Rotherham ice star Ben to remain a Devil
ICE hockey star Ben Bowns will return for an 11th season with Cardiff Devils after agreeing a new deal for the 2026-27 campaign.
The Rotherham-born 35-year-old netminder, who was hails from Swinton, remains one of the most decorated British players of his generation and recently brought the curtain down on his international career with Great Britain.
Bowns enjoyed one of the finest seasons of his career in 2025-26, posting a goals-against average of 1.94 and a save percentage of 93.19 from 36 appearances. He also led the Elite Ice Hockey League in shutouts with eight across all competitions.
The former Sheffield junior first joined Cardiff ahead of the 2014-15 season and has become a club legend in South Wales. After spells in Austria and Slovakia during and after the Covid-19 shutdown, he returned to Cardiff in 2022 and has remained a key figure between the pipes.
Bowns, who is being honoured with a testimonial game this weekend in recognition of a decade of service to the Devils, will again share goaltending duties with Christian Stoever.
Devils head coach Paul Thompson said: “Bownsy has done it all in Cardiff and we are lucky to have him returning to our goaltending duo.
“He still has that fight and desire to win every day, and we will need that going forward.
“His experience and qualities make our team better – it’s as simple as that.”