Daniil Misyul will make his NHL debut when the New Jersey Devils host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night.
Daniil Misyul will make his NHL debut when the New Jersey Devils host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night.
Under a blue sky on an 80-degree day in late October, New Jersey Devils defenseman Daniil Misyul arrived at Prudential Center to make his NHL debut against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The journey to his rookie solo lap before pregame warm-ups began when the 6-foot-3 blueliner traveled from Utica, New York, to New Jersey to be part of the team's Monday morning practice.
He told reporters it was "a great birthday present" as he turned 24 on Sunday, Oct. 20.
"I am excited," Misyul said of his debut. "I was told (I would be in the lineup) yesterday. It is a good opportunity and a good time for me. [...] It is a lot of work for this day. I think it is amazing for me. I can't wait for tonight."
Before getting called up, Misyul appeared in three games for the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL). He was part of the team's top defensive pair alongside Nick DeSimone. He has eight penalty minutes and a plus-minus -2 to start the 2024-25 season.
"It is a great opportunity for him," head coach Sheldon Keefe said. "The message we gave him is that he does not need to complicate things out there. He is a big body that we expect to be physical and in place and move the puck efficiently up to the forwards. That is about it.
"Hold his position and make up for any nerves or inexperience that he has playing in the NHL, any of those gaps can be made up by playing good sound, positional hockey. We'll get a look at him here tonight in a game setting."
Misyul kept with tradition and skated onto the ice at Prudential Center without his helmet before being joined by his teammates. The coaching staff has him paired with second-year defenseman Simon Nemec to start the game.
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