Cardiff Devils are the first Elite League team to head into pre-season action, with seven games scheduled between now and the start of the 2026/27 campaign.
After winning the Playoffs at the end of last season, the Welsh side head into the new campaign looking to build on that success.
“The summer was good, obviously better after winning the Playoffs, so it made it more enjoyable!” began Head Coach Paul Thompson, who will be in his second season at the club.
“We retained 18 players, so didn’t have a huge amount of roster building to do, but it did take pretty much up until a few weeks before I moved back to Cardiff for us to complete the team. It was nice to have a break, but I took in a couple of coaching clinics as well, so it was a pretty busy summer from that side.”
Thompson returned to the Elite League last season after winning the Playoffs in Denmark, having previously coached in the league until 2018.
“I’d always followed the league even when I wasn’t in it, so I knew quite a bit about it, but the level has gone up and there is no doubt about that,” he said.
“The quality of the non-homegrown player has gone up, and the pace is better than it was when I was here previously. That is mainly down to teams having more depth, so you can maintain that power.
“It’s fantastic being in Cardiff. I loved it from the minute I signed here. It’s a super professionally run organisation with great ownership and great leadership. I’m enjoying every minute of it.”
The Devils retained the vast majority of the team that won the Playoffs last season, more players than any other Elite League side.
“I wanted to get a little bit bigger offensively, and to add a little more speed to the group if I could. We felt we had a really strong defence last year, but by bringing Nick Welsh in, it ticked a lot of boxes for us, power play being one of them where he can really help us,” explained Thompson.
“When you retain 18 players and you win a championship, everyone contributed heavily. There were some tough phone calls to make, but I felt that we needed a tweak in a couple of areas and we’ll see where that gets us.”
Winning the Playoffs was Cardiff’s first Elite League trophy since 2022 and marked silverware in Thompson’s first season back in the league.
“Winning the Playoffs, and I know that in this league the league is the main prize, but winning that last game of the season is the most fun,” added Thompson.
“A lot of the new guys we had last season couldn’t believe the experience of the Finals Weekend, and to celebrate with your fans there and then come home and celebrate again is fantastic!
“This organisation hadn’t won a domestic trophy for a few years, and I think it’s made us all hungry for more. There are a lot of good teams in this league. It’s a tough thing to do, but having that winning feeling in your camp makes everyone want more.”
Cardiff will play seven pre-season games, more than any other Elite League team, beginning with two games against Odense Bulldogs this weekend.
“This pre-season has maybe been a little less intense than last year, because last year I was a new coach and, apart from Brandon Estes, it was pretty much a whole new team to teach a new system and how we do things on and off the ice,” Thompson explained.
“What we’re looking to do this season is take the next step on how we finished. We have seven games, we don’t have to put heavy minutes on players over that time, we can run and play everybody and see where we are.
“We’ve tweaked a few things, like all teams have, but a lot of what we did in the last 20-25% of the season is going the right way. We want to make sure that when we start competitive games, we’re on the front foot.”
Opening pre-season against Odense carries extra significance for Thompson. He spent four years with the Danish club and was joined in his final season, when the team won the Danish title, by current Devils Assistant Coach Nicklas Hovivuori and defenceman Brandon Estes.
“It’s coming towards the end of the first week here and my old team is in town!” added Thompson. “Around 10 or 12 of the Danish players that we won the Championship with are still there, as well as some of the staff, so myself, Estes and Nicklas are excited to see them all and have two competitive games against them.”
Photo: Dave Williams
