The Utica Comets, the AHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils, will kick off their 13th season tonight against the Cleveland Monsters.
Head Coach Ryan Parent enters his first full season behind the bench after stepping in as interim coach last November. Joining him are two new assistant coaches, Matt Carkner and Mark Voakes.
Carkner joins the Comets after serving as General Manager and Head Coach of the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears for the past three seasons. Voakes spent the last three years as a Player Development Coach with the New Jersey Devils.
Team captain Ryan Schmelzer returns after four seasons wearing the “C". He will be continuing to lead the Comets both on and off the ice.
A notable newcomer to watch is Cam Squires, a 2023 fourth-round draft pick of the New Jersey Devils.
The Comets’ opening night roster features 30 players: 16 forwards, 10 defensemen, and four goaltenders:
Forwards: Angus Crookshank Nathan Légaré Cam Squires Jack Malone Jonathan Gruden Zack MacEwen Josh Filmon Matyas Melovsky Brian Halonen Ryan Schmelzer Dylan Wendt Mike Hardman Tag Bertuzzi Xavier Parent Alex Campbell Thomas Bordeleau
Defensemen: Calen Addison Jeremy Hanzel Colton White Austin Strand Luke Reid Topias Vilén Dmitri Osipov Jackson Van De Leest Mikael Diotte Ethan Edwards
Goaltenders: Jakub Málek Georgi Romanov Tyler Brennan Nico Daws
Between the opening night roster being announced and the season opener, several moves were made.
Cam Squires, Dylan Wendt, Alex Campbell, Jeremy Hanzel, Luke Reid, and Tyler Brennan were all assigned to the Adirondack Thunder in the ECHL.
Lenni Hämeenaho and Shane Lachance were assigned to the Comets and made their debut with the team.
The final change was Georgi Romanov signed with the St. Louis Blues.
The Comets look to rebound after missing the Calder Cup Playoffs last season, finishing with a 31-33-6-2 record (70 points), good for seventh in their division.
They’ll aim to start strong when the puck drops tonight at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed live on FloHockey.
Upcoming Schedule (First Half of the Season)
October
Oct. 10 – Cleveland vs. Utica
Oct. 11 – Cleveland vs. Utica
Oct. 17 – Rochester vs. Utica
Oct. 19 – Utica vs. Toronto
Oct. 24 – Utica vs. Syracuse
Oct. 25 – Laval vs. Utica
Oct. 31 – Utica vs. Syracuse
November
Nov. 1 – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Utica
Nov. 7 – Belleville vs. Utica
Nov. 8 – Utica vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Nov. 11 – Syracuse vs. Utica
Nov. 14 – Belleville vs. Utica
Nov. 15 – Utica vs. Providence
Nov. 21 – Utica vs. Springfield
Nov. 22 – Rochester vs. Utica
Nov. 26 – Syracuse vs. Utica
Nov. 29 – Utica vs. Syracuse
December
Dec. 3 – Utica vs. Rochester
Dec. 5 – Bridgeport vs. Utica
Dec. 6 – Utica vs. Lehigh Valley
Dec. 10 – Syracuse vs. Utica
Dec. 12 – Hartford vs. Utica
Dec. 13 – Springfield vs. Utica
Dec. 17 – Utica vs. Rochester
Dec. 19 – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Utica
Dec. 20 – Utica vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Dec. 27 – Toronto vs. Utica
Dec. 28 – Utica vs. Belleville