Off to college

CARDIFF,U.K- 2009 Kelly Cup winning defensemen Scott Romfo has become the latest player to take advantage of the Cardiff Devils’ university scholarship programme. The Devils have secured a third place at Cardiff University’s Business School, meaning Romfo will join current Devils Mike Hartwick and Wes Jarvis who are halfway through the two-year Masters course. Scholarship packages have become an important recruitment asset for a number of Elite League clubs. Their value has escalated over the past season as a means of easing recruitment concerns born out of the fall in value of the pound against the dollar and Euro, and, the system works. Romfo will join a list of high-quality players that may not have opted to play in the UK had it not been for the opportunity to further their education at the same time. Wes Jarvis, the NY Rangers’ 2nd round draft pick in 1997, brought his AHL quality to the Devils roster last season, by leading all defenseman with 19 goals. Former Ivy League defenseman, Mike Hartwick joined the Devils after one year away from his studies playing in the ECHL. Hartwick became a key force as a stay at home D man, but also enjoyed a career year with 16 points (5 goals).  Romfo, a 5’11” 190lbs defenseman from Blaine, Minnesota, recently revealed he had considered retiring from hockey having achieved his aim of winning the Kelly Cup last season. However, the opportunity to combine playing professionally while making preparations for life after hockey proved too good to miss. ‘Winning the cup was an unbelievable achievement for the team. I might have even stopped playing at that point, after four years with the Stingrays, but I wanted to play on and Cardiff Devils have fired me up for a new challenge,” Romfo said. Romfo will replace inspirational defenseman Tyson Teplitsky who last year played his third season in a Devils uniform, having narrowly missed out on a slot with Tampere of the Finnish Elite League. Teplitsky has left the Devils to return to North America and in what will be Romfo’s first season outside of North America; he has big shoes to fill. Teplitsky lead all Devils defenseman for points in each of his three seasons at the club. He logged a huge amount of minutes and was adored by fans, for his work ethic and ability to change games single-handedly. Nevertheless, Romfo’s résumé suggests he is up to the task. He’s a proven winner, having delivered a career year for points to help South Carolina win the ECHL’s Kelly Cup last season. Romfo, lead all Stingrays defensemen with seven goals and finished second among blue liners in scoring in 2007-08. He continued that form last season, by leading Stingrays defensemen for assists and finishing second in scoring.  Romfo has told Devils fans what they can expect from him next season. “I’m a solid, two-way defenceman, I’m not flash and not the most skilled player in the world, but I do my job, work hard for the team and offensively I can make an impact.’ Romfo said Contact the author at Aled.lloyd@prohockeynews.com