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New Jersey Devils Development Camp Begins Today

By Jonathan Miller

Apr 9, 2016; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils defenseman Steven Santini (38) skates with the puck during the third period at Prudential Center. The Devils defeated the Maple Leafs 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 9, 2016; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils defenseman Steven Santini (38) skates with the puck during the third period at Prudential Center. The Devils defeated the Maple Leafs 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New Jersey Devils 2016 Development Camp will take place from Tuesday, July 12 to Saturday, July 16 at Barnabas Health Hockey House at Prudential Center.

Excited for hockey yet?  We’re getting closer and closer to the beginning of the 2016-17 season, and the New Jersey Devils top prospects will be in Newark this week for the 2016 Development Camp.  The camp begins today with practices, a 3-on-3 tournament Wednesday, more workouts Thursday and Friday and concludes with a scrimmage on Saturday.

The full development camp roster can be found here on the Devils website.  It includes 4 goalies, 10 defensemen and 20 forwards.  The roster ranges from undrafted free agents to AHL players to draft picks, including six of the nine players selected by the Devils in this year’s NHL draft.  The camp will provide team management with a first-hand observation of the young players they have been developing in various leagues, as well as a fresh look at some players who were not drafted.  You can watch an interview with Devils assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald here as he discusses a few of the prospects to watch at this year’s camp.

Who are we excited to see?  Let’s break it down.

Joseph Blandisi is really the only player with any NHL experience attending camp.  I think it’s a smart move by the Devils to have him present, not only continue to establish his game, but also send a message that he still has a lot to prove at the pro level.  He stuck around on the Devils roster for half of last season, 41 games, and put up a respectable 5 goals and 12 assists.  But, if he doesn’t pick up where he left off last season, there are plenty of hungry players right behind him ready to take his spot on the roster.  The Devils did something similar with Damon Severson last year.  He attended development camp as well, even though he already had 51 games of NHL experience under his belt. Competition for young players is a good thing, so I like this move.

Apr 9, 2016; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils center Pavel Zacha (37) skates with the puck during the second period of their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 9, 2016; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils center Pavel Zacha (37) skates with the puck during the second period of their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports /

Besides Blandisi, it appears that Pavel Zacha and Steve Santini have the best shot at making the NHL roster this year.  Zacha, the Devils 2015 first round pick, is currently battling a hip pointer and may be limited in on-ice activities this week.  After a strong season in the OHL, Ray Shero has made it very clear that he will get a chance to make the team this September in training camp. Zacha had a career year with the Sarnia Sting, scoring 28 goals and dishing out 36 assists.  Santini is getting his shot earlier than expected for a different reason, that being defensive depth.  After a strong college career with Boston College and solid performance in the World Championships for Team USA, Santini looks primed to take the next step in his hockey career, to the NHL.

The Devils currently only have 5 defensemen signed on their roster. When they traded Adam Larsson to Edmonton, the defensive corps got a lot thinner.  With Jon Merrill rehabbing from shoulder surgery and David Schlemko signing with the San Jose Sharks via free agency, there are definitely open spots on the roster. As of right now, it’s unclear whether those spots will be filled internally or externally.

So, which young defensemen will step up?

Will it be Santini?  Most likely. Could 2014 second round pick Joshua Jacobs make an impression? We’ll see. I’m intrigued to see defenseman Yohann Auvitu, who the Devils signed in May.  Coming from France, he’s a virtual unknown, but has just as much of a chance to make the team as any other player participating this week.  The Devils pending questions on the blue line probably won’t be answered at development camp, but it will give management a good idea of which players will provide the depth that the team needs at the NHL level.

As for the Devils other top prospects, I’m looking forward to seeing Miles Wood, John Quenneville and 2016 draft picks and former teammates Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian.  These players are the future for the Devils if they can take this season to develop their game.  Hopefully, in a year or two down the road, they will be scoring a lot of goals in a New Jersey uniform.

Next: Devils Still Have Holes to Fill in Lineup

Which prospects are you looking forward to seeing this week at Devils development camp?

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