Cardiff Devils stars and ex-players to feature in ice hockey's 2021 Elite Series

Ben Bowns was the first player picked in the draft, by Nottingham Panthers

Four Cardiff Devils players plus four former players will feature in ice hockey's 2021 Elite Series.

Devils quartet Matthew Myers, Josh Batch, Sam Duggan and Toms Rutkis were all selected in the Elite Series player draft.

Ex-Devils Jonathan Phillips, Ben Bowns, Ben Davies and Owen Griffiths were also picked up.

The Elite Series will feature Coventry Blaze, Manchester Storm, Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers.

The league starts in April and will involve a five-week mini-season culminating in a best-of-three play-off final series, with all matches being played at Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena and streamed online.

Before the draft, the four competing clubs were each allowed to select a group of five protected players who had played for the team during the truncated 2019-20 season or had been lined up for the cancelled 2020-21 season or signed for the 2021-22 season.

Cardiff-born Sheffield Steelers and Team GB captain Phillips, who had been playing in Germany's third tier for Passau Black Hawks, was listed by the Steelers as one of their protected players.

Each team was then required to sign at least seven players from a list of 81 who had registered their interest to be selected for the draft. The teams made 40 picks combined.

GB number one netminder and former Devils favourite Bowns joined Austrian team Graz99ers last summer, but suffered a long-term injury early in his season there so made himself available for the Elite Series to try to make up for his recent lack of ice time.

He was the first player picked in the draft as he was signed up by Nottingham Panthers.

Ben Davies (left) celebrates during the 2019 World Championship

Pick number four was Cardiff Devils and GB forward Myers, who has been playing for Swindon Wildcats in the National Ice Hockey League, who was signed by Sheffield Steelers.

GB defender Batch was the seventh pick, made by Manchester Storm.

They also signed Guildford Flames forward Davies, who scored the overtime winner for Great Britain in their famous victory over France at the World Championship in 2019.

Duggan, who had been playing for Segeltorps in the HockeyEttan, the third tier of ice hockey in Sweden, was picked up by Coventry Blaze.

Nottingham Panthers made the 16th draft pick, selecting Cardiff-born Griffiths, who in recent seasons has played in the Elite League for Milton Keynes Lightning and Guildford Flames.

Latvian forward Rutkis, who was on a joint contract with Cardiff Devils and Swindon Wildcats, was picked up by Coventry Blaze.

The creation of the Elite Series has been particularly timely for the coaching team of the Great Britain squad.

In May, Great Britain will compete in the World Championships in Latvia, opening their campaign against Russia and later facing Sweden, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Slovakia and Bulgaria.

Some of the Great Britain players have not played since the sport was suspended in the United Kingdom in March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.