Devils Forward Recalled from Utica Comets

As injuries continue to mount, the latest one coming on the blue line, the New Jersey Devils have had to dip into the Utica Comets. New Jersey announced they’ve recalled Devils forward Samuel Laberge on Wednesday.

On Saturday, Laberge signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $90,000 at the American Hockey League (AHL) level and $775,000 at the NHL level.

The Devils forward has yet to make his NHL debut and has the opportunity to do so in the wake of so many injuries in New Jersey. Currently, New Jersey is without Timo Meier (lower body), Erik Haula (lower body), Tomas Nosek (upper body), and technically Nolan Foote (upper body), Nico Daws (offseason surgery), and Brian Halonen (undisclosed). As of Tuesday, New Jersey is also minus defenseman Dougie Hamilton, although there’s been no update on his timeline thus far. It’s possible the Devils’ No.1 defenseman doesn’t miss any time. We should find out more about Hamilton soon.

As a result of Laberge being on the roster, the Devils now have a full roster of 23 players including Meier and Haula. If neither is moved to the injured reserve, that will be a pretty good indication of Hamilton’s health since the Devils don’t appear to be recalling a defenseman.

New Jersey returned Max Willman to the Comets on Tuesday. Laberge is in New Jersey and practiced with the Devils on Wednesday. He’ll wear No.79 while in New Jersey.

As best described by Comets head coach, Kevin Dinnen, Laberge was certainly worthy of a promotion.

“(Laberge) immediately left an impression on us with his intensity, the way he plays, his skating ability, and the small little things that make a huge difference for your team.”

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