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2005 - 2010
In the 2005-2006 season Nijmegen entered the season with almost the same squad but added import players like TJ Caig and Jake Brenk. Also Erik Landman came over from Dutch side Heerenveen Flyers. Very much to the suprise of everyone the team started to perform in the 2nd half of the season under leadership of players like Bob Teunissen, John versteeg, TJ Caig and Jake Brenk. Nijmegen started the season with coach Alexander Jacobs but after he was asked to leave coach Larry Sacharuk took over. Sacharuk, a seasoned NHL veteran, was able to make a solid team which was able to clinch the 4th play off spot. After seizing the last play-off spot they surprised everyone by beating Amsterdam in the semi finals and Heerenveen in the finals. This championship was their 8th in total.
In the 2006 season Nijmegen changed course again. The traditional North American style of play was abandoned and a Swedish type of play adopted. To make this happen Nijmegen hired coach Hakan Nygren. Nygren was a well respected coach in Swedish hockey coaching some of the teams in the top flight. He also coached teams in Norway and Denmark. Together with Nygren a lot of Swedish players joined Nijmegen. However the 2006-2007 was a disappointing one as Nijmegen was not able to prolong the title of the previous year and towards the end of the season Nijmegen was again in financial heavy weather.
Nijmegen was successful in entering the 2007-2008 season under the name Nijmegen Devils and at the start of the season Rob Meanchoff was appointed as a playing coach. However without a main sponsor they had to start from scratch again.
The new organization focussed on bringing a lot of young Nijmegen players back to Nijmegen and completed the team with some North American players such as Mike Rice, Steve Benedetti and Josh Tataryn to bring back the blue collar type of play Nijmegen moved away from in the year before. That initiative partially succeeded. Season 2006-2007 was a one of survival. The most important thing was to preserve hockey in Nijmegen. The team ended the year missing the play-off and finished second to last. Already throughout the season Nijmegen found a new sponsor (DAR) who signed a multi-year deal.
At the start of the 2008-2009 season Nijmegen found a new coach in German born Frank Gentges. Gentges was known for his academic like hockey approach and professional view towards hockey. In addition to the previous sponsor also a new main sponsor was found in the Romeinders group. New import players for this season included former AHL player Jeff Smith, TJ Sakaluk and the three McCarthy brothers. Both Matt and Mike McCarthy played for the Heerenveen Flyers. Also Dutch forward Marco Postma joined Nijmegen from Heerenveen as well. Nijmegen started the season preperation very early and peaked especially in the first half of the season with some excellent hockey. When two of the McCarthy brothers left Nijmegen whereas the 3rd one was injured, Nijmegen acquired the services of playmaker Phil Aucoin. The Boston native immediately made an impact and Nijmegen went on to win the Dutch Cup in January. Mike McCarthy clinched in the winner against Tilburg in front of the Nijmegen supporters.
Nijmegen went on to the play-offs later in the season but lost in the semi finals from the Tilburg Trappers. Trappers on its turn lost the series from HYS The Hague who went on to win the championship. After the season Frank Gentges announced he would go to German side Dortmund EHC and left Nijmegen. In the offseason he also took three players with him to Dortmund: TJ Sakaluk, Boris Ackers and Lorenz Schneider. German goalie Boris Ackers decided to also sign in Germany again. He left during the off season to German Oberliga team bad Bad Neuheim EC.
For the 2009-2010 coach Chris Eimers was contracted - and despite the departure of some players Nijmegen - was able to extend the contracts of some key players. Players such as Phil Aucoin, Marco Postma and Brad Smulders returned to Nijmegen. In addition to this Nijmegen was able to acquire seasoned players such as goalie Christian Boucher, former AHL forward Nick Deschenes and Doug Orr to form a squad that would be able to go for the national championship. Notably to know: Doug Orr is the nephew of former Boston Bruins legend Bobby Orr. Later in the season - due to the departure of defender Marty Dams - Nijmegen was able to get Travis Wight on board which boosted the squad defensively.
Due to a lenghty winning streak during the season Nijmegen was able to clinch the first spot going into the playoffs where they eventually had to meet strong side Tilburg. However Tilburg was never able to make a first so that Nijmegen was able to obtain their 9th title by sweeping Tilburg.
