New Jersey Devils: Binghamton Veterans Help Secure A Win

The New Jersey Devils have had a lot of guys who have dominated the AHL but could never stick with the NHL club. This leaves this year’s Binghamton team with a lot of veterans. On Wednesday night, those veterans stepped up to deliver a victory. They defeated the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Philadelphia Flyers organization) in overtime to start their season 2-0 with two overtime wins. This is an exciting team that always feels like they are in it.

Ben Thomson and Brett Seney were the two goal scorers in the win. Both of those guys have been with the New Jersey Devils organization for a long time. The last game’s win over the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins was in large part to the kids but this one was the opposite. It was a low scoring affair that Binghamton hung on and won in the end.

Thomson’s goal came in the third period when the Devils were down 1-0. A great keep-in by Michael Vukojevic led to the goal and he earned the only assist. Thomson showed some sweet mitts to beat the goaltender and tie the game. As for Vukojevic, that was his third assist in two games. He isn’t considered an offensive defenseman but he has contributed so far. At 19 years old, you can only wonder what his ceiling is in pro hockey.

In overtime, team captain Ben Street made a sweet play to find Seney in front and he didn’t miss. It was great to see Seney be the hero because he has been highly productive with Binghamton but hasn’t been able to stick with New Jersey. If he keeps playing like this down there, he might find himself getting a chance in the NHL again.

Whenever there is a low scoring game like this, the goaltenders deserve some credit. Former B-Devils goalie Zane McIntyre stood on his head at times in this game for the Phantoms. Likewise, Evan Cormier did the exact same thing on the other side for the Devils. It was fun to watch these two compete so hard and earn their team at least one standings point.

The New Jersey Devils fans should keep an eye on some young defensemen.

You heard earlier about Vukojevic. Well, he isn’t the only young blueliner making an impact. Kevin Bahl was sent from the New Jersey Devils taxi squad to the Binghamton Devils Wednesday morning and he made his pro debut. You might remember Bahl as the big prospect who came back to New Jersey in the Taylor Hall trade. He is a big-body defenseman and you can always tell when he is on the ice. This is the type of prospect that you look forward to cracking the NHL. New Jersey could really use a player like him.

When Adam Fox left Harvard to go to the New York Rangers, Reilly Walsh took over as their top power-play quarterback. He has taken that role on with Binghamton. We all know how important that position is to scoring goals with the man advantage. Once they get going, that will be big for Walsh as he hopes to do that with a Devils’ unit one day. Seeing Nolan Foote in the shooter’s position to Walsh’s right is also really fun to watch.

The Devils are back in action against the Utica Comets on Saturday. This team’s growth is very important to the organization’s development. A lot of these guys want to be on the NHL squad over the next few years and these games are very important for them. Hopefully, they are able to keep winning.