The New Jersey Devils made their first significant roster moves of training camp on Friday afternoon, sending a large group of players to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Utica Comets. The headline names on the list are two of the organization's most closely watched prospects: defenseman Anton Silaev and forward Lenni Hämeenaho.
Silaev, the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, is beginning his first season on North American ice after two seasons with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in the KHL.
Devils chief amateur scout Mark Dennehy has said the expectation was for Silaev to push for an NHL job in camp, while acknowledging he could also benefit from more time adjusting to the North American game and the Devils' system in Utica. Silaev looked great and really solidified his unicorn status, but he didn't play at an NHL level just yet. He can skate as well as any defenseman on the ice and knows how to use his body, but he will benefit from some AHL time.
Hämeenaho's case is a little different. The 21-year-old already appeared in 33 NHL games and 37 AHL games last season, with Devils coach Sheldon Keefe praising his transitional play and work ethic. Prior to the Devils offseason, Hameenaho seemed like a lock to make the roster full time, but then Sunny Mehta came in and made multiple additions.
When the Devils added Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist, Luke Evangelista, Amadeus Lombardi, and Anthony Mantha to the forward group without making any serious subtractions, guys were going to be on the outside looking in. Right now, Stefan Noesen and Boqvist are just fighting for roster spots.
Hameenaho is waivers exempt, which is why he's a part of these cuts and is very relevant to the cuts happening on Friday.
Every player the New Jersey Devils cut on Friday is waivers exempt
In the NHL, once a player accumulates enough professional games or years of experience, teams must first expose them to waivers before sending them to the minors, giving all 31 other clubs a chance to claim them for nothing, essentially. Waiver-exempt players skip that step entirely. Because of their age and limited pro service time, the Devils can freely reassign Silaev, Hämeenaho, and the rest of this group between New Jersey and Utica all season long without any risk of losing them to another team.
That flexibility is exactly why it makes sense to see prospects like these two head to the minors now. The Devils can always recall them later in the year without red tape, letting them log real minutes early against lesser competition. Building confidence is especially important for Silaev as he had a rough year developmentally last season.
Below is a full list of Devils cuts from Friday:
Loaned to Utica
Defensemen: Mikael Diotte, Ethan Edwards, Jeremy Hanzel, Etienne Morin, Anton Silaev
Forwards: Josh Filmon, Lenni Hämeenaho, Shane Lachance, Matyas Melovsky, Xavier Parent, Cam Squires, Ben Steeves
Goaltenders: Jakub Malek
Released from Camp (reporting to Utica)
Defensemen: DJ King, Charles Leddy, Eamon Powell
Forwards: Tristan Ashbrook, Zachary Gallant, Gabe Klassen, Jack Malone, Justin Pearson, Ryan Schmelzer, Cristophe Tellier, Jeremy Wilmer
Goaltenders: Jeremy Brodeur, Seth Eisele
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