It is with a heavy heart that the Cardiff Devils announce the departure of Captain Joey Martin to Norwegian side Stavanger Oilers for the 2020/21 season.
It is with a heavy heart that the Cardiff Devils announce the departure of Captain Joey Martin to Norwegian side Stavanger Oilers for the 2020/21 season.
Martin was given permission to explore options in other leagues for the upcoming season and quickly found a position with Stavanger. The decision to allow Martin and all Devils players to explore options outside of the Elite League was taken by the Devils ownership and management last week.
“I actually wrote to all our guys just over a week ago. Not just the guys we have already signed but the guys we were intending to bring back if the 2020/21 season was starting on time,” explained Managing Director Todd Kelman.
“I explained that the Elite League board are working very hard to try and start in December but we are at the mercy of government regulations relating to indoor events with crowds.
“I told all of them that if they want to look around for jobs in other leagues that have confirmed they are going ahead before our league, then we would support them in their decision and would help them with references or finding agents.”
Joey Martin has been the Devils best player over the past 6 years and one of the top players in the EIHL during that time. He has been named to the Elite League First All-Star Team five out his six years, he's won the EIHL Forward of the Year three times and the League’s Most Valuable Player Award twice. Alongside all the personal awards, he has won 2 League Titles, 2 Challenge Cups and 2 Playoff Championships since joining the Devils 6 seasons ago.
“Joey Martin deserves more than a simple press release but we are not treating this as a departure from the club and neither is he. This is a year out due to this pandemic. Joey is on a 2 year deal and he intends to be back with us for the 2021-22 season.”
Joey Martin spoke about this decision to take a year out from the Devils:
“Everyone knows I love this team and this city. It has become home for me and I intended to be back for 2020-21 but I need to play and I had to weigh up moving to a league that is set to start in October or waiting it out with the hope of the EIHL starting in December.
“I want the fans to know how well all of us have been treated throughout this process by the owners, by Todd and by Lordo. I don’t think we would have considered looking around without them giving us the heads up to do so. I really respect the fact that in these crazy times they still put the players first."
On signing with Stavanger, Martin said:
“The opportunity to play for a great club like Stavanger for a season really excites me. They are in the Champions League this season, which is going to be a fantastic experience. They are known to treat their players very well and run a first-class organisation, which sounds similar to what I have had in Cardiff.
“I am looking forward to getting over there and back on the ice in the next couple of weeks.
“To the Devils fans, I know this will seem like I have given up on being a Devil, but it is not the case. I love Cardiff and I will be back next season. I love you guys, you are a huge reason why I have been a Devil for 6 years and why I want to be back in 2021-22.”
Kelman spoke about the outlook for the 2020-21 Elite League season:
“I want our fans and the fans around the league to know that the Elite League teams are doing everything we possibly can behind the scenes to get the season started in December.
“We are speaking to the right people in government, we have a return to play plan but no matter what, we are at the mercy of government decisions on indoor events. We all want to play starting in December but our deadline to proceed is creeping up on us.
“I am pretty certain every team have had similar conversations with their players, whether they have announced guys or they have just signed guys but not made it official. Nobody wants to see guys out of work and if that means we lose some players now before we know the fate of our own league, well, we still feel that morally it is the right thing to do.
"There are teams in this league, including us, that are exploring options if we have to start later than December whether that means starting in January or February and playing into May or June, we will pursue every opportunity to have hockey in Cardiff at some point over the next few months."
The Devils want to thank the Stavanger Oilers for their professionalism throughout this process.
Stavanger General Manager Pal Higson spoke about the signing of Joey Martin:
“We understand how tough this will be for the Devils and their fan base and we thank the Devils management for allowing Joey to sign with our team. We are excited to have him in Stavanger and I am sure he will have a great season with us.”
