Andrew Lord has finally got his man.
Cardiff Devils head coach has tied to sign Canadian forward Paul Crowder for three years and has succeeded for 2017-18.
“Paul is hungry to make an immediate impact,” says Lord, who played alongside Crowder at Wheeling Nailers.”
The big forward, who can play centre or winger, is a third Devils signing announced today, following Patrick Asselin and Luke Piggott.
Devils now have a roster which is full of quality and deeper than most.
Lord has 15 imports – one more than can play in any one Elite League match – and six British players, again one more than can ice in any one domestic fixture.
That gives Lord options and ensures nobody is guaranteed their place is they allow personal standards to slip.
Crowder’s arrival means Devils have completed their full-time roster, but Lord is still looking for British played aged under-23 who could be signed on two-way contracts.
Craig Moore is their lone under-23 signing so far, but they can have three. A two-way deal is ideal for a young player, who can gain ice time and experience in the second tier and train or play at Elite League level when the time is right.
Crowder’s signing adds genuine quality and extra depth to the Devils team.
He played alongside Lord for Wheeling Nailers in East Coast League hockey during 2010-11 season along with another current Devil, Joey Haddad. In the following season Crowder led his team in scoring, stayed in Wheeling and was joined by current Devil Andrew Hotham.
Crowder did not play last season, which would effectively rule him out in terms of a work permit, but he has a British passport and is able to join the Devils this season. It seems he didn’t enjoy his season off and comes to Cardiff hungry to get back on the ice.
He split the 2015-16 season between Amiens in the top French league and Fort Wayne in the ECHL. In total, he played 53 games that season, scoring 15 goals and adding 39 assists for 54 points.
He spent the majority of his professional career between the East Coast and American League with time in Hartford, Milwaukee and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
During his time in the ECHL he was consistently one of the top scorers on his team and, despite taking a year off last season, Andrew Lord expects Crowder to fit in well with the Devils style of play.
“I know Paul well and I know what type of guy he is, the way he plays and what he brings to a team,” said Lord.
“He has always produced offensively and is another big body up front and a solid two-way centreman.
Lord also addressed the concern over Crowder not playing last season:
“We had a pretty good player last season who had taken a year off (Patrick Asselin) and I am not overly concerned. Paul keeps himself in great shape and is hungry to make an immediate impact on his arrival in Cardiff.”
Devils signings for 2017-18 season:
Netminders 2: Ben Bowns, Thomas Murdy.
Defence 6: Andrew Hotham (import), Bryce Reddick (import), Mark Richardson, Gleason Fournier (import), Drew Paris (import), Mark Louis (import).
Forwards 14: Paul Crowder (import), Josh Batch, Patrick Asselin (import), Matt Pope (import), Jake Morissette (import), Layne Ulmer (import), Andrew Lord (import), Joey Martin (import), Joey Haddad (import), Sean Bentivoglio (import), Matthew Myers, Craig Moore (British u-23), Justin Faryna (import), Luke Piggott.
Ticket information is available via 0800 0842 666 or on the club’s official website at cardiffdevils.com