Bayley Harewood scored 18 goals and 34 assists in 38 league and cup games for NIHL club Bristol Pitbulls in the past season [James Assinder] With four weeks to go until the opening competitive fixture of their 40th season, Cardiff Devils' warm-up campaign gets underway this weekend with back-to-back home exhibition games against Denmark's Odense Bulldogs. For some in Devils' squad, it is just another pre-season. For Barry-born Bayley Harewood, this one is different. After five years as a Devils two-way player with Bees HC, Telford Tigers and Bristol Pitbulls in the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL), this week Harewood came into camp having signed a full-time contract with Cardiff. This year, when the Elite League games start in September, Harewood will stay with the Devils and not be shipped out to play portions of the season at a lower level. "Deep down, the young kid in me is absolutely buzzing and bouncing off the walls," said 23-year-old Harewood. "I'm excited to finally get that full-time contract. I need it for myself to see how I can play at this level. "I don't think the NIHL level gets enough respect because it is growing and getting better, so I appreciate Bristol for giving me the ice time and the minutes I needed to progress, because if I didn't have that, I wouldn't be where I am now."
Devils complete roster ready for 40th season
Those who have seen Harewood play for Cardiff in recent seasons could be forgiven for wondering why it has taken so long for him to secure the deal. He has rarely, if ever, looked out of place in a Devils shirt. Head coach Paul Thompson explained why the Welsh youngster has simply not been ready until this year. "For a British kid to jump into this league now and bring something is amazing," said former Great Britain coach Thompson. "I think it's a perfect time for him. If you're in North America and you come out of the college system, you're Bayley's age when you're hitting the pros. But I think Bayley had to learn to be a pro. "We just had too many players last year to keep everyone happy, and I wanted to make sure that he was still getting his playing minutes [at Bristol]." Thompson was happy to see Harewood honing his offensive skills in the NIHL, but recognises the difference in standards. "I brought him back to have a look at him for a game against Sheffield and defensively he made a couple of misjudgements because he had been away at that level too long," the 58-year-old coach added. "When you don't have the puck at this level you have to know what you're doing or it ends up in the back of your net, but he's improved vastly in that. "I looked at him throughout the year on the puck and some of the things he's been doing, and he's going to get his chance. "He's a big strong boy but he's got to play big and then he'll get more room on the ice and more time to do the things that he's very good at. "We're very excited about where he's going to go this year." 'I didn't want to act like a fanboy' Harewood scored 12 points for Great Britain U20s before playing six games for the senior team at the 2026 World Championships [James Assinder] The past season for Harewood proved to be pivotal. While playing in the NIHL and the Elite League, he was selected for the Great Britain squad that played in the IIHF European Cup of Nations. Having travelled with the Devils squad to Nottingham for their 2026 Elite League Play-Off weekend, Harewood joined in with the players' long celebrations after their triumph over Sheffield Steelers. His festivities were abruptly interrupted by a request to join up with the Great Britain squad who were about to compete in the top division of the World Championships in Switzerland. "A few days after the Play-Off win, we were all out in [Cardiff] bay and I get a phone call telling me I've got to come to GB and they said, 'we need you up here today'," Harwood recounted. "So, I had to travel up to Nottingham and then we had a camp in Milton Keynes and warm-up games and then travelled to Switzerland." Harewood did not feature in the opening match against Austria, but played in all the remaining fixtures starting with a game against the USA. "That was an unreal experience because you're playing against guys that play at the very top level and see the speed that they play at and how they connect with one another," he said. "It's good to take on board and try and add stuff that they've got in their game to your game. "You pick up stuff, even in the gym, before games, warming up. There was a joint gym in the rink and you're warming up with NHL guys and Team USA before their games. "I didn't really speak to them. I didn't want to act like a fanboy, but deep down inside I was thinking this is quite crazy!" 'My hope is to make Bayley the best British kid in the country' Harewood played seven games for the Devils in the past season, collecting two assists [Dave Williams] Harewood is learning those lessons, building on those experiences and, according to Thompson, becoming a much better player. "He's learnt a lot during last season, he's improved a lot," said the experienced Devil's head coach, whose former clubs include this weekend's Danish opponents. "He's showed that with the national team he was outplaying a lot of the national team players, but still on the fourth line and eventually in the World Championships they gave him an opportunity to step up to first line and he did a great job." Thompson admits that during his first season with Cardiff, developing Harewood into a full-time professional has often required some tough love. "He's had a couple of hairdryers from me, but you can't give false information, you have to be truthful," he added. "My hope is to make Bayley the best British kid in the country and you're not going to do that by not telling him the truth. "I like him, he's goofy, he's talented, he's got something about him, the boys love him and they'll bring him into line. "He's on the first rung, he's got to take the next rung and then the next one and he'll get all the support he can have to achieve that." Harewood has responded well to that old-fashioned brutal honesty. "That's what you need. If you can't take that, then you're in the wrong sport," said the young forward. "Thommo has had really good patience with me. My conversations with him have been open and honest all the time. "I like the way Thommo is with me, I wouldn't change a thing." Harewood's professional contract comes 16 years after he first skated in a Devils shirt aged seven, having also spent time at the Canadian International Ice Hockey Academy. "I've grown up here, gone through the junior system. I did two years in Canada and came back here in covid," he added. "I love this town, I love this place. "At this level, I'm ready. More ready than ever, really." If Harewood does become that best British kid in hockey, he will become some player. Cardiff Devils 2026-27 pre-season fixtures Saturday, 15 August Cardiff Devils v Odense Bulldogs (19:00 BST) Sunday, 16 August Cardiff Devils v Odense Bulldogs (17:00 BST) Saturday, 22 August Cardiff Devils v Angers (19:00 BST) Saturday, 29 August Cardiff Devils v Sheffield Steelers (19:00 BST) Sunday, 30 August Sheffield Steelers v Cardiff Devils (16:00 BST) Saturday, 5 August Nottingham Panthers v Cardiff Devils (19:00 BST) Sunday, 6 September Cardiff Devils v Nottingham Panthers (17:00 BST)