Devils sign new defenceman

The Devils are pleased to announce defenceman Tyson Helgesen as the first new face for the 2025-26 season. 

Helgesen joins the Devils from a season in Hungary with Ferencvarosi TC in the Erste Liga where he scored 3 goals and 6 assists in 39 games. Helgesen stands at 6’3” and weighs 210 lbs (15 stone).  He is a big, tough defender that looks after his own zone first, likes to throw his weight around and is willing to drop the gloves.

Before making the move to Europe, he spent his first two seasons of pro hockey with the Rapid City Rush of the ECHL.  In 2023-24, he scored 5 goals and added 15 assists and 117 penalty minutes in 70 games. Pictured above: Helgesen with Rapid City in the ECHL (photo credit  Rapid City website)

He is a former captain of Mount Royal University in Calgary, Canada where he played for 4 seasons before turning pro.  He also captained his team in the WHL where he played before going to university, spending 4 seasons with the Spokane Chiefs.

CLICK HERE to see Tyson Helgesen's career statsPictured above: Helgesen Captained his university team (photo credit  Mount Royal Cougars)New Head Coach Paul Thompson spoke about the signing:

"I feel we need to add some size and presence to our back end. 

"Tyson plays a hard nosed game and competes at a high level.  The reports we had on Tyson are that he’s a great teammate and leader who always has his teammates' back.

“The Cardiff Devils teams I remember being successful had a specific identity of being tough to play against all over the ice. 

“We want a hard-working team with the skill to back it up. Tyson is going to be a big part of our identity this season.”