The New Jersey Devils have signed four veterans to professional try-out contracts. The list includes former Devil forward Kevin Rooney, longtime center Luke Glendening, minor-league goalie Adam Scheel, and Russian goalie Georgi Romanov. All four players will report to New Jersey’s training camp when it begins on September 17th.
Rooney will be the most familiar name to Devils fans. He began his pro career with the organization, signing with the Albany Devils as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Within three seasons, Rooney had worked his way up to a hardy, fourth-line role in the NHL. He quickly became known for making gritty and hard-earned plays, but never scored more than 10 points in a single season with the Devils. He moved to the New York Rangers for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, and has spent the last three seasons split between the Calgary Flames’ NHL and AHL rosters. Rooney has continued to offer a stout, depth role everywhere he goes – and will now return to New Jersey looking to earn a role at the age of 32. He has totaled 60 points in 330 NHL games.
Glendening will be another familiar name, if only for his longevity in the league. The now-36-year-old centerman also began his career as an undrafted free-agent, signing with the AHL’s Providence Bruins in 2012 after four seasons at the University of Michigan. Glendening returned to Michigan via a move to the Grand Rapids Griffins in his first full season in the AHL, and played a key, middle-six role during the club’s race to the 2013 Calder Cup. He moved to the NHL in the very next season, and has spent the last 12 years filling a confident, bottom-six role for multiple teams. His career spanned seven years with the Detroit Red Wings, before taking two-year pit stops with the Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning. He’s proven consistent throughout, and boasts 166 points and 308 penalty minutes in 864 career games. With New Jersey already boasting a full lineup, Glendening could be set to compete with Rooney for the role of veteran depth-forward.
While Glendening and Rooney battle it out, so will depth goaltenders Scheel and Romanov. Scheel spent last season split between the AHL’s Colorado Eagles and the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies. He managed stout numbers in the higher league, recording a 10-2-2 record and .904 save percentage with the Eagles. But on a weak Utah lineup, Scheel fell to a 5-12-2 record and .884 save percentage. Also an undrafted free agent, he has totaled a .905 save percentage through 101 games, and five seasons, in the AHL. Romanov hasn’t been in North American pros for as long, but posted an encouraging .904 save percentage in 29 games of the 2023-24 season, and a .905 in 21 games last season. Those numbers were enough to earn him a handful of NHL games during the San Jose Sharks’ recent goalie drought. He recorded an 0-6-0 record and .888 save percentage in 10 games with the Sharks. Whoever wins the goalie battle at training camp will likely take on the role of third-string minor-leaguer behind Nico Daws and Jakub Malek.
Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images.