The Utica Comets are tied with the Iowa Wild for the longest current playoff drought in the American Hockey League, if you can believe that. Sure, it’s a three-year drought, but it’s hard to miss the playoffs in the AHL when 23 of 32 teams qualify. The Comets were close but came up short on the final day of the season (thanks to the Rochester Americans getting one point against the Hershey Bears). 

Now everything will change. With Sonny Mehta taking over as the general manager (GM) of the New Jersey Devils, there’s a focus on changing the culture. That starts with the AHL team, where Mehta can and will invest.

After an offseason of moves and changes to the Comets, it wouldn’t be a shock if they were one of the best teams in the North Division. Better yet, they’ll become a place where prospects develop, which wasn’t the case under the previous Devils GM. 

Stats from 2025-26:

Record: 30-31-6-5 (6th in the North Division, 12th in the Eastern Conference & tied for 24th in the AHL)

Offense: 2.76 goals per game (27th in the AHL)

Defense: 3.05 goals per game (12th in the AHL)

From a prospect standpoint, the Comets don’t have a deep roster, at least not yet. The Devils' pipeline is in the bottom half of the league, and it will take time before they have high-impact young players coming up through their farm system. 

Plus, the goaltending remains a question mark. The Devils have the same issue, albeit for different reasons. Jakub Malek had an .895 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.75 goals-against average (GAA) in 31 games played as a rookie. It’s a sample size that proves he can’t be the primary starter and needs someone to split starts with. There’s no plan for a backup at the time of this typing (although the Devils have three goaltenders, so maybe one clears waivers). 

It’s worth adding that the North Division is shaping up to be a gauntlet this time around, with eight teams that improved this summer. There won’t be a team that the Comets, or anyone, can beat up on and pile up the points (in the past, that team was Utica). 

This puts all the pressure on head coach Ryan Parent, who is entering his second full season behind the bench. He’s still the head coach despite the front office changes, a surprise considering how GMs love to bring in their coach to lead the AHL team. Parent is expected to lead the Comets to the playoffs but if not, Utica will have a new head coach. 

The Comets were one of the more active teams in the summer. Specifically, Mehta made some moves to help the Devils while helping the Comets in the process. He added borderline NHLers who will have a floor of a high-impact AHLer. 

The big moves came before the draft as the Devils acquired Amadeus Lombardi from the Grand Rapids Griffins and Declan Chisholm from the Washington Capitals. Chisholm is a depth defenseman in the NHL while being a top-four option in the AHL. Lombardi, meanwhile, has high upside as a 23-year-old forward who is still developing and coming off a 42-point season. It makes him a key part of the offense but down the road, he can develop into a pivotal part of the Devils' middle six. 

Then there was the offseason haul. Colin White and Riley Tufte are the big-time veterans who combined for 104 points last season and will lead the Comets both on and off the ice. The same is true about Justin Pearson and Zach Gallant, two AHL vets who are leaders in the room and will become depth players on the Comets. 

All of these additions set up the Comets for success. They enter this season with a great veteran presence, which will help the prospects develop. Specifically, the handful of players in the system will overachieve and look NHL-ready. 

The Devils still have a depleted farm system, even with many prospect gurus high on their latest draft. That said, they started adding blue-chip pieces to the Comets' roster in the second half of last season. 

The big name is Anton Silayev, the 20-year-old defenseman who is coming over from the KHL. Silayev is shaping up to be an NHL-ready prospect but defensemen take time to develop, and the Devils might keep him in the AHL this season before making him a regular on their blue line. 

Lenni Hameenaho split his time between the Comets and Devils last season, playing over 30 games with both teams. He showed with his high-end skill that he can play at the next level but he might start the season with the Comets before becoming a full-time Devil. 

Ethan Edwards was on the older side as an AHL rookie and is 23. That said, he impressed on the Comets defense and is another defenseman to watch. While the Devils don’t have a glaring need on their defense, an injury might incline them to turn to him since he’s further along in his development than other defensemen in the system.