Cardiff Devils ‘ready to compete’ in Champions Hockey League says head coach Jarrod Skalde

Adler Mannheim, seven-time Deutsche Eishockey Liga champions, have qualified for the CHL on all-but-one occasion, winning their group in three different campaigns.

Their visit to the Viola Arena on Thursday would have posed a difficult challenge for a Devils team with a perfect pre-season.

But Skalde, a former Pittsburgh Penguins development coach, says he is excited by what he sees in the Devils roster.

“The atmosphere and the pace on the ice and the energy levels have been very good, I think that’s a credit to Mark Richardson, Sam Duggan and the guys that were here before,” said Skalde.

“They’ve welcomed in the new guys, and part of our plan was also to bring guys in with leadership qualities and I think that was evident from day one that those guys have taken charge and are very welcoming.

“We’ve got a lot of proud guys in our locker, guys like Brendan Mikkleson who have played at the highest levels of European hockey.

“A lot of our guys are equivalent to some of Mannheim’s players, those teams have depth, but we have such a proud group who want to compete, have played at the highest levels, and I don’t think the intimidation factor will be an issue.”

Former Calgary Flames defenceman Mikkleson has been named Devils assistant captain.

The 34-year-old joined Stephen Dixon and Sam Duggan as the club’s assistant captains, while Mark Richardson was named captain in his 14th season with the Devils.

A little over two years after winning the 2019 Deutsche Eishockey Liga with Mannheim, Mikkleson is now ready to make his Devils debut against his former team.