Devils Sign Netminder Taz Burman

The Cardiff Devils have added netminder Taz Burman to their roster.  The 27-year-old Canadian arrived in Cardiff earlier today. 

The Devils moved swiftly to find a netminder to come in right away after both Ben Bowns and Mac Carruth were injured this past weekend in Slovakia at the Continental Cup.  The injury to Bowns is day to day, so he is expected to play this weekend, but Carruth is likely out for a number of weeks with a lower body injury.

Burman spent the last two seasons with the Guildford Flames, posting 3.06 goals against average and a 89.6 save percentage in 23 games in 2023-24.  He also played 3 playoff games for the Flames last year posting a 2.03 goals against average and a 93.8 save percentage.  The previous season he posted a 2.69 goals against average and a 90.5 save percentage in 22 games. Pictured Above: Burman in the Challenge Cup Final last season (photo Dean Woolley)CLICK HERE to check out Burman's career stats

Before turning pro with the Flames, Burman played for the University of Alberta Golden Bears, one of the top University ice hockey programmes in Canada.

Head Coach Pete Russell spoke about the signing: 

“When Mac went down on Saturday night, that was both our starters after Bowns got hurt on Friday.  We needed an experienced netminder that was able to come in and play right away. 

“Taz is a solid goalie that knows the league.  He has been on the ice back in Canada waiting for a team like us to call him and get his season started.  We signed the contract Tuesday morning, and he was on a plane 7 hours later.  He is excited about the opportunity to be in Cardiff.”Pictured Above: Burman in action against the Devils last year (photo John Uwins)Burman holds an Irish passport, which means he does not have the normal waiting period to get a visa appointment and a work permit.  His ITC (International Transfer Card) is held by Ice Hockey UK, so he is already cleared to play this weekend. 

“Part of the attraction of Burman was that he was able to come in and play right away,” explained Managing Director Todd Kelman.

“We weren’t going to gamble with Bowns alone after Carruth went down with a freak injury on Saturday night.  We need two solid netminders to get us through the schedule of games we have coming up.

“We have had great reports on Taz as a teammate.  His former coaches and players loved him, and we think he will fit in well with this group.”