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New Jersey Devils Recall Eight Players

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The New Jersey Devils announced multiple additions to their 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs roster today in the form of eight Black Aces from the AHL’s Utica Comets:

F Graeme Clarke
F Nolan Foote
F Brian Halonen
F Alexander Holtz
F Tyce Thompson
D Šimon Nemec
D Topias Vilén
G Nico Daws

Clarke, a third-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, tallied 25 goals and 33 assists in 68 regular-season games for the Comets and added six points in six playoff games. Foote, initially a Tampa Bay Lightning first-round pick in the 2019 draft, notched 37 points in 55 games for the Comets this season and added a goal in six games for New Jersey.

Halonen, an undrafted free agent signing late last season out of Michigan Tech, recorded 17 goals and 13 assists in 57 games with Utica in his first full professional season. Holtz, the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, had the most NHL experience this season out of any of the above recalls and scored three goals and an assist in 19 games with the Devils.

Thompson, a fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft, scored 26 points in 56 games for the Comets after missing most of the 2021-22 campaign with an injury.

The Devils also added two promising young defenders to their playoff roster in Nemec and Vilén. Nemec, the second overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, broke out for 34 points in 65 games with the Comets in his post-draft year, a remarkable feat for a 19-year-old. Vilén, 20, played one playoff game for Utica after playing nearly all of the 2022-23 season with Pelicans in the Finnish Liiga.

Daws, 22, posted a .904 save percentage and two shutouts in 33 games for Utica after making 25 appearances for New Jersey in the 2021-22 season.

Luke Hughes Makes Playoff Debut

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For Devils’ fans, the moment they have been waiting for is finally here, as defenseman Luke Hughes will make his playoff debut in Game Three against the Carolina Hurricanes. Unfortunately for the New Jersey Devils, this comes with some unfortunate news, as Hughes will be filling in for defenseman Ryan Graves, who is out with an upper-body injury.

The speed that Hughes brings to the table to New Jersey’s back end will undoubtedly be a benefit to a team that has been unable to put together much offense in the second round of the playoffs this year. When asked about what Hughes offers the Devils, head coach Lindy Ruff said, “We know he’s going to skate. He got a little taste at the end of the year. We feel the skating can help us. We’re excited to see him get in and play.”

As the Devils find themselves down two games to none against the Metropolitan Division champion Hurricanes, New Jersey definitely has a tall task ahead of them. As they toe the line of playoff hockey desperation, Hughes will be an exciting player to add to the mix for the Devils.

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Lindy Ruff Named Jack Adams Award Finalist

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The finalists are Dave Hakstol of the Seattle Kraken, Lindy Ruff of the New Jersey Devils, and Jim Montgomery of the Boston Bruins.

Of the three finalists, only Ruff has already won the award earlier in his career. Ruff won it in 2006 on the back of an impressive 52-win campaign. In his third season as the Devils’ bench boss, Ruff has guided a young team out of their rebuilding phase and into Stanley Cup contention. Under his guidance, Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier have emerged as superstar talents and the Devils won their first playoff series since their 2011-12 run to the Stanley Cup Final.

Snapshots: Gronborg, Oligny, Meier

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It’s not often you see a team that has won back-to-back league titles change their coach, but this decision was made long ago for Tappara Tampere of the Finnish Liiga. Back in October it was reported that Rikard Gronborg would not be returning to the ZSC Lions after this season, already agreeing to a multi-year contract with Tampere.

Gronborg was introduced today, taking over just a week after the club took home the 2023 title. Interestingly enough, when the commitment was initially reported, it included the note that Gronborg’s contract contains an out clause should the NHL come calling. For years, the decorated international coach has been linked to vacant NHL positions without anything ever materializing.

  • Jimmy Oligny is your Yanick Dupré Memorial Award winner for 2022-23, named AHL Man of the Year. The award is given to a minor league player for outstanding contributions to his local community and charitable organizations. Among his many involvements, the Manitoba Moose captain worked with the Kinship and Foster Family Network to host a foster family at every Moose home game.
  • Timo Meier was “okay” today, according to New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff, as the forward continues to recover from a massive hit suffered last round. Mike Morreale of NHL.com relays that Meier is still day-to-day and that the team will know more tomorrow. Without Meier in game one of their second-round series, the Devils were dismantled by the Carolina Hurricanes and will have to try to even things up tomorrow night.

New Jersey Devils Sign Daniil Misyul

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The New Jersey Devils are still battling in this year’s playoffs, but the front office is hard at work securing the future. The team has announced a two-year entry-level contract for Daniil Misyul, which starts in 2023-24. While the original release indicated a three-year deal, it has been updated, given the 22-year-old is only eligible for two years.

Misyul was selected 70th overall in 2019, and has spent the last several years playing full-time in the KHL for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv. The 6’3″ defenseman brings almost no offensive upside to the ice, with just 23 points in his 205-game professional career, but can defend well with his long reach and big frame. Just 13 even-strength goals were scored by the opposition when he was on the ice this season, though his minutes were still limited (just over 15 per game).

Still, given how many offensive puck-moving defensemen the Devils have in the system, adding a stay-at-home type could certainly pay off. The fact that he has so much professional experience at such a young age should help him transition to the AHL, and potentially push for an NHL call-up in short order.

Timo Meier Will Not Play In Game One

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New Jersey Devils forward Timo Meier will not play in game one against the Carolina Hurricanes. The news was tweeted out by NHL.com writer Tom Gulitti just moments ago. Meier did not dress for the warm-up and will be replaced in the lineup by one of Jesper Boqvist or Curtis Lazar.

Meier famously took a high hit from New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba in game seven of their first round series. He stayed down after the hit and needed medical attention from the Devils staff before he was able to skate off the ice under his own power. Meier later returned for the end of the game and had a cordial exchange with Trouba in the handshake line.

Meier was acquired by the Devils at the NHL trade deadline from the San Jose Sharks and took some time to adjust to the new team and system. He produced a respectable 14 points in 21 games with New Jersey to finish out the regular season but failed to produce a single point in the seven-game series with the Rangers.

The Devils haven’t made much information available on Meier’s condition and had original deemed him to be a game time decision earlier today. With Meier now scratched for game one it will be interesting to see what more is revealed prior to game two on Friday.

Timo Meier Will Be Game-Time Decision For Game 1

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The New Jersey Devils are entering Game 1 on the road tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes with the status of their main trade deadline acquisition uncertain. Winger Timo Meier is a game-time decision after taking a hard hit from New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba in the team’s Game 7 win on Monday, per head coach Lindy Ruff.

NHL Announces Frank J. Selke Trophy Finalists

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The NHL is announcing finalists for the annual NHL Awards this week, though they will not be handed out until late June between the NHL Draft and the opening of free agency. The finalists for the Hart Trophy will not be named until Friday, May 12, but the Frank J. Selke Trophy finalists have been announced already. This award goes to the league’s best defensive forward.

To no one’s surprise, Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron was one of the finalists. This marks the 12th consecutive season that Bergeron is a finalist for the Selke Trophy, as he will go down as perhaps the best defensive forward in hockey history. He has already won the award a record five times and is looking to add to that total with a sixth win. At age 37, Bergeron still remains one of the best penalty killing forwards and faceoff guys in the entire league.

Nico Hischier is also a finalist for the award, and this is his first time as a nominee. The New Jersey Devils center really broke through offensively this season with 31 goals and 80 points, but his defensive game is just as good, if not better, than what he does in the offensive zone. He wins over 53% of his draws, blocks shots, is the Devils top penalty killing forward and limits scoring chances against.

Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs is also up for the award. Known mostly for his offensive wizardry, the Leafs continue to lean on Marner in defensive situations as well and he has risen to the occasion. Though it is rare for a winger to win the award, the Maple Leafs always limit chances against when Marner is on the ice, and he is among the best forwards in the league at taking the puck away from opponents while he has also become one of the most used penalty killers among forwards in the league.

Lady Byng Finalists Announced

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The National Hockey League is announcing award finalists this week as they begin to set the stage for the annual NHL Awards at the end of the season. Per a league release, we now know the three players that are up for the Lady Byng Award this season. This award is given out annually to the player who exhibited the most sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct while playing at a high level this season.

Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils is one of the finalists. He finished this season with 43 goals and 99 points in 78 games while putting up just six minutes in penalties. He was the team’s leading scorer and a key reason the Devils made it to the postseason for the first time since 2018. The Devils didn’t just sneak into the postseason either as they finished the regular season with a 52-22-8 record which gives them 112 points in the standings.

Anze Kopitar is also up for the Lady Byng this season. The 35-year-old center had another stellar season for the Los Angeles Kings, scoring 28 goals and 74 points in 82 games while playing great defensive hockey as well. He also had just two minor penalties proving his sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct which goes with his strong play on the ice. Kopitar won this award in 2016 and this is the 16th consecutive season he has received votes for the Lady Byng.

Brayden Point is the third finalist for the award after another strong season for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 27-year-old center scored 51 goals and 95 points in 82 games and had just seven penalty minutes on the season.

PHR Playoff Primer: Carolina Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils

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With the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs now underway, PHR makes its first foray into playoff series analysis with our 2023 Playoff Primers. Where does each team stand in their series, and what storylines could dominate on and off the ice? We begin our second-round coverage with the Metropolitan Division matchup between the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils.

For the third time in as many years, the Carolina Hurricanes have won their first-round matchup and will try to return to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the 2018-19 season. The New Jersey Devils, on the other hand, will make it to the second round for the first time since their run to the Stanley Cup Final in the 2011-12 season, beating their cross-town rival New York Rangers in seven games. This will be the fifth time these two teams have met in the playoffs, as the Hurricanes have won three of the previous four series.

Over the last 10 seasons prior to the current one, the Devils had failed to qualify for the playoffs in nine of those years. As the team has finally come together, led by the tremendous breakout of star center, Jack Hughes, the Devils look poised to continue winning.  For Carolina, they are on a three-year run of clinching the Metropolitan division during the regular season but have failed to move past the second round for quite some time.

Much like the playoff series for both of these teams in the first round, this one will be another encompassed by a historical rivalry. Aside from the 2009 playoffs, in the other three playoff matchups between these two teams, one team has gone on to the Stanley Cup Final, and the Hurricanes would go on to win in 2006. Although both teams look considerably different than they did in 2009, expect this series to be hotly contested.

Carolina Hurricanes: 52-21-9, 113 points, +53 goal differential
New Jersey Devils: 52-22-8, 112 points, +65 goal differential.

Head-To-Head

December 20, 2022: Carolina 4, New Jersey 1

January 1, 2023: Carolina 5, New Jersey 4 (OT)

January 10, 2023: New Jersey 5, Carolina 3

March 12, 2023: New Jersey 3, Carolina 0

New Jersey takes the season series 2-1-1

Team Storylines

Although the rivalry has been addressed between these two Eastern Conference foes, one of the major points of consideration will be the health of the two lineups. As of right now, New Jersey comes in with a clean bill of health, but Carolina will still be missing talented forwards such as Andrei Svechnikov and Teuvo Teravainen.

In their first-round matchup against the New York Islanders, even with so many top-end forwards out of the lineup, the Hurricanes were able to pick up solid depth goal-scoring from both Stefan Noesen and Seth Jarvis. Both players scored four points in six games, as Noesen scored the eventual game-winner in Game One. Aside from those two for Carolina, Sebastian Aho led the way, scoring seven points in six games, continuing his point-per-game pace in the playoffs over the course of his career.

For the Devils, their high-end scoring came from the usual suspects this season. Although no player on the team averaged a point per game, Nico Hischier, Ondrej Palat, and Hughes, all scored five points in their series against the Rangers, and Erik Haula gave New Jersey six points in seven games. In the aspect of more players contributing to the offense, the Devils have a clear advantage heading into this second-round matchup.

On defense, both teams have positives and negatives attached to their back end. The Devils were a mixed bag against New York in their previous series, allowing 15 goals in three games (Game One, Two, and Six), but also held the Rangers to two goals in the four games that New Jersey won. So far in the playoffs this year, when the Devils lose, they lose big. For Carolina, in their six games against the Islanders, they gave up 15 goals in total. The major X-factors for both teams will be their top offensive defenseman, respectively. Brent Burns had a huge first round for Carolina, adding five assists, while New Jersey’s top defenseman, Dougie Hamilton, scored three points, including an overtime game-winner in Game Three.

Between the pipes, both teams have used both goaltenders in their first-round matchups. The Hurricanes ran with Antti Raanta up until the series-deciding Game Six, where Frederik Andersen would come in and stop 33 of 34 shots. In New Jersey, Vitek Vanecek originally got the nod in net, but after getting blown out in Games One and Two, the Devils turned to young goaltender Akira Schmid, who produced a 4-1-0 record, posting a .951 SV% and a 1.38 GAA, including two shutouts.

Prediction

In this series, the number of injuries that Carolina has accrued recently may become insurmountable. Although they dominated their first-round matchup against the Islanders, New Jersey brings a much different style of play, and the Hurricanes will have to try and weather some serious offense coming their way.

Although they won their first-round matchup against the Rangers, the Devils’ lack of playoff experience showed, as they were considerably tested by New York. The players that lead the team, such as Hughes, Hischier, and Bratt, do not have the same experience that the Hurricanes team has accrued in the last several years. In defense, the Devils were down 2-0 in their previous series and still managed to come back and win in seven.

The prediction: New Jersey win in six games.

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