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Willman, Prospect Games, and the Theme Schedule |
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Good evening Devils fans. We have a lot to get into so let’s jump into it. I realized when discussing the PTO players last article I didn’t get into Max Willman. For those unfamiliar with him, he’s one of the tryout players this year for the Devils. After being drafted in the 5th Round by Buffalo in 2014, the Sabres opted not to sign him, leading to a contract with the ECHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the affiliate for the Flyers. Since then, he’s been used as a utility player in the AHL with limited time in the NHL. In 50 NHL games with Philadelphia, the 28 year old left winger put up 4 goals and 2 assists with a -16 rating. Most likely, this is an AHL move to shore up the left side attack in case of a minor league call up leaving the Utica squad light.
While we’re on the subject of depth pieces, our youth system has been on show the last few days for a Prospect Challenge tournament. Their tourney kicked off with a 5-2 loss to the Senators. Scoring was led off by Josh Filmon who finished a chance up front from a solid feed from Simon Nemec. After four goals on a struggling Tyler Brennan and another against Isaac Poulter, Graeme Clarke sniped one from the right side top shelf long distance. The game showed the lack of cohesion after limited time with the prospects together. Overall, Clarke and Nemec popped out to me as solid performances despite the struggles of the team as a whole. Particularly, Nemec’s speed, pace, and control was a highlight to keep an eye on.
The Devils next faced off against the Buffalo Sabres, seeing another struggle apparent in a 4-2 loss. A pair of goals were scored against Poulter, who didn’t play a great game. However, in his defense, the blueliners ended up opening a lot of space for rushing chances and odd man rushes. The Devils would eventually get into the fray when Will MacKinnon sent a shot from the top that was rebounded by TJ Friedman from attempted poke-ins by Erik Middendorf. An odd man rush and strong pressure passing led to two more Buffalo goals before the Devils could get on the sheet again. Brian Halonen tipped off a point shot from Will MacKinnon to cut the lead to two before the game ended. Again, the keys to this game were disjointed defense and struggles in goaltending. One bright spot was the chemistry developing between Nemec and Daniil MIsyull, a yin-yang aggressive-conservative flow to their game.
The tournament wrapped with a 4-2 win for the Devils over the Bruins. Scoring was kicked off by Graeme Clarke, who finished the chance set up by Josh Filmon on the left side. Riley Mercer made some pretty solid saves in tough situations up front. Poor puck management near the crease led to a pair of goals for Boston. Cam Squires finished up with pressure up front, cleaning up a rebound from a Cole Brown shot. Mackinnon’s shot up top went wide of the net and found its way to the stick of Matt Middendorf, who went top shelf for the Devils to take a 3-2 lead. Jace Isley and Filip Engaras raced through the defense and fought tooth and nail to finish up with an empty netter, wrapping the game 4-2.
Overall, the prospects that shine the most for me and should absolutely be a factor to watching during the main roster camp and preseason are:
Offense: Graeme Clarke. No surprise here after a solid AHL season. Looks the most NHL ready out of the forwards, though Josh Filmon isn’t too far behind. Great pressure and vision skills. Good finishing.
Defense: Simon Nemec. I was not super supportive of this pick at the time of the draft and boy, was I wrong. He has developed into a great puck mover. Reminds me of Scott Niedermayer in a lot of ways. I know we have depth in defense going into the preseason. But honestly, I would support the Devils moving Brendan Smith down or trading him to craft a 7th spot for Nemec. I like his game a lot.
Goaltending: Riley Mercer. This position was a big question mark going into the camp for me with Daws out and the Devils making moves for Keith Kinkaid and Erik Kallgren. However, the brightest performance came from not a roster player but a tryout. If the Devils don’t consider signing the Drummondville goalie, they could miss out on a solid prospect in this position. Strong reflexes and glove hand, can definitely see the game around him well.
As we wrapped up the camp, the Devils dropped the schedule for the Theme Nights, including giveaways and activities. Per NHL.com, these nights include:
10/12 vs. DET - Home Opener - Team Poster
10/25 vs. WAS - Hispanic Heritage Night - Performances and in-game features
10/29 vs. MIN - Mascot Madness - Devil bobblehead for first 9K in arena and various NHL mascots
11/10 vs. WAS - Military Appreciation Night - First 9K in arena get camo bucket hat
11/25 vs. BUF - Hockey Fights Cancer Night - Fundraising for cancer research and treatment
12/21 vs. EDM - Pride Night - Fundraising and most likely new merch
1/6 vs. VAN - AAPI Heritage Night - Concourse performances and other activities
1/20 vs. DAL - Ring of Honor - New induction ceremony and pins for all in attendance
2/6 vs. COL - Black History Night - First 9k get a mini helmet and Buy Black Program winners
2/24-2/25 - Back to back theme games for Next Generation. Youth hockey celebration. Saturday and Sunday have Mercer and Bratt bobbleheads respectively for the first 9k in the arena.
3/5 vs. FLA - Gender Equity Night - Recognizing gender inclusion programs and the NJ Girls State Champs
3/9 vs. CAR - Video Game Day - NJ Devil plays NHL24 with a fan during 2nd intermission, first 9k get video game themed socks, concourse activities and more
4/15 vs. NYI - Jersey Appreciation Night - First 9k get Meier bobblehead. “Jersey off our Back” post game event. Wrap up the regular season.
The night that stands out the most to me is the January 20th Ring of Honor game. I’m interested in seeing who could be included in this celebration. The last event of this type was in January of 2017, when the Devils honored Dr. John J. McMullen, the man responsible for bringing NHL hockey to the Garden State. Could it be for a team builder like Lou Lamoriello? A media commentator like Doc Emmerick or Chico Resch? Maybe a coach like Jacques Lemaire? Not sure, but it should be a good night either way.
What are your thoughts? Will we see Willman in the NHL this season? What were your thoughts on the Prospect Challenge tournament? Who do you want honored in the Ring of Honor game? Any other games you are going to check out for Theme Nights?
Leave your thoughts and comments below. Raise Hell,
-Josh Biringer
New Jersey Devils Blogger • 
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