The Cardiff Devils are somewhat in the midst of a rebuilt.

They have a new coach who is yet to take the reigns of the team due to COVID and many players are choosing to head elsewhere. That includes Devils legend Joey Martin, who very recently opted to sign with Graz 99ers for 2021-22.

Better news for Cardiff fans is that the Welsh club has penned Canadian defenseman Brendan Mikkelson for the upcoming season.

The Saskatoon native was drafted 31st overall by Anaheim Ducks in 2005 and made his NHL debut three years later.

The 33-year-old went on to play 131 games in the NHL, though was never really able to nail down a home in the league as he moved onto both Calgary and Tampa.

Mikkelson found his niche in the AHL, playing the best part of 400 career games in the league including playoffs.

After spending the 2013-14 and 2014-15 exclusively in the AHL for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Toronto Marlies respectively, the Saskatoon native opted for an overseas adventure.

Three years in the SHL with Luleå HF were followed by single season stays in Germany (Adler Mannheim), Austria (EC Salzburg) and back to Sweden with HockeyAllsvenskan club Modo.

In five of the last eight seasons, the experienced blueliner has worn an ‘A’ and he’ll bring the type of leadership to Cardiff that new Head Coach Jarrod Skalde will require in his new-look squad.

As well as leading teams in both North America and Europe, the Canadian also has CHL and Spengler Cup experience amongst his lengthy resume.

Mikkelson is a two-way defenseman who is more than happy to lead breakout plays.

His strengths primarily lay in his skating ability, vision and positioning.

Capable of putting up some fairly decent offensive numbers, he’s more of a playmaker than goal scorer but is capable of hitting the twine given the opportunity.

He would likely be effective in quarter-backing a PP1 or PP2 unit.

Despite his healthy frame listed at 6’3″ and 209 lbs, don’t expect the left-handed shot to play an overly physical game as it isn’t his brand.

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