Aladdin makes an appearance in Cardiff Bay on Sunday when Devils and Panthers go head-to-head at Ice Arena Wales.
The Elite League heavyweights clash in the Aladdin Cup, a pre-season mini tournament and managing director Todd Kelman says: “I am excited to have hockey back. There is such a buzz around the rink.”
All four new Cardiff Devils signings will play against Panthers, while one more defenceman has yet to fly in.
There has been no official word from the Cardiff club about the sixth D-man, but Panthers coach Rich Chernomaz says: “Devils have all but one of their players in for this weekend.”
Defenceman Ben Blood along with the forward trio of Stephen Dixon, Mike Hedden and Charles Linglet are the new boys already in and Kelman says: “We have brought in impact players and we are preparing for another season where we are competing for every bit of silverware up for grabs.
“It’s hard to single out any of the four new faces as who I am most excited to see in action, but I am looking forward to Sunday’s home game as much or more than our fans.”
Devils play Nottingham away on Saturday with the Aladdin Cup return leg at the IAW on Sunday (6pm).
Canadian Chernomaz, a former NHL player with Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils, took charge of Panthers after the departure of Corey Neilson.
“Getting my message across will take time,” says Chernomaz. “It comes down to seeing how guys play in games.
“Guys won’t go 100 percent in practice. They won’t run their teammates in a battle drill.
“We’ll know more after these two games where we’ll be strong and where we need work.”
Panthers have all bar two of their imports in the country after Justin Kovacs arrived.
Tickets for Sunday’s home game (6pm face-off) are available via https://cardiffdevils.cloudvenue.co.uk/home or by calling 0800 0842 666.
Cardiff Devils signings for 2018-19 (One more import defenceman to add):
Netminders: Ben Bowns, Thomas Murdy.
Defencemen: Ben Blood (import), Bryce Reddick (import), Mark Louis (import), Gleason Fournier (import), Mark Richardson.
Forwards: Charles Linglet (import) Josh Batch, Stephen Dixon (import), Toms Rutkis, Mike Hedden (import), Layne Ulmer (import), Matthew Myers, Justin Faryna (import), Jake Morissette (import), Sean Bentivoglio (import), Craig Moore, Matt Pope (import), Joey Martin (import), Joey Haddad (import).
Players no longer playing for Devils: Andrew Lord (retired from playing to become full-time head coach), Andrew Hotham (retired), Paul Crowder (to Fife Flyers), Drew Paris (Karlskrona HK, Sweden), Tyson Strachan (retired), Patrick Asselin (retired).