Cardiff Devils have announced the signing of all-star defenceman Nick Welsh from fellow Elite Ice Hockey League side Manchester Storm.

Welsh joins the Devils after a successful season with the Manchester Storm, where he scored 12 goals and 28 assists for 40 points in 54 league games. He also added 2 goals and 7 assists in 10 Challenge Cup games.

Welsh led the Storm in minutes played, averaging 25:14 while playing all 54 league games.  His ice time increased in the playoffs, where he averaged 26:50 and helped lead his team to the Final Four weekend in Nottingham.

He quarterbacked the Storm powerplay all season, scoring 4 times with the man advantage.

Welsh was selected to the EIHL 2^nd All-Star Team voted on by coaches and GMs throughout the Elite League alongside Jimmy Oligny.

Before his year in Manchester, Welsh split the 2024-25 season between Austrian side HC Innsbruck in the IceHL and KooKoo in Liiga, which is the top league in Finland.

Welsh also had a 3-year stint in the DEL, Germany’s top league playing for Nurnberg and Augsburger.

“I thought Nick was a standout player for the Storm last season,” head coach Paul Thompson said.

“He was pivotal on their powerplay and is a great puck mover who will fit in very well with how we want to play.  He competes hard and is a quality addition to our back end.”

Welsh is the first new player to join the Devils ahead of the 2026-27 season.

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