It was a friendship that began at the New Jersey Devils' 2024 Development Camp.
Despite different journeys to that development camp, Josh Filmon and Dylan Wendt have been on the same path since. Since that week in Newark in 2024, they prepared for their first professional season and transitioned from sharing a locker room in Newark to sharing a house in upstate New York.
Filmon began the 2024-25 campaign injured, while Wendt made the Utica Comets' season-opening roster. Eventually, the two found themselves in the ECHL playing for the Adirondack Thunder, where they lived together near Lake George.
There, Filmon (21) and Wendt (24) were classified as the "young guys," which led to frequent check-ins by their teammates.
"People were making dinners for us, and the girlfriends and wives were making sure that we were still breathing and the house wasn't burned down," Wendt said with a laugh during a phone interview.
Throughout the season, the young wingers adapted to playing against men and refining their on-ice skills. Away from the rink, they learned firsthand what it takes to be a professional hockey player.
This week, Wendt and Filmon pulled back the curtain and gave The Hockey News an inside look at their experiences this season as they navigated their first pro year together.
"We Were Alongside Each Other For Most Of The Year"
In addition to being occasional linemates with the Thunder, the two found themselves as call-ups to the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL), where they were, at times, again utilized as linemates.
"It is easier to play with guys you are familiar with," Filmon said. "A lot easier, and I felt like it was nice to also just share that experience. Growing as a player with somebody figuring out the different levels."
Wendt agreed with his former roommate, adding that as a first-year professional, you don't know what to expect.
"Going in, I wanted to just keep an open mind," he said. "I wanted to just learn and soak in as much as I could. Obviously, there were hardships throughout the year. I am proud of myself for trying to get better and not looking at the situation, but just making the most of it, and trying to get better every day was my main thing going into my first pro season."
Wendt played 43 games for the Thunder, while Filmon appeared in 65. The latter scored a team-leading 20 goals.
"I got better in other aspects that allowed me to get into scoring opportunities," Filmon said. "I am a pretty slim guy, and it was a bit of an adjustment to learn how to use my body against those guys (in the ECHL). Learning how to hold on to pucks longer, which allowed me to get to the net more and ultimately score more goals from the hard areas."
Both wingers suited up for 12 games for the Comets, and Wendt learned a valuable packing lesson after multiple trips two hours southwest to Utica.
"Josh and I were up and down," Wendt recalled. "I figure the number was around 14 times. What I did was I basically lived out of my car. I have a giant clothes hanger throughout the entire back of my car, and I hung my clothes on it. The first time I was sent down, I unpacked everything, and two days later, I was called back up and had to pack it all up again. I said alright, I learned my lesson on that."
"They Put A Lot Of Faith In You To Figure It Out Yourself"
For the first time in their lives, Wendt and Filmon were on their own and responsible for themselves.
"It is definitely a big jump," Wendt said. "You go from college and everyone living in a house together to the pros, and everyone has families, kids, and wives. It is so different in that aspect."
Compared to an 82-game NHL schedule, the Thunder and Comets' schedule includes 72 games.
"You do have a lot of free time, that is something I notice as well," Wendt said. "What you do in your free time is honestly the difference, and how you take care of yourself and how you fuel yourself. Really, we are on our own; we go from eating in the cafeteria at college to having to shop, buy our groceries, and all that stuff."
21-year-old Filmon added that it goes beyond fueling their bodies.
"(It is) managing going to bed at a good time," he explained. "When we have to be up, when we have to travel, making sure I have laundry done for travel weeks. You are an adult, and you have to take care of yourself. Nobody is there to watch over you. Taking care of a house - that was a new challenge."
Despite the hockey season lasting seven months, being a professional athlete is a 24/7 gig. Now, is the time for Filmon and Wendt to build a foundation and create the habits that will benefit their career.
"I just try to embody that this is my full-time job, which it is, and it's kind of crazy to say that I am a hockey player," Wendt shared. "So that has been the thing for me to adapt to, but also one of the coolest to really embrace being a pro and handling myself and everything I do like a pro."
"We Were In It Together"
In hockey, there is always competition. It is human nature to feel envy seeing someone receive a call-up you have been working for, but over the short time of their friendship, Filmon and Wendt developed an internal support amongst each other.
"We were kind of going through the same thing, so we were in it together," Wendt said. "It is just one of those things that it is how you react to the situation. There is really nothing we can do. As long as we are giving 110 percent, and doing everything we can on the ice and off the ice to to better ourselves and get called up, it is really out of our hands.
"We were happy and grateful and wished each other good luck," he continued. "We were still in contact, if we weren't in the same city, we were always talking and watching games and really supporting each other. It felt to me, like a real good brotherhood, of being there for each other and going through it, because it was both of our first years pro. There was no jealousy or any of that stuff, and that is why he was one of my best buddies last year. We just wanted the best for each other and really looked out for each other and always talking."
Both players will look to play for the Comets in 2025-26 and pick up where they left off this past season. In a world where they may not know day-to-day where they will be or which level they will play, the one constant that will remain is the friendship that began at RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House one year ago.
"I was there for him, and he was there for me, and it was a cool system that we had," Wendt said of Filmon. "It was all good and supportive, and it was awesome, and that's why we get along so well."
By the end of season the duo proved they could not only fend for themselves but that house on picturesque Lake George is still standing after a season of lessons, memories, and brotherhood.
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Photo Credit: Adirondack Thunder