The New Jersey Devils have recalled defenseman Reilly Walsh from the Utica Comets. The Devils third round pick in 2017 has 9 goals and 34 assists for his AHL club and will make his NHL debut in Ottawa tonight.

For the first time in three month, Mackenzie Blackwood will get the start tonight in Ottawa after taking time off to allow his heal to recover. Goaltending has been a major issue for the Devils in the past few seasons and Blackwood will get a chance tonight to see how well his body will hold up. I am sure Tom Fitzgerald and the coaches will be evaluating closely.

WOO THOUGHTS

As bad as the Devils have been this season, the Utica Comets and their players have been the bright spot for the Devils organization. The Devils finally have a winning farm team that will compete for the Calder Trophy. Comets head coach Kevin Dineen has a done a tremendous job developing the young talent and will get some playoff experience.

With a small sample size so far, Kevin Bahl and Nikita Okhotyuk have shown they can bring their physical play to the NHL level and have an impact. Reilly Walsh will have the opportunity to showcase his talents and playmaking abilities. And don’t forget that Shakir Mukhamadullin and Luke Hughes, both first rounders, have not even joined the big club yet. It clearly shows the amount of defensive depth the Devils have in their prospect pool. Even though the Devils rebuild has taken longer than expected, Fitzgerald has size, speed, and playmaking abilities with this core group of young blueliners.

In the end, defense ultimately wins championships. It may take a little bit more time to see it at the NHL level for the Devils, but Utica is thriving right now with their young talent on defense. The Comets success should give Devils fans hope and a glimpse into the Devils’ future.

Reilly Walsh

Reilly Walsh brought the OT heat 🔥@UticaComets | @Verizon pic.twitter.com/CuWDTm8QiH

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) April 26, 2022

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Sam Woo is co-host and executive producer of the Let's Go Devils Podcast which can be heard live every Sunday at 9pm ET and Wednesday at 8:30pm ET.

You can follow Sam on Twitter: @PrimetimeSamWoo

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