Cardiff Devils Pursue European Title in Third Continental Cup Appearance

The Cardiff Devils, who hosted the Continental Cup final group at their Vindico arena in January 2024, feature forward Joey Martin, a player who has secured six domestic trophies in five seasons with the club and is now keenly focused on achieving European success. This weekend, Cardiff is set to participate in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Continental Cup for the third year in a row, with Martin expressing a strong desire to claim the elusive European title. Having placed third in both the 2023 and 2024 finals, the Canadian forward perceives the previous season as a squandered chance for the Devils. Martin stated, “For sure, I think it feels like unfinished business, I think we had a really good chance last year. It felt like it was in our hands, and we let it slip away; hopefully we have learned from our mistakes last year.” The 2024-25 campaign for Cardiff will commence in Slovakia, where they will face hosts Vici Zilina, Italy’s Rittner Buam, and the Kazakh team Arlan Kokshetau in Group E of round three. All teams in the group will compete against each other in a round-robin format from November 15-17. The Continental Cup serves as Europe’s second-tier club ice hockey tournament, ranking beneath the Champions Hockey League (CHL), and features teams from 20 nations this season. Cardiff’s entry into the tournament at the third round this weekend is due to Britain’s Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) holding a higher ranking than the leagues that participated in the initial two rounds. Although Zilina is hosting the Group E matches, additional third-round games for Group F are simultaneously taking place in Aalborg, Denmark. The two leading teams from each third-round group will advance to the final round, scheduled for January 16-19, 2025. The Devils will commence their campaign on Friday by competing against Rittner Buam, the current champions of both the Alps Hockey League and Italy. On Saturday, their opponent will be Vici Zilina, the group hosts and three-time victors of the Slovak Hockey League. Cardiff will conclude their group stage matches on Sunday facing Arlan Kokshetau from Kazakhstan, a team that previously won the Continental Cup in 2019. In October, Joey Martin achieved the distinction of becoming the all-time leading points scorer among import players in the history of the Elite League. Following 20 competitive games this season, the Cardiff Devils express confidence in their position to advance this weekend, aiming to once again reach the final group and contend for the Continental Cup title. The Welsh club currently leads the EIHL standings, holding a record of ten wins and two defeats. In the recently restructured Challenge Cup, Cardiff has demonstrated less consistency, recording four wins and four losses within their group. Nevertheless, as the Devils prepare for their journey to Slovakia, they convey reasonable satisfaction with their performance to date. Martin commented, “Our form in the league has been pretty good, I think we’re pretty happy with that. In the Challenge Cup we still have some work to do, but I think lately we’ve been more consistent so we’re playing with some confidence right now.” The 36-year-old player expressed contentment with temporarily setting aside domestic matters, despite two remaining games in Cardiff’s pursuit of a Challenge Cup semi-final spot. He also acknowledged that the Sheffield Steelers and Belfast Giants have the potential to narrow the Devils’ Elite League lead, as both teams have games in hand this weekend. Martin further stated, “We’ve played a few more games than those teams but it’s nice to put them in a position where they must win those games in hand. It’s nice to go away for the Continental Cup, it’s a change of pace, a bit of travel, good for team chemistry and bonding. It’ll be a great challenge – three games against three great teams, good skating teams, maybe a little less physical than in our league, but teams with a lot of skill and speed.” An additional motivation for the Devils to perform well on the European stage is the recent achievement of Sheffield, which surprised European hockey by advancing to the last 16 of the CHL. On Wednesday, the Steelers played to a 3-3 draw in their first leg against Eisbaren Berlin, Germany’s most decorated hockey team, ultimately losing the tie 5-3. Martin remarked, “When you see what Sheffield are doing in the Champions League, it’s impressive. It’s good that they’re representing our league and they’re doing a great job.” The Ontario native, who has played for the Austrian team Graz 99ers and Norway’s Stavanger Oilers, in addition to several clubs in North America, expressed hope that Sheffield’s achievements could enhance the reputation of the EIHL. He commented, “I’ve been saying it for years, I think a lot of people don’t give it the respect it deserves, especially in Europe. So, one way to do that is to be successful in Europe, like they’ve been doing.” While Cardiff has the opportunity to further elevate British hockey’s standing by advancing in their European pursuit, the main motivation remains personal. Martin concluded, “We’re highly motivated to win the Continental Cup because this club has never done it, so to have an opportunity where you can win something for the first time in an organisation is special. This is a cup that we want to win, and we are determined to.” All matches will take place at Zimny Stadion, Zilina, Slovakia, according to the following schedule: Friday 15 November Cardiff Devils v Rittner Buam (13:00 GMT) HC Arlan v Vici Zilina (17:00 GMT) Saturday 16 November Rittner Buam v HC Arlan (12:00 GMT) Cardiff Devils v Vici Zilina (16:00 GMT) Sunday 17 November HC Arlan v Cardiff Devils (13:00 GMT) Vici Zilina v Rittner Buam (17:00 GMT)