Mega Monday truly lived up to the hype as the Devils announced 5 returning players for the 2022-23 season.
Mark Richardson returns to captain the Devils for the 2022-23 season, which will be his 15th year with the club. Last season he scored 5 goals and 22 assists for 27 points in 70 games. He was one of only four Devils to play in every game last season. He also played for Team GB at the World Championships and finished the tournament by earning his 100th cap for the National Team.
Josh Waller returns for his second season as a Devil after having a break-out season in 2021-22. He scored 12 goals and 17 assists in 59 games last year and was selected by the League as the “Young British Player of the Year.” He made his debut with the Senior Men’s Team GB squad and played in his first World Championships this past May.
Sam Duggan is back for his fourth season as a Devil. The 23 year old has already won two Playoff Championships and last season wore an ‘A’ on his jersey as an assistant captain for the team. Last season he finished with 6 goals and 10 assists in all competitions and was selected to Team GB for the World Championships.
Ben Bowns returns in net after spending two seasons in mainland Europe, first with Graz in Austria and then with HK Dukla Trencin in Slovakia. Last year he posted a save rate of 90.8% and a goals against average of 2.68 in the regular season and 93.9% and 1.83 in the playoffs. In his previous six seasons in Cardiff, he backstopped the Devils to 2 Challenge Cups, 2 League Titles and 2 Playoff Championships. Along the way he was named Netminder of the Year 3 times and selected to the EIHL First All-Star Team 3 times. He has also been the starting goalie for Team GB for the past 9 seasons.
The surprise of the night came with a video from Joey Martin announcing his return to the Devils after a two year stint in mainland Europe. He spent 2020-21 with the Stavanger Oilers in Norway and then last season was with Graz 99ers in Austria. Like Bowns, Martin lifted 6 major titles with the Devils in 6 seasons. He also won the league’s Forward of the Year 3 times, Player of the Year twice and was selected to the EIHL First All-Star Team 4 times.
