster with many returnees unfazed by the panic. It's a typical Devils line-up that will make a run at the playoff title, win some big games and if the planets align, like they did last year, they could be in the frame for the league title, but only if the planets align.
Since the EIHL started, the Devils have had to rely on opportunism for their shot at the league crown. In 2006/07 Ed Patterson's recruitment almost took them to the promised land and in 2010/11 the perfect storm of offensive depth and a knockout blueliner came as close as you can get. In other EIHL seasons the Devils haven't been lucky enough or good enough to have a shot at finishing number one. It's one of the reasons why they've been so good in the playoffs.
But what about this season? Can they carry the self belief they acquired last term forward?
One of the major positives for the Devils this off-season has been their ability to retain all of their Brits. While other teams have concerns about the players with Union Jacks sewn onto their uniforms, the Devils emerge from the off-season unscathed, if not stronger.
Incoming British D-man Josh Batch has the size so often lacking in the British youngsters and joins the Elite League after playing junior hockey across the pond. Batch rounds out a deep defensive unit staffed by veteran Brit Mark Richardson, the Smith Brothers - Kenton and Mark, Adams and hard-hitting newcomer Chris Frank (Elmira Jackals), who can easily avoid the inevitable comparisons to Weller by living up to his nickname of "The Tank".
Scott Dobben and Jeff Pierce are the other new imports on the roster, completing a physical forward pack that looks set to dominate the Bay Arena. Pierce is slated to join Matzka and Max Birbraer on the main scoring line and should find it easier with the existing chemistry between the two. Dobben represents more of a lunch-pail forward.
Gruesome
Being out on a limb along the M4, the Devils now have one of the toughest travel schedules in the league. This season they've been totally outdone by fellow long distance voyagers Belfast in the scheduling department. While the Giants have what's regarded as the toughest travel schedule in the league because of the number of flights, this year they've minimised overnight travel between games.
As their schedule stands right now, the Giants have seven back-to-back games involving a road trip. It's still a pretty gruesome calendar, but they've got at least a day off between other games or consecutive series away from home or in the Odyssey. The Devils, meanwhile, are seemingly on the move every Saturday night/Sunday morning throughout the entire season, as most teams are, but every journey for Cardiff is a long one.
There are many factors that determine team's schedules, including arena availability, clashes with other sports and preferable days of play to maximise attendance, but the bottom line is that purely in terms of Cardiff as a hockey team, the Devils have suffered and will continue to suffer bus legs at some point. It cost them in Dundee last year with huge consequences.
That's the downside. The upside is the Cardiff Bay Arena and the way it perfectly fits Gerad Adams' style of hockey to a tee. After four and a half years in charge, Adams is secure in his role. He's coming up on a decade playing hockey in Britain and is part of the landscape now. Under the leadership of Adams and Neil Francis, the Devils have now proven that they can also compete every night on the bigger ice pads, a problem that plagued them in the past.
The roster might not hold the high end AHL/NHL talent of other clubs, but this is a stable team with few weaknesses. If the newcomers turn out to be legit and the cookie crumbles favourably, the Devils will have a shot.
