Captain's skates are well underway at RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House. With training camp right around the corner, old faces have returned to the Garden State, while new additions are getting acclimated to their new facility and New Jersey Devils teammates.
For me, it is that time of year when memorizing new numbers and incoming players' stats goes into hyperdrive as a new notebook gets broken in ahead of the 2026-27 season. I also like to go back through my notes and quotes from the prior season, copying key information into my notebook for this season.
In doing that, I came across some odds and ends that I haven’t had a chance to share before I turn the page and look ahead to training camp later this week. From reaction to Nico Hischier’s extension to the legacy general manager Sunny Mehta hopes to leave behind, let’s dive in.
1. When Hischier signed his extension back in July, his teammate, Stefan Noesen, had this to say to The Hockey News: “Since day one when he was drafted, he has always been a loyal person, and it holds true today. He loves New Jersey. He clearly sees the vision and wants to be here. He’s a great leader and an even better person.”
2. Before prospect Matias Vanhanen announced his commitment to Boston College on July 21, he spoke with other schools. On a Zoom call with the Boston College staff, the winger heard them pitch their program and explain why they felt he would be a good fit. Vanhanen took his time and considered other options before choosing BC. Funny enough, he visited the campus about three and a half years ago with his mom while in Boston.
3. Speaking of Vanhanen, Boston College assistant coach Brent Darnell described the 18-year-old as a smart, self-aware player who knows what kind of player he is.
4. During development camp, Conrad Fondrk had this to say about his Boston University teammate and fellow Devils prospect Mikhail Yegorov: “Big Mike, he’s great. Such a character. I mean, nothing but good things to say about him. He is always positive, always checking in and keeping other guys in check. I am good friends with him, and we talk all the time.”
5. Last season, Fondrk wasn’t playing at 100 percent: “I was dealing with a leg (injury) up until almost Christmas. Even after that, it was still kind of bugging me a little bit. Then I had a concussion there at the end, so I was out for a while.”
The good news is he got in a full summer of training, and by getting those reps on the ice and in the weight room, he rediscovered his confidence going into the 2026-27 season.
6. Anton Silayev didn't know Arseny Gritsyuk before this summer, but that doesn’t mean the second-year winger won’t be an asset to the towering defenseman, helping him adjust to North America faster and giving him a bit of an advantage.
7. Brett Pesce was a bigger loss than some may believe. Beyond what everyone sees on the ice, he is a glue guy who was severely missed in the locker room. Brenden Dillon had this to say when I asked about his teammate:
“I always start smiling when talking about him. He is probably one of my closest buddies on the team. Injuries are just so tough, and he wore it this year. Block a shot, and he is out for two months; then he comes back, and then he's dealing with something else. He just tries to play through everything. Even when he got hurt at the end of the year, he finished the game, and there are a handful of guys I know that would be able to play through what he was playing through.
“In the locker room, he is a vocal guy, adding one more leadership voice in there to settle things down if it is not going great. I think everybody should be pissed off. I know he is, for sure, with how things have played out. I think for him and me, we signed here at the same time, hoping and wanting to be a part of something special. Unfortunately, we lost out in the first round last year and then this year to not even be in the playoffs. Those are chips on both of our shoulders, and we are going to look forward to getting better next year.”
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connec8. What one Devils player said about Connor Brown: “There's a lot of guys in here keeping each other accountable, but I would say he is a big one.”
9. The legacy that Sunny Mehta wants to leave as New Jersey Devils general manager: “I would say somebody who truly cared about this organization more than just being the general manager, because I think that is true. It is not very often that the general manager also grew up 20 miles from the arena, grew up a huge fan of the team, and cares so deeply about the organization, and I do think that is something that is important to me.”
