Report: Devils to Kick Off 2024-25 Season at Global Series in Prague

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New Jersey Devils are heading overseas to kick off the 2024-25 regular season when the NHL Global Series returns to Prague, a report says.

A source confirmed the report to New Jersey Hockey Now.

According to David Pagnotta, the Devils will face the Buffalo Sabres in Prague to kick off the regular season in 2024-25. The Devils and Sabres will face off twice, a home and away game for each team. The Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers will also face off in Finland in November.

The Fourth Period were the first to report the news. It became official on March 12th, per the Devils’ PR.

The Sabres are taking flight to Germany first prior to their stop in Prague. Buffalo will participate in two exhibition games in Munich as part of their preseason.

The NHL Global Series started in 2017 to bring the NHL product overseas to its international fans. The Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators were the first to participate in the NHL international play in Stockholm, Sweden. After three successful runs overseas in Sweden, Germany, and Switzerland, the Global Series was paused due to Covid complications.

However, the international initiative was picked up again in 2022 between the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks, as well as the Columbus Blue Jackets and Avalanche. The Global Series debuted in Prague between the Predators and Sharks in 2022. The Blue Jackets and Avalanche faced off in Finland.

Earlier this season, the Global Series went back to Stockholm, Sweden hosted four games in the event. The Senators, Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, and Toronto Maple Leafs all faced off.

Although they didn’t count toward their regular season records, the Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes skated in preseason action in Melbourne, Australia. In two contests, the Kings and Coyotes drew crowds of 13K-plus fans in each game.

This won’t be the first Global Series participation for the Devils. New Jersey participated in a preseason contest with Switzerland’s SC Bern back in 2018. However, the games will count when the Devils hit the ice in Prague as their first two games of the 2024-25 regular season.

The Devils current native Czech players are Ondrej Palat, Tomas Nosek, and Vitek Vanecek.

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