The 2025 IIHF Continental Cup enters its final stage, and a trio of finalists are eager to capture the much-coveted Continental Cup winners’ plate for the first time.
Hosts Cardiff Devils (GBR), GKS Katowice (POL), and Bruleurs de Loups (FRA) are all set to battle it out in the Welsh capital of Cardiff in a single round-robin series contested between 16 to 19 January 2025.
Prior to what promises to be an evenly matched conclusion to the 27th edition of the competition, let’s take a closer look at the three finalists.
Following two consecutive third-place finishes, can 2025 be the year of the Devil in the Continental Cup? After topping the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), the Cardiff Devils won three on the bounce in league play and will now be aiming for “third time lucky” in European competition.
“I think we are a very balanced team, but our biggest issue this season has been the number of injuries we have had,” said Todd Kelman, Cardiff’s managing director. “Starting from the back, I would say we’ve had the best goaltending in our league. Our defence are a lot better as a group than they were a year ago and our forwards are fast. We play with speed, and that, I think, is our key to success.”
An injury-ravaged Devils squad booked their place in the final round courtesy of two convincing performances during Round 3, Group E three months ago in Zilina, Slovakia. Fan-favourite Joey Martin led the team in scoring and Josh MacDonald tallied in all three games.
A vital cog back in action is netminder Mac Carruth. Back with the Devils for a second stint, the 32-year-old American experienced the special Continental Cup Final atmosphere in Cardiff last year in the colours of Denmark´s Herning Blue Fox.
Having recently become a go-to venue for the Continental Cup, Cardiff hosted the penultimate stage of the competition in 2023, followed by back-to-back finals.
“It`s an honour to host this prestigious event for a second straight year,” said Kelman. “Our fans love this competition and although it´s fun for them to travel to a new place to play in the Continental Cup, that is only accessible for 300-400 of our fans. Hosting allows all our fans an opportunity to see the Continental Cup in person.”
GKS Katowice is shining in the Polish top division and currently sits second in the domestic championship. Coach Jacek Plachta has recently tweaked his roster, but you can expect the trusted top line of national team stalwarts Bartosz Fraszko,…
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