Cardiff Devils Confirmed Signings & Departures 2023/24

[Have Hope#35]

I was a fan of Batch for years but I feel the last 2 seasons his awareness and effort hit a rock bottom with last season being the absolute rock bottom, now it could be a few things that caused this, coaching not really up to par with what he was use to, lack of adapting to a new coaching style, off ice issues knocking his confidence or something else.

Nothing would make me happier to eat crow if batch is signed and goes on to have an absolute beast of a season and goes back to his old ways of playing tough and getting stuck in when needed.

But I do feel he won't be top of Pete Russells list of ones he wants back and I wouldn't blame him for dropping batch if he saw how it was last season.

Last 2 seasons??? It was only the season before last (21/22) that he was voted Defenceman of the Year and had his breakout season.
"After a decade with the Cardiff Devils, it comes as no surprise that defenceman Josh Batch is back for an 11th season. The 6'4 left shot defender was selected as Defenceman of the Year in 2021-22 after what was his best season personally since joining the Devils ahead of the 2011-12 season."

 

[august04 2.0]

Last 2 seasons??? It was only the season before last (21/22) that he was voted Defenceman of the Year and had his breakout season.
"After a decade with the Cardiff Devils, it comes as no surprise that defenceman Josh Batch is back for an 11th season. The 6'4 left shot defender was selected as Defenceman of the Year in 2021-22 after what was his best season personally since joining the Devils ahead of the 2011-12 season."

With a new coach at the helm who has a history of not picking him for GB by and large, his form in 21/22 is totally irrelevant now. Last year he was poor. Another repeat of that and his future might not be with us.

 

[katie.sinclair1]

I recognise that you can have imports that don't deliver on expectations every bit as much as Brits. So when I said earlier that I hoped we went with the extra import, I wasn't generalising but being specific to our team this upcoming season. If as been alluded, Ben Davies is back and Bowns on a multi year deal, then that leaves Josh Batch. While he has done a sterling job for us over the years and fully deserved the plaudits of his testimonial , now might be the time for a change. This based on my observations of last season. I might add I was a big Crandell fan in his first year, but not in his second and wouldn't consider he warranted a return, again based on my observations. If Batch does return, he has to find his form and appetite from a few years ago. A good summer of discussion for us all.

 

[The_Crimson_Pirate]

The other thing to consider is it’s not just about the body count, there’s the “fantasy hockey” salary cap to consider, so as much as it might seem to be having a 15th import is the way to go, it doesn’t mean getting another $20m player. You can’t automatically assume you can have Nick Lidstrom just because you don‘t have to take a Brit.

 

[E.D.S.]

Batch has so much to improve on. Just his disposition alone and body language. Looked uninterested for most parts of the season. Even when Ferguson, did arguably the hit of the season on him, smashing him into the boards, absolutely nothing happened. No reaction. Just void of any expression. It was a crunching hit. Even if for some reason there was a no fight rule instilled on the players (totally made that up) it certainly warranted a word or a fired up Batch on his next shift but we got nothing. There just didn’t seem to be any fire in him last year.

 

[Swarley]

Last 2 seasons??? It was only the season before last (21/22) that he was voted Defenceman of the Year and had his breakout season.

Its my opinion lol, I didn't think his 21/22 season was that special, if anything it looked like the start of his decline from where I stood watching him.

 

[Mooney#16]

Got to be honest for all the rhetoric and vitriol not one casual fan has actually offered anything more constructive than Batch was rubbish last year. Get rid.

I’ll take the bait and fly in the face of the majority. Again the issues for the Devils last year were predominantly in the forwards and they completely screwed the D men over. It’s not a mystery to me most seem to think the D were so bad but it’s a false diagnosis. The second and third line were utter pish defensively and left their D pairings hung out. They kept busting the zone too early on the rush. Not winning board battles. Not controlling shooting lanes, turnovers in neutral zone. Awful. To play D behind them would have been a car crash and the D often got drawn to areas they shouldn’t go to cover a forwards missed assignments and got odd manned low in the zone. I can’t stress the point enough how bad those forwards were.

Now Batchy I don’t think is not fussed in fact I think it’s the other way around. To make good plays on D and not get rushed you sometimes have to really chance it and play very relaxed so you can see the ice better. I fully understand it looks languid but it’s trying to stay mentally agile and react better to the picture in front of you. When it doesn’t work however it goes very wrong very quick so it’s a 50/50 style. As for getting crunched and not reacting then being honest that’s Batchy’s prerogative. Guaranteed Batchy is the type of guy who will fight for his team mates over taking a hit himself. At the end of the play off semi he wasn’t shy about getting involved when Ferguson played the fool at the buzzer. Again he’s that guy who plays to the code.

Granted he didn’t have the best of seasons but the turn in attitude towards a player who still brings a lot to the table is a little unfair I think when considered on the big picture. There aren’t many Brit players I’d take ahead of him in reality with all the NIHL drop downs and retirements Batchy is probably an even more valuable commodity to stay if only to not gift him to an opposition team.

 

[kettdevil1]

Got to be honest for all the rhetoric and vitriol not one casual fan has actually offered anything more constructive than Batch was rubbish last year. Get rid.

I’ll take the bait and fly in the face of the majority. Again the issues for the Devils last year were predominantly in the forwards and they completely screwed the D men over. It’s not a mystery to me most seem to think the D were so bad but it’s a false diagnosis. The second and third line were utter pish defensively and left their D pairings hung out. They kept busting the zone too early on the rush. Not winning board battles. Not controlling shooting lanes, turnovers in neutral zone. Awful. To play D behind them would have been a car crash and the D often got drawn to areas they shouldn’t go to cover a forwards missed assignments and got odd manned low in the zone. I can’t stress the point enough how bad those forwards were.

Now Batchy I don’t think is not fussed in fact I think it’s the other way around. To make good plays on D and not get rushed you sometimes have to really chance it and play very relaxed so you can see the ice better. I fully understand it looks languid but it’s trying to stay mentally agile and react better to the picture in front of you. When it doesn’t work however it goes very wrong very quick so it’s a 50/50 style. As for getting crunched and not reacting then being honest that’s Batchy’s prerogative. Guaranteed Batchy is the type of guy who will fight for his team mates over taking a hit himself. At the end of the play off semi he wasn’t shy about getting involved when Ferguson played the fool at the buzzer. Again he’s that guy who plays to the code.

Granted he didn’t have the best of seasons but the turn in attitude towards a player who still brings a lot to the table is a little unfair I think when considered on the big picture. There aren’t many Brit players I’d take ahead of him in reality with all the NIHL drop downs and retirements Batchy is probably an even more valuable commodity to stay if only to not gift him to an opposition team.

That's a good summary for me. It was clear from early in the season that when the going got tough, it was Batch/Louis who were sat down on the bench and that seemed harsh to me as it was rarely that combo that caused the initial defensive lapse. I do wonder how much the fact that the coach didn't seem to trust you would play on a players mind. The contrast with Skalde, who clearly liked what he saw in Batch, was clear and I don't think it was a coincidence that he had his best season as a Devil last year with a coach that believed in him.

Much has been made of the fact that PR did not pick him for GB but I am not convinced that's a big issue. PR (certainly at international level) appears to be very much a 'role' coach and my reading was that Batch did not fit the roles he had in his head.

If he is back then 23/24 is going to be a big year for him. I do think he still has a lot to offer but he will have to adapt to a new D partner and he will also need to get back to 21/22 levels.

 

[lloyd_jeff]

Batch was the window into the changing room, he hasn’t declined because he’s aged & aching body can no longer sustain the same level. No Batch was fed up, it’s that simple…..

 

[Kevlar68]

Is it just me or have our signing announcements been really slow coming this season?

 

[Swarley]

Is it just me or have our signing announcements been really slow coming this season?

Probably saving a mass signing for the summit

 

[terry hunt]

Do my eyes deceive me but is that Mr Cox in the Blues photo

 

[moggy#9]

Do my eyes deceive me but is that Mr Cox in the Blues photo

Is that a new photo, or have they recycled one?

 

[Finny]

Is it just me or have our signing announcements been really slow coming this season?

Depending n how you measure it, we’re either on par with previous seasons or arguably ahead.
If you base it purely on the calendar of 16th June:

2023: Coach + 6
2022: Coach + 7
2021: 3
2020: Coach
2019: 7
2018: 8
2017: 7
2016: 12
2015: 12
2014: None

so other than 2015 and 2016 we‘re pretty similar.

But it should also be pointed out that for most of those seasons the previous season ended early April and our first pre-season fixture was around 11th Aug. This summer started a week later and our first pre-season fixture is not until 26th Aug. Assuming the team come in a week before the first fixture that means we have 9 weeks left. So doing it based on that:

2023: Coach + 6
2022: coach + 6
2021: 3
2020: NA
2019: 5
2018: 5
2017: 5
2016: 7
2015: 11

 

[Finny]

Do my eyes deceive me but is that Mr Cox in the Blues photo

The article says the photo was taken at the end of last season.

 

[BostonBart22]

Probably saving a mass signing for the summit

Prob be about 4 signings at summit..

 

[Kevlar68]

Stampede is 20 days away. Perhaps it seems slow because of the gap inbetween signings.

 

[The_Stick_]

Devils social media announced last evening that we would be having a signing this week, but did not give any time or day indication. It’s getting very tedious now

 

[jenks33]

They should just announce the signing of Mosey tonight. I’m not sure why they’ve waited so long to announce him as everybody knows he’s signed.

 

[terry hunt]

They have probably got a video of the Duggan/Mosey double act for Pride Weekend.

With a new coach at the helm who has a history of not picking him for GB by and large, his form in 21/22 is totally irrelevant now. Last year he was poor. Another repeat of that and his future might not be with us.

Strange though that this coach chose Ben O'Connor when a large number on here despised him and did not rate him.