The New Jersey Devils are preparing for the season, and they are in a good place with the roster. While most would like to have another top-six player in this lineup, Evgenii Dadonov is doing a really good job of filling that spot for now. In fact, the Devils have really celebrated all of their new additions, including Connor Brown, who has been a good fit alongside Ondrej Palat.
They aren’t the only new additions to this roster. The Devils added multiple new faces that aren’t veterans. The expectation is that the Devils added firepower to the Utica Comets with the hopes that it will eventually have an impact on the NHL team.
How fast can the Devils expect these players to develop, and which ones are going to make their NHL debut this season? On top of that, can some of the players with a longer leash make their debut on the Devils, as well?
1. Arseny Gritsyuk
Let’s start with the obvious. Arseny Gristyuk was given a chance to stick in the NHL this preseason, and he did about as well as anyone could expect. The Russian played all six preseason games for the Devils, and he had two goals and three assists in those games. Four of those points came at even strength.
Gritsyuk is going to start the season on the NHL roster, and he deserves it after how he’s played. He doesn’t need any more seasoning in the AHL. Honestly, he might earn a promotion within the lineup before we know it.
Gritsyuk is starting the season on the Devils’ fourth line with Luke Glendening, who just signed, and Paul Cotter. Cotter and Gritsyuk have been a match made in heaven, and the two could combine for 30-40 goals this season in the right situation. The Devils also might promote Gritsyuk if any of their wingers ever get injured or underperform.
For now, Gritsyuk is happy to make his NHL debut on Thursday. He will be the first player making his debut this season, but he definitely won’t be the last.
2. Lenni Hameenaho
At first, it seemed like the Devils were shockingly going to start the season with Lenni Hameenaho on the NHL roster. It turns out that the team was doing it to make the salary cap work. Hameenaho was sent to the Utica Comets on Tuesday to start the season in the AHL.
Still, the Devils were showing their cards a little bit with this move. We’d expect the first call ups of the season to include Hameenaho. He broke out last season on Finland’s Assat, going from 31 points to 51 points and playing 58 games.
He also played for Finland at the World Championships, adding four points in eight games against some NHL players.
The former second-round pick was known as a motor guy, but he developed a great offensive game. However, he still has to prove he translates to the NHL game. He missed some time in training camp with an injury he suffered in development camp. He’s over that injury now, and we expect his call up to come sooner rather than later.
3. Shane Lachance
Both Hameenaho and Shane Lachance are going to be tied together for a long time. They both “made” the NHL roster on Monday, only to be sent down to the AHL on Tuesday after the Devils signed Glendening. Lachance, like Hameenaho, started training camp with a minor injury, but he is back to full health.
Lachance played two games this season, scoring one goal and one assist at 5v5. His underlying numbers were excellent, as he demonstrated a knack for creating his own chances. He looked very good for a guy just coming off his college season.
When he joined the Comets last season, Lachance proved himself in a very short window. He helped Boston University get to the National Championship Game at the Frozen Four, so he only had time for two games in the AHL, but he had two points in those games.
Lachance isn’t a dynamic offensive player, but that’s not why the Devils targeted him in the Oilers' prospect pool. The former sixth-round pick really grew as a bottom-six option. He’s probably the Devils’ first call-up, and he’ll make an early impact on this team.
4. Topias Vilen
The Devils have decent defensive depth this season. Even with injuries to Johnny Kovacevic and Seamus Casey to start the season, the team still has seven NHL defensemen to fill the roster. On top of that, players like Colton White, Calen Addison, and Austin Strand come to Utica with NHL experience under their belt.
The Devils could call up a number of different players, but one interesting name to pay attention to is Topias Vilen. Two years ago, Vilen appeared to be a prospect with upside. Since then, he’s fallen out of favor slightly, but there was a lot wrong with the Comets last season, and we’re trying not to take too much out of the lack of development that came from it.
Vilen finished last season with 24 points in 58 games, which is worse than his rookie season in the AHL. If he can reverse that trend and get to around 40 points in the AHL, it would do so much for his progression.
A lot has to happen for Vilen to get a shot with the NHL roster, but he was given nearly 50 minutes of 5v5 ice time in the preseason. It’s clear Sheldon Keefe wanted to see something out of the kid. Might as well give him a game or two up to the main team.
5. Xavier Parent
Xavier Parent is not a player on many analysts’ radars, but he’s someone to keep an eye on. They kept him up with the NHL training camp a little longer than some of his teammates. He played most of his preseason with Thomas Bordeleau, a player the Devils hoped would provide NHL depth. He moved from wing to center, something the Devils really like in their secondary players.
Parent is very under the radar, but he’s had back-to-back 15+ goal seasons (with a career-high 17 goals last season). This season, he’s expected to break 20 goals, and he could even get to 25 goals if he progresses like we hope he will.
If he’s scoring at that pace, the Devils would be paying attention. Comets GM Dan MacKinnon has a direct line to Tom Fitzgerald, and if one of his guys pops, he’ll suggest they get called up.
The one thing working against us here is that the Devils only gave Parent one preseason game. That doesn’t prove their confidence like his practice deployment would suggest. It’s early, and there’s often a lot of call ups during the year, so we expect Parent to get his first game or two before the year is through.