Devils' AHL Affiliate Continues to Tweak Their Roster

Comets' general manager Dan MacKinnon has been busy putting together his 2023-24 roster.

NEWARK, N.J. -- The New Jersey Devils' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, Utica Comets, is undergoing major changes to their roster this summer. After making the playoffs last spring, the Comets were eliminated by the Toronto Marlies in four games.

As a recap, here are all the biggest transactions the Comets have made since May 2023. 

Timur Ibragimov signed a one-year AHL contract for the 2023-24 season, GM MacKinnon announced on May 1 . He was part of the Sharks package that sent Timo Meier to New Jersey. In 15 games with the Comets, he registered 6 points (three goals, three assists).

Three days later, it was announced that veterans Joe Gambardella, 29, and Robbie Russo, 30, were signed to respective two-year and one-year AHL contracts. Gambardella was the team's alternate captain during the 2022-23 season. 

Samuel Laberge, 26, was also re-signed to a one-year contract. In 43 games for the Comets last season, he collected 16 points (eight goals, eight assists). 

Acquired via a trade, Devils general manager, Tom Fitzgerald signed forward Shane Bowers to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 at the NHL level and $125,000 at the AHL level on June 29. 

After the Fourth of July weekend, Utica signed goaltender Jeremy Brodeur, the son of Martin Brodeur, to a two-way AHL contract, along with Colin Felix to a one-way AHL contract for the upcoming season.

Reilly Walsh, who has been in the Devils organization since he was drafted in 2017, was traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Bowers. It was unlikely he would crack the organization's NHL roster, with Kevin Bahl, Luke Hughes, and Simon Nemec vying for spots on the blue line.  

Forward Nolan Stevens signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Detroit Red Wings on July 3. The contract will have an average annual value (AAV) of $775,000 at the NHL level and $150,000 at the AHL level. He finished last season with 33 points in 48 games. 

The Calgary Wranglers recently announced the signing of defenseman Jarrod Gourley. He split his time playing between the AHL and ECHL. Last season, he appeared in eight games with the Comets scoring one goal and adding one assist for two points. 

Brian Pinho, 28, signed with the New York Islanders as a free agent on July 5. He collected 28 points in 53 regular season games for the Comets during the 2002-23 campaign. 

New Jersey did not tender a qualifying offer to Aarne Talvitie or Jeremy Groleau. The former signed in Finland while the latter is not expected to return to the Comets for the 2023-24 campaign. 

The Vegas Golden Knights signed Mason Geertsen to a two-year, two-way deal, according to PuckPedia. The 28-year-old has been part of the Devils organization for the past two seasons. 

Birnell also reports the below players are signed to AHL contracts for the 2023-24 campaign.

Forwards: Ryan Schmelzer, Joe Gambardella, Sam Laberge, Timur Ibragimov, Filip Engaras, T.J. Friedman, Erik Middendorf, Xavier Parent.

Defensemen: Robbie Russo, Colin Felix.

Goalies: Isaac Poulter, Jeremy Brodeur.

Additionally, he notes that, as always, the Devils will be assigning players on NHL contracts to Utica following training camp in the fall. New Jersey's development camp will begin, Monday, July 10. The list of attendees has not been released, but as more information becomes available, we have you covered here at The Hockey News.