The New Jersey Devils are officially one goalie lighter as training camp gets underway Thursday morning.
Former Dallas Stars goaltending prospect Adam Scheel, who was invited to the Devils' training camp as an invitee, has decided to pass up the opportunity to spend time in an NHL training camp, instead opting for a better chance, joining KHL outfit Barys Astana on a one-year deal.
Scheel, 26, split the 2024-25 season between the AHL Colorado Eagles and the ECHL Utah Grizzlies and has yet to appear in an NHL game. The formerly undrafted goalie would have been competing at Devils training camp with fellow invitee Georgii Romanov, as well as prospects Nico Daws, Tyler Brennan, and Jakub Malek.
Scheel really would have only come into play had Daws gotten claimed on waivers, in which case the Devils would need insurance behind Malek, Jacob Markstrom, and Jake Allen. Even so, he was fighting to be AHL/ECHL depth. If he ended up playing NHL games, there would have been catastrophic injuries to report.
Now, that honor seemingly is Romanov's to lose, especially given that the former San Jose Sharks prospect already has some NHL experience under his belt. He gets the time on ice while Scheel continues his career in the KHL.
Coincidentally, Scheel now joins an Astana team that features former Devils players like Tyce Thompson, who flamed out with the New York Islanders organization, and defenseman Reilly Walsh, who was promising like Thompson but also never quite developed into a player capable of being an NHL regular.