Cardiff Devils: Successful GB coach Pete Russell takes charge at Elite League club
- Published
Pete Russell coached Great Britain in the World Championship top flight in 2019 and guided them to top spot in Division I Group A in 2023 with an unbeaten campaign in Nottingham
Great Britain coach Pete Russell is the new head coach of Cardiff Devils, signing a two-year contract with the Elite League (EIHL) club.
Scotsman Russell, 48, guided GB to gold at the 2023 World Championships earlier this month, securing promotion back to the top division.
He was previously Devils director of player development in the mid-2000s.
"If I was coming back to coach in the EIHL it had to be Cardiff, it couldn't be anywhere else," said Russell.
The former goaltender, who will also continue his national duties, succeeds Brodie Dupont who left the club after April's play-off final defeat to Belfast Giants.
Over the last couple of seasons Russell and Devil's managing director Todd Kelman have been having intermittent conversations about the possibility of Great Britain's most successful coach returning to Cardiff but circumstances and timing had made it impossible.
However, that all changed when Kelman made another call a few months ago.
"Todd asked me 'Are you ready to come home?'," said Russell.
"I said, 'Funnily enough, I think I could be'.
"He said, 'Really? Because I think there could be a change here and I want you to come'.
"I just said, 'Fine. When you know, let me know.'
"Doing the deal was quick, it wasn't hard to do."
Russell's previous stint at the Devils is one that he now views as crucial to his development, though not in a way people might expect.
GB 'grew into the tournament' - Russell
"I'd done a lot of good things there because the club really improved but I also made mistakes there that I look back on that have helped me," reflected Russell.
"The best thing to happen to me there was the owner Bob Phillips firing me one day because that made me go and become a coach of a pro hockey team.
"I'd had other offers when I was at the Devils but stayed, so when Phillips fired me I had to do something.
"When I got released that made me take one of those jobs."
'I've just always had a thing about coming back'
He began with Swindon Wildcats in the English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL) followed by spells at Bracknell Bees and Slough Jets.
He then moved up a level with Milton Keynes Lightning into the EIHL and later went to Glasgow Clan.
The success of the GB team at the 2019 World Championships in Slovakia put Russell firmly in the European shop window, leading to a job with Freiburg in Germany.
Russell was on a contract with German side Ravensburg Towerstars - where he won the 2023 DEL2 (Deutschen Eishockey Liga) championship - when he received the latest offer from the Devils and this time the call proved impossible to resist.
Pete Russell led Ravensburg Towerstars to the DEL2 Championship in April, winning the best of seven series against EC Bad Nauheim 4-1
In fact, returning to the Welsh club had been on Russell's mind over the last 17 years.
"I've just always had a thing about coming back here," he said.
"I think when you've been somewhere and they've not seen the best of you, I want to show I'm not 28 anymore, I'm 48.
"I'm older and more experienced and I think I'm a really good age.
"I'm ready to come here and maybe try and build a home."
The first building work Russell will have at Cardiff is putting together a squad for the new season, which may see quite a few changes to their roster.
"We wouldn't want to retain everybody, I'm not gonna lie to the fans," he said.
"The bottom line is we know what we need and we've already signed two or three new players and there'll be more."
Whoever Russell recruits they will be in no doubt about what is expected of them.
"You've got to come and be ready to play, you've got to come and play an honest game and work for yourself and for the team," he added.
"It's going to be demanding on them for sure, but I think they'll like it in the end."
Russell in turn is also perfectly well aware of what is expected of him.
"The people in Wales are unbelievable, there's a lot of passion here.
"For me it's a perfect match because they will want to see the hockey I want to play.
"The fans in Wales want to see a team battling and playing fast and attacking as a five, defending as a five.
"They want to see excitement and they're going to get that."