The Cardiff Devils restructured their crease on Monday [23 October], replacing Callum Booth with Tyler Wall.
Wall, a former sixth-round selection of the New York Rangers, arrives in the Elite League after a season in the ECHL, in which he posted a .912 save percentage and a 2.58 goals-against average through 35 appearances for the South Carolina Stingrays.
Booth departs Cardiff after making just two competitive appearances, allowing five goals on 56 attempts.
With that in mind, British Ice Hockey summarises the reasons for Booth’s exit and justifications for Cardiff’s Wall swoop.
Why did the Cardiff Devils & Callum Booth ‘part company’ five weeks into the season?
The Devils put pen to paper with Booth this offseason, expecting him to seize control of the crease from Team Great Britain stalwart Ben Bowns.
The 26-year-old arrived in Cardiff with an impressive resume after splitting last season between the ECHL, American Hockey League, and Germany’s DEL.
However, the Canadian was outplayed by Bowns in preseason and dropped even further from the starting role after a disappointing performance in a 4-2 loss to the Coventry Blaze on 24 September.
With Booth playing zero minutes since the first weekend of the season, both sides opted to cut their losses and pursue new opportunities on Monday.
Who is Cardiff Devils netminder Tyler Wall?
Wall is a 25-year-old netminder from Canada, who was selected 174th overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Rangers.
The Leamington-born goaltender slipped under the radar in his junior years, but later made a name for himself at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, posting a .918 save percentage in addition to a 2.28 goals-against average through 103 NCAA appearances.
Tyler Wall, now of the Cardiff Devils (Image: University of Massachusetts Lowell)
Wall inked his first professional contract with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack in 2020, for whom he performed a backup role over the course of two seasons, before signing for ECHL South Carolina in 2023.
Will Tyler Wall challenge Ben Bowns for the Cardiff Devils’ starting netminder role?
Wall is unlikely to take the net from Bowns, who has been one of the top-performing netminders in the Elite League this season.
With Cardiff head coach Pete Russell happy to roll out Bowns night after night, Wall faces an uphill battle to seize the crease on a full-time basis.
However, the 6-foot-3 shot-stopper will be handed opportunities to make an impression and is expected to feature as soon as next weekend.
While Bowns is tipped to retain his place as Cardiff’s undisputed No. 1, Wall will hope to provide a tougher challenge than the now-departed Booth.
