Three Storylines to Watch at Devils Training Camp

After five long months, New Jersey Devils hockey is finally back.

The first steps of the new season take place with the start of training camp this week. The Devils prospects just finished playing in the annual Prospect Challenge, and now all eyes are focused on the main training camp.

After a tumultuous 2023-24 season, the Devils are looking to begin a new era under the leadership of new head coach Sheldon Keefe.

With plenty of roster turnover from last year, there will be plenty to discuss as training camp and preseason get underway. But before the players hit the ice for the first time, here is what to watch for at Devils training camp.

Defensive Pairings

For the majority of the summer, the Devils defensive pairings to start the season seemed obvious. Reunite Jonas Siegenthaler with Dougie Hamilton, give Luke Hughes a defensively responsible defender in Brett Pesce, and partner the young but promising Simon Nemec with a quality veteran in Brendan Dillon.

Then Luke Hughes got injured. With Hughes’s injury sidelining him for all of training camp and the start of the regular season, Sheldon Keefe will have to make a big decision right out of the gate. We recently discussed potential options to replace Luke, and how Keefe sets up his defense on day one will be telling. In addition, the unknown status of Nemec after he suffered an injury in Olympic qualifiers looms large.

General Manager Tom Fitzgerald did a nice job this summer acquiring depth, which includes Jonathan Kovacevic and PTO Jakub Zboril. In addition, Santeri Hatakka and Nick DeSimone will also be pushing for NHL jobs after signing new deals this summer.

Also, will any of the young defensemen get a shot? Seamus Casey just had a great Prospect Challenge. Colton White has NHL experience. Also, Daniil Misyul and Topias Vilen are both coming off of solid first season’s in the AHL.

What will be most interesting is if Keefe decides to stack his top four with Hamilton, Siegenthaler, Pesce, and Dillon, or does he spread the wealth to make three even pairings?

Forward Depth Competition

The biggest widespread position battle heading into training camp will take place at the bottom of the lineup. On defense, it’s merely a battle for who will help fill in the gaps with Hughes and possibly Nemec out to start the season. Upfront, there are jobs to be won and lost.

Spots for the 12th, 13th, and even 14th forward should all be up for grabs entering camp. Newcomer Paul Cotter should be a mainstay on the fourth line, as should Curtis Lazar, but after a poor and injury-shortened season, Nathan Basitan’s spot is all but secure.

Kurtis MacDermid should be one of the favorites to make the team, given the three-year contract he signed at the beginning of the summer. PTO Kevin Labanc will be the player to watch during the preseason. Despite a very poor 2023-24, he’s a proven point producer with solid underlying numbers. Fitzgerald has shown a fondness for giving former skill players a chance to reinvent themselves on the bottom six (i.e., Jimmy Vesey) and could look to do so with Labanc.

Nolan Foote, Adam Beckman, Brian Halonen, and Max Willman have all played NHL game(s) and should be nipping at Bastian and MacDermid’s heels for a seat on the flight to Prague.

Which Prospects Can Push for a Spot?

This question will be much more applicable in 2025-26 when Arseni Gritsyuk, Lenni Hameenaho, and a more experienced Seamus Casey show up to camp, but given the few holes in depth spots, it’s not out of the question a rookie couldn’t sneak their way onto the opening night roster.

As mentioned, Casey has a chance to crack the roster if Hughes and Nemec are both out to start camp. He showed during the Prospect Challenge that he’s a cut above everyone else. Size remains a concern, but he skates out of trouble better than anyone else and has the offensive creativity to quarterback a power play if need be.

Also, as mentioned, there will be a ton of bodies fighting for a spot as a depth forward. It would take a 2016 Jesper Bratt-esque training camp for someone like Cam Squires to make the team, but his stock continues to be on the rise. He has an outside chance, but maybe there’s enough momentum there to start the season in the NHL.

However, the two prospects who also put together a very good Prospect Challenge weekend that could compete are Chase Stillman and Xavier Parent. Stillman – a 2021 first-round pick – has been biding his time the past three years, and it may be now or never for him. He’s known for an abrasive and “dog on a bone” style of play but showed off a bit of skill recently. His ceiling hasn’t changed since being a drafter – an energy bottom-six forward – but that could be exactly what the Devils need this season.

As for Parent, the undrafted signee two years ago has put together two good seasons while on an AHL contract. He’s undersized but has speed to burn and the skill that he loves to show off. The challenge for Parent is having his game translate to not just the NHL but as a fourth-liner or depth forward. Similar to the sentiment shared about Squire, an excellent – not good, not even great – but excellent training camp could be enough to get him a spot on the roster.

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