Delight for Devils as Louis returns
THE Cardiff Devils have announced that Mark Louis has re-signed for the club and will be back in red for the 2019-20 season, his fourth season with the club.
The 32-year-old Canadian from Ponoka, Alberta spent four years with the Portland Pirates in the AHL and one year in the ECHL with the Orlando Solar Bears before joining the Devils in 2016.
He played 174 AHL games for the Pirates, who are the top affiliate of the Arizona Coyotes of the NHL. Before turning professional, Louis played four years at St Francis Xavier University.
At 6ft 4ins and 225lbs, Louis is an imposing figure on the blue-line and a fans favourite amongst the Devils faithful.
Louis has played 189 games for the Devils and has 36 points to his name (8+28). He scored three goals and added 12 assists for 15 points in 78 games for the Devils in 2018-19.
Louis has won seven trophies so far in his time with the club.
He was part of the league, Challenge Cup and Conference winning team in 2016-17 and then the league and play-off winning team in 2017-18 and, in April, he lifted the play-offs title for the second year in a row.
At the Devils’ Awards Night, Louis picked up the Coach’s Player of the Year Award and head coach Andrew Lord is delighted to have the big defenceman back for the upcoming season.
“I think Mark is a heart-and-soul kind of player who plays with real character and gives it his all every time he steps onto the ice,” said Lord.
“He is a big body out there, but he skates so well. That is what attracted us to him in the first place.
“When a guy is that big but skates that well, he is tough to slow down. He can break the play out and knows when he can join the rush but has the speed to get back into position.”
“He is a total workhorse and a fantastic teammate.
“It’s so important to have a guy like Lou in our line-up, because we know that he will stand up for his teammates and drop the gloves if he needs to.”
Speaking about his decision to re-sign with the Devils, Louis said: “I’m delighted to be back with the Devils for the upcoming season. After my difficult year with injury in 2017/18, I had a fun year on the ice and played in every game. I love Cardiff and I feel at home here – I love the fans and I love this club.
“It’s a great organisation to be a part of and we’ve been fortunate to win a lot in my time here and I’m a competitive guy, so I’d like to keep winning and this is the best place to do that.”