Devils add Storm defenceman Welsh to 2026-27 squad
Nick Welsh played for junior clubs Moncton Wildcats and Shawinigan Cataractes in his native Canada
- Published
Cardiff Devils have signed defenceman Nick Welsh from Manchester Storm.
Welsh is the second player confirmed for the Devils' 2026-27 roster, after fellow Canadian blueliner Jimmy Oligny became the first of last season's squad to extend his spell at Vindico Arena.
Oligny and Welsh were both selected to the 2025-26 Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) 2nd All-Star Team voted by coaches and general managers.
Halifax, Novia Scotia-born Welsh scored 12 points and provided 28 assists for Storm in 54 games last season.
The 29-year-old previously played for Nurnberg and Augsburger in Germany's top-flight DEL, as well as HC Innsbruck in Austria and Finland's KooKoo.
Oligny, 33, has agreed a new two-year deal with Cardiff, having scored seven goals and 25 assists as Devils won the Play-Offs trophy in his debut season.
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Many EIHL players sign single season contracts - but the majority of Cardiff Devils play-off winning squad will be expected to return for the coming season starting in September.
However, after a partially successful first season as head coach, there will be great interest in the changes Paul Thompson makes to his squad with the aim of winning a first regular season league title since 2018.
Cardiff Devils 2026-27 - confirmed so far
Defencemen
Jimmy Oligny (Canada)
Nick Welsh (Canada)
Cardiff Devils' Play-Offs triumph saw Paul Thompson become the first coach to win Elite League trophies with three different clubs
How many players are there on an EIHL roster?
The overall number of players a team can use in one season is 25 players - excluding injured reserve replacements and 'two-way players'.
Clubs can register as many 'two-way players' as they wish but they must be homegrown, under the age of 25 and contracted primarily to an EIH (English Ice Hockey) or SIH (Scottish Ice Hockey) based team competing in a league lower than the EIHL.
A gameday roster can have a maximum of 20 players - 18 skaters and 2 goalies - with no more than 15 non-homegrown players.
All teams must have at least one British goaltender registered to their overall roster.
Cardiff Devils 2025-26 roster
Netminders
Ben Bowns (Great Britain)
Christian Stoever (USA)
Defencemen
Brandon Estes (USA)
Gleason Fournier (Canada)
Tyson Helgesen (Canada)
Steven MacLean (Canada)
Evan Mosey (USA)
Jimmy Oligny (Canada)
Mark Richardson (Great Britain)
Forwards
Ryan Barrow (Canada)
Riley Brandt (Canada)
Connor Caponi (USA)
Ben Davies (Great Britain)
Sam Duggan (Great Britain)
Brett Ferguson (Canada)
Bayley Harewood (Great Britain)
Kristoff Kontos (Canada)
Cedric Lacroix (Canada)
Josh MacDonald (Canada)
Joey Martin (Canada)
Kohen Olischefski (Canada)
Brett Perlini (Great Britain)
Cole Sanford (Canada)
Nolan Yaremko (Canada)
