One New Jersey Devils team is actually worth our attention

With 22 games to go, the New Jersey Devils' season is essentially over with less than a 1% chance of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The dread doesn't just come from the NHL team. The AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, has one of their most disappointing seasons, with the third-worst record in the league. However, there's one team in the organization that is not only having a good year, but has the chance to do something special.

The Devils' ECHL affiliate, the Adirondack Thunder, is in the midst of an extremely impressive campaign. With 23 games left in the regular season, the Thunder are tied for the 4th-best record in the Eastern Conference at 31-15-5-1. They are also 9th overall in the entire ECHL. Led by head coach Sylvain Cloutier, who's in his first season with the club, the Thunder have been a dangerous team all season long. They have won 10 of their last 12, including a thrilling 5-4 overtime win last Wednesday night vs the Reading Royals.

Pucks and Pitchforks spoke with Thunder beat writer Armand Klisivitch of Inside the Rink. He points to several reasons why the Thunder have done so well.

The first he mentioned was the revamp of the offense. "Brannon McManus has been one of the key additions to this team, and his line with Tag Bertuzzi and Chase McLane has been the best line for Adirondack all season," says Klisivitch. McManus has been the team's MVP, leading them in goals (22), assists (30), and points (52).

Another big help that was mentioned was bringing in good, veteran help. Klisivitch adds, "One of the biggest things they've needed to address in the offseason was experience, and they did exactly that by bringing in guys like Jacob Graves and Justin Taylor, and that has really shown in their success this season." A big surprise is one that involves a trade the Devils did this past offseason. Erik Haula was dealt from New Jersey to the Nashville Predators. In that trade, the Devils acquired a 2025 fourth-round pick and defenseman Jeremy Hanzel.

Hanzel has become a huge part of the back end for Adirondack. In 52 games played, he's second in goals (3) and leads in assists (28) and points (31) for defensemen on the team. "Jeremy Hanzel has quietly become a big offensive piece for Adirondack from the blueline and is probably the most underrated player on this team," mentions Klisivitch. Perhaps the biggest strength of the team has been the men between the pipes.

Klisivitch discusses how former 2022 fourth-round pick Tyler Brennan has been a rock in net. He also praises the play of Devils' Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur's son, Jeremy. "As expected, the Goaltending has been solid all season. Jeremy Brodeur has been as advertised, but even more noticeable has been the season Tyler Brennan is having after coming off back-to-back injury-riddled seasons."

With 20 games to go in the regular season, the Thunder will use the break they are on (their next game isn't until Sunday, March 8th) to get ready for the home stretch. They'll not only look to solidify themselves as a playoff team, but also give themselves a chance to truly compete for the ECHL's Kelly Cup. A title that the franchise has yet to win since coming into the league 10 years ago. If they keep up this play, they will be the lone bright spot in a rough year for the New Jersey Devils organization.