Here's a recap of the latest Devils' news and notes.
NEWARK, N.J. -- For the first time this (pre)season, New Jersey Devils fans traveled to Prudential Center to get their first look at Alexander Holtz, Josh Filmon, and newly acquired goaltender Erik Kallgren. The Devils opened preseason with a split squad on Monday night, resulting in two victories. Below is a recap of some of the biggest headlines from the past few days.
New Jersey Devils Headlines
- Timo Meier played his first Devils (preseason) game wearing his new number. On Sept. 19, the team announced that the power forward would wear #28.
Per the press release: "Timo will partner with the New Jersey Devils to provide fans with the opportunity to wear their #96 Timo jerseys to the Devils Den and receive a 28% discount on their purchase of a new #28 Timo jersey within the first 2 weeks of the regular season. The first 128 fans to purchase a #28 Timo jersey will receive a Timo-signed puck. Timo will also match 28% of all #28 Jersey sales from the first 2 weeks of the regular season in a donation to Hockey in New Jersey."
- New Jersey divided their training camp roster and sent half their team north to play the Montreal Canadiens. The lineup, headlined by Jack Hughes, Tyler Toffoli, and John Marino, would eventually beat their opponent by a final score of 4-2. Hughes tallied three points (one goal, and two assists).
- The other half of the roster hosted the Philadelphia Flyers at Prudential Center. Their lineup, led by Nico Hischier, Dougie Hamilton, and Timo Meier, earned a dominant 6-0 victory, with Jesper Bratt having his own three-point night.
- Keith Kinkaid left the Devils' preseason game versus the Montreal Canadiens after contact with opposing forward Joshua Roy. The netminder initially remained in the game, but with five minutes left in the period, he exited the game.
Devils Make Cuts from Training Camp Roster
On Tuesday morning, the Devils announced their first 2023-24 preseason roster moves.
Cam Squires (Cape Breton, QMJHL) and Cole Brown (Brantford, OHL) were assigned to their junior teams. The two forwards were drafted this summer in Nashville, Squires in the fourth round and Brown in the sixth.
Devils fans should watch Brown, who made an impression on his teammates during July's development camp.
"Cole Brown is a pretty good player," said goaltender Tyler Brennan. "(He) was just drafted this year, and I think he's got something special there. I think he's shown everyone a little bit of what he's got. I was super impressed with what he had, not just his play on the ice but off of it, too. He's a great guy, and I love being around him."
Defenseman Chase Cheslock responded similarly when asked which one of his teammates stood out.
"There were a lot of good guys, but (Brown) was lights out today," he said. "I got to spend a lot of time with him; we rode together on the bus to West Point. I'm not surprised, but seeing him today was a lot of fun to watch."
The Devils' roster training camp is down to 55 players (30 forwards, 17 defensemen, and eight goaltenders).
In Case You Missed It
- Devils Wrap: David Clarkson Returns to NJ, Haula, Hughes and More
- Devils Announce 2023-24 Theme Night Schedule
- Devils Announce 2023 Training Camp Roster and Schedule
- Devils Meet & Greet Event: Ondrej Palat at Sports Minded Unlimited
- Devils' Bastian Provides Recovery Update: 'I Wasn't Sure I'd Be Able to Skate With the Guys at Camp'
- Devils Release Rosters for Split Squad Games
- Game Recap: Bratt Tallies 3 Points in Devils Impressive 6-0 Victory Over Flyers
- Devils' Bratt Opens About His Mental Skills Coach's Positive Influence
- Devils Training Camp: 10 Storylines to Watch, Including Holtz and Schmid
-NOTEBOOK: Devils Set Tone Early as Training Camp Continues
-NOTEBOOK: Devils Host Second Scrimmage, Luke Hughes Joins Practice Group
- NOTEBOOK: Devils Host Final Scrimmage, Haula Takes Maintenance Day
Around the Metropolitan Division
- The Columbus Blue Jackets added Mark Recchi as an assistant coach to Pascal Vincent's staff.
"Mark Recchi has been part of the National Hockey League for over three decades and brings an incredible amount of experience to our staff," said Vincent. "He is a Hall of Fame player who won three Stanley Cup championships, which, combined with his coaching experience, will make him a great resource for our players. We are excited to have him in Columbus."
The move reunites him with Damon Severson, as Recchi was behind the bench in New Jersey for two seasons.