The Cardiff Devils are pleased to confirm the re-signing of Josh Batch.
The Cardiff Devils are pleased to confirm the re-signing of Josh Batch.
Batch has played his entire professional career with the Devils, making the 2020-21 season his 10th season with the club.
He played every game for the Devils last season, scoring twice and adding 11 assists in 65 appearances. He was also called up to the GB National Team for the Olympic qualifiers in February after an impressive start to the season. Batch played all three games, whilst Team GB team narrowly missed out on moving onto the next stage of Olympic qualification.
In his 9 seasons with the Devils, he has scored 34 goals and added 89 assists for 123 points in 590 games played. Batch can play either forward or defence, he kills penalties, blocks shots and is one of the toughest players in the league.
He has been a big part of the Devils since the ownership change in 2014, playing a vital role in the last 6 years of on-ice success lifting 2 League titles, 2 Challenge Cups and 2 Playoff Championships along the way.
Managing Director Todd Kelman spoke about the importance of re-signing Batch for the organisation:
“Batchy has proven he can play anywhere and play in big moments of the game; we know what we are going to get from him night in and night out, a no-nonsense style of play which is convertible to either end of the ice.
“Having players like Batch and Evan Mosey that both can swap back and forth between forward and defence is such an advantage when building a team. There are games where Josh bounces back and forth between forward and defence and does it with ease. That is not an easy thing to do, but he is used to it now and does it so well.”
“Off the ice, he is one of the nicest people you will meet. He is so good with the fans, which is why he is so popular and he is a great teammate. Every team needs more guys like Batchy.”
Josh Batch spoke about signing back for his 10th season with the Devils:
“I'm over the moon to be coming back to the Devils for another year, making it my 10th season in red! It was a no brainer to re-sign once the Devils said they were interested, Cardiff has become home for me and Natasha and there is nowhere else I'd rather play.
“The Devils have come a long way from my first season in 2011, and they have really become a first class organisation in that time. We're looked after so well which makes it easy to just focus on hockey and winning games, which is what we all want to do.
“Obviously there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the upcoming season, however when it does start I think everyone will be keen to repeat the success we had in the season just gone. I believe we were on the cusp of regaining the league title, so I hope we can put ourselves in that position again.
“A new coach will be taking the reigns as well so I'm excited to see who that is, and what they bring to the table. Having played for Lordo for so many years it's made things fairly simple each year as the foundation of how we play has remained the same, so I'm looking forward to the challenge of adapting to a new system and new style of play.”