Graeme Clarke has played his way into becoming one of New Jersey’s more intriguing prospects and he was rewarded for his efforts as the team announced (Twitter link) that he has been recalled from Utica of the AHL.
The 21-year-old was a third-round pick by the Devils back in 2019 (80th overall) but has outperformed his draft stock since then. He’s actually in his third season of professional hockey already – a rarity for a major junior-drafted player – and has shown steady improvement. After putting up 24 points in 52 games last season, Clarke has been considerably more productive this year with 20 goals and 24 assists in 51 contests; his 44 points place him first on the Comets in scoring.
This will be Clarke’s first opportunity at the NHL level and it’s possible that it will be a short-lived one. Recently acquired winger Timo Meier isn’t yet ready to play as he continues to battle an upper-body injury and Clarke may simply be up until Meier is ready to make his debut. New Jersey had an open spot on their roster thanks to them losing Scott Harrington on waivers to Anaheim earlier today so no further moves needed to be made to bring Clarke up.
Comets have really taken it on the chin this week