As the Cardiff Devils geared up for the 2019/20 EIHL season, they continued their trend of re-signing a core group of players and only bringing a small number of new faces into the lineup.

The first new face to join was a forward coming from the Aalborg Pirates, a centre by the name of Mike McNamee was announced in late June, the first of eventually six new faces on the roster.

McNamee enjoyed a good junior career in the QMJHL, before starring for Carleton University for four seasons, finishing either first or second in team scoring in each of his seasons there.

After that, it was straight to Europe, where he joined EC Bad Nauheim of the DEL2, playing alongside former Devil and 2019/20 Fife Flyers Captain James Livingstone, enjoying a great first year in Europe as he finished third on the roster in points with 20 goals and 29 assists in 44 games.

After a year in Denmark for Aalborg, McNamee joined the Devils with solid expectations, but what he managed during his season surpassed that, proving to be an effective and reliable centre with a fantastic skill set and a keen eye for getting on the scoresheet.

Our new #️⃣8️⃣9️⃣ Mike McNamee 😈 pic.twitter.com/O6CFjj9SP8 — Cardiff Devils (@cardiffdevils) August 7, 2019

“I had a few people I used to play with say great things about Cardiff and the organization and I had someone get in touch with them and it snowballed from there.” McNamee said of joining the Devils for the season.

“I didn’t know a whole lot about it (the EIHL) to be honest.

“Once in a while you’d hear some stories about how tough of a league it was with some fighting back in the day. From what I’ve heard and now witnessed the league has grown a lot and the level of hockey has risen at the same time.

“With the amount of imports it ensures that every team is bringing in high level hockey players from all different countries.”

Credit: James Assinder

“I think the standings this year back that up. Everything was fairly close until the end and any team could be each other on any given night.

It’s ensures for good hockey as every point is critical in fighting for the league title.”

With a tight race towards the end of the season, it’s safe to say that the finale of the campaign was shaping up to be an immensely close fight with plenty of teams still in the hunt, and once again McNamee was on a very competitive roster in his third season in Europe, but how exactly does the EIHL stack up to Denmark and Germany?

“I just think the EIHL is a more North American game. Lots of imports and North American players.

“It’s a bit more physical a bit grittier in some areas.

“Like I said the amount of imports really makes a difference. Teams can have a very deep forward unit and very good D as well.”

Mike McNamee is a man of many talents 🤩😈 pic.twitter.com/zfbjdSqHNJ — Cardiff Devils (@cardiffdevils) September 4, 2019

For the third season in a row, the Devils competed in the Champions Hockey League, and this time was their best season to date. Cardiff secured victory in their opening game over eventual finalists Mountfield HK, before following that up with a shootout win over the Graz99ers before hitting the road for a European trip for the return legs.

“Seems like a long time ago but I think it was a great experience for us, the fans and the organization.

“CHL is some of the best hockey you can find and to have a showing like we did this year was a huge building block for us as a team and also for the EIHL. It was fun to be a part of especially with the group of guys we had here in Cardiff.”

With 15 goals and 19 assists on the season in league action, McNamee earned a lot of praise for his performances by Devils fans. After a solid start to his tenure as a Devil, the 27-year-old missed some time in late September, but on his return didn’t seem to skip a beat.

In a run of league games from mid-November to mid-December, McNamee was possibly the teams most consistent performer, registering a point in 12 straight league games.

“I think I had a pretty solid season. In terms of where I’d be in the lineup when I came in I wasn’t completely sure.” McNamee said when reflecting on his season.

“I just wanted to fit in and do a good job wherever they asked me to play. There are lots of great players to play with on our team so no matter where you’re playing you’ve got a chance to make things happen.”

“My mindset was to be as consistent as I could and I think a did a good job doing that.

“Lordo gave me good opportunities to show what I’m capable of doing and for the most part I think I took advantage of those opportunities when they were given to me.”

Credit: James Assinder

It wasn’t just on the ice that McNamee hit the right note with the fans, pun intended, at points during the season it wasn’t just his hockey skills on display, but his musical skills as well.

“I started playing about 7 years ago now. Music has always sort of been part of my family.

“My uncles both play the guitar and my mom has always been singing in choirs ever since I can remember.”

Mike on the Mic 🎤 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/MQ7JODlkJy — Cardiff Devils (@cardiffdevils) August 25, 2019

“One of my uncle gave me a guitar for my 13 or 14 birthday and I sort of laughed and said I’d never ever play it.

“6 years later I picked it up one day and it kind of just came naturally. It’s been a good talent to have.”

As with any team, there are ups and downs in a season, but as always with the Devils, they have plenty of moments to celebrate, even when the scoreline was against them.

“One thing that struck me about our team this year was our ability to come back in games. We found ourselves in some 2-0 and 3-0 holes this year and we always had the ability to claw back and win games.

“I’ve never really been on a team before that had the ability to do that. It was a good feeling knowing that with the group we had and the leaders we had we were always in games.

“But aside from that it was just a special group of guys. Coming to the rink everyday was a fun thing to do and ultimately that’s the way you want it to be. Can’t say enough about the group of guys we had.”

The Devils took top spot of the league heading into the final weeks of competition, looking to be in the drivers seat to try and steer themselves to their third league title in the past four seasons, but as the world came to terms with the spread of COVID-19, ultimately the EIHL had a tough decision to make on how to deal with the constantly developing situation, and they elected to shut down the season, ultimately the right call.

“It’s pretty crazy as a whole. I honestly haven’t really had the chance to let it sink in.” McNamee explained following the early end to the season.

“Most of the guys have been packing up quickly and getting home before things get worse.

“Obviously it was unfortunate we didn’t get to see out the rest of the year. We were in a solid spot in the standings so it would have been an exciting finish to say the least.

“The choice to cancel it was definitely the right one.

“Some devastating things going on in the world so we had to do our part in trying to stop the spreading rate and keep everybody safe.”

Now with hockey done, it’s a time to relax away from hockey before the grind of a new season begins in a few months time which is exactly what Mike McNamee will be doing.

“I’ve got some weddings to attend this summer for some close friends of mine so that will take up some time.

“I generally just enjoy my time around home with my friends and family. I’ve been getting into the golf scene the past couple years so I’m looking forward to getting out on the course again.

Credit: James Assinder

“My family is lucky enough to own some wonderful land on a lake where we spend most of our time which is always a nice place to be. Other than that I’ll be preparing for whatever comes my way next season.”

After a great season which I’m sure many Devils fans are wanting to again next year, McNamee only has one regret from his time in Cardiff.

“The only thing I didn’t get a chance to see that I wish I had was a rugby match.”

Featured Image: James Assinder

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