Cardiff Devils Make Their Mark With Return Of Defenceman

Another player from the Elite League Championship winning Devils will be back to defend the title in 2017-18.

Defenceman Mark Louis returns for his second season as a Devil after an impressive first season in Cardiff.  Last year he scored five goals and added 12 assists for 17 points in 63 games for the Devils.

Two of his five goals came in the semi-final second leg of the Challenge Cup when he took over the game and led the Devils to the 5-1 win over Belfast after trailing in the first leg of the series.

He scored again in the Challenge Cup final, tying the game against Sheffield with the Devils eventually claiming the victory and their first title of three last season.

Louis has an impressive skillset for such a big player.

He stands 6ft 4ins tall and weighs in at 225lbs and uses his size and strength well in the defensive zone.  But his skating ability is what makes opposing teams take notice.

“When a guy is that big and skates that well, he is tough to slow down,” said Devils coach Andrew Lord.

“Louis controls the puck so well and obviously his size makes him tough to get by in the defensive zone, but his skating ability is what impressed me so much last season.”

Before coming to Cardiff, Louis spent 4 years with the Portland Pirates in the American Hockey League and 1 year in the East Coast Hockey League with the Orlando Solar Bears.

His season in Cardiff was his first stint in Europe, but after the season he had and the success of the Devils last year, he was hungry for more.

“Last season was my most memorable of pro hockey,” said Louis, “We play to win championships and we all got a taste for winning last season.”

“I’m back in Cardiff because I love the city and the fans and I love being a Devil, but most of all, I want to win more and this is the best place to do that.”

Devils early fixtures:

August

Saturday 12 Aladdin Cup v Nottingham Panthers (away, 7pm)

Sunday 13 Exhibition match v Nottingham Panthers (home, 6pm)

Saturday 19 Aladdin Cup v Braehead Clan (home, 7pm)

Sunday 20 Exhibition match v Krefeld Penguins (home, 6pm)

Sunday 20 Aladdin Cup, Nottingham Panthers v Braehead Clan (Nottingham, 4pm)

Cardiff Devils will travel to Switzerland and the Czech Republic for their first two Champions Hockey League matches.

They take on HC Davos away on Thursday, August 24 and then travel to take on Czech team Bili Tygri Liberec two days later.

The first home match for Devils in CHL Group E is against Liberec on Thursday, August 31.

Davos travel to South Wales on Sunday, September 3, while Swedish team Vaxjo Lakers are at Ice Arena Wales on Tuesday, October 3.

Devils complete their group matches when they travel for the return in Sweden eight days later.

The top two teams in the group progress to the next round of the CHL.

Cardiff Devils Champions Hockey League group fixtures

August

Thursday 24: HC Davos v Cardiff Devils (7.45pm CEST)

Saturday 26: Bili Tygri Liberec v Cardiff Devils (3.30pm CEST)

Thursday 31: Cardiff Devils – Bili Tygri Liberec (7pm UK time, 8pm CEST)

September

Sunday 3: Cardiff Devils – HC Davos (6pm UK time, 7pm CEST)

October

Tuesday 3: Cardiff Devils – Vaxjo Lakers (7pm UK time, 8pm CEST)

Wednesday 11: Vaxjo Lakers – Cardiff Devils (7pm CEST)

Ticket information is available on the club’s official website at cardiffdevils.com