On the same night, Nico Daws served as the Utica Comets backup goaltender against the Laval Rocket at Place Bell, a report surfaced that teams in the Kontinental Hockey League were interested in the 25-year-old, with his name circulating in the KHL.

Daws is in the final season of a two-year contract with the New Jersey Devils. For the 2025-26 season, he is on a one-way deal at $850,000 at the NHL level. At the conclusion of his contract, he will be a restricted free agent (RFA).

In a recent phone interview with The Hockey News, Daws said he is not looking to transfer his game to the KHL.

“I don't really know what is going on with that,” he said. “My agent deals with everything. We kind of work on the basis that he doesn't talk to me unless I need to know something, and just lets me focus on hockey. Me personally, I honestly don't know anything about it.”

Daws has played 21 games for the Comets this season and has a record of 6-9-5-1 with a goals-against average of 2.93 and a .884 save percentage.

“There are games where I will play really well and only let in a couple of goals, and those are the games that the other goalie plays just a little bit better,” he said. “Then the games where we are scoring goals, those are the games that (pucks) find a way to get through on me. It is frustrating, and stats-wise, it has been a grind. Team standing wise, obviously, we are not where we want to be. Personally, it has been frustrating not getting any results.”

Utica is seventh in the North Division with 24 points. Laval is in first place with 43.

For Daws, his attitude has not changed over the past five years. He still focuses on the physical details and rounding out his game, while mentally putting himself in the best position possible because he never knows when he will get his next chance.

“We are putting a big emphasis on where my game needs to be to get to the next level,” he said. “It is something that we have been working on for the past five years, trying to find a way to get my game as solid as possible because you never know when your opportunity is going to come. You are just trying to be ready all the time. If you look at it from a broad view, yeah, the results suck, but at the end of the day, I love where my game is at right now.

“I do have so much confidence about what I am doing on the ice,” he continued. “The game feels like it is getting simple for me. I feel like I have such a good grip on what I am doing when I am at my best, and how to repeatedly get to that point. The more I keep doing that, the more the results will come.”

Daws began the 2025-26 season with a new goaltending partner, rookie Jakub Málek. The 23-year-old transitioned his game to North America to join Daws and complete the Utica Comets tandem.

“It is his first year here, and I have been here for five,” Daws said. “I am not a veteran by any means, but I have had my fair share of American League games, and I have had a good amount of ups and a lot of downs. (Our partnership) it's definitely getting better. It is something that over the past couple of weeks, I have tried to make a much better effort of being there and talking to him.”

Daws explained that normally, video sessions with Comets’ goaltending coach Brian Eklund are one-on-one, but the last couple of sessions that Málek has had with Eklund, Daws has sat in as well.

“We had a good conversation,” Daws said. “Just the three of us all talking together, and going back and forth. I have talked about the struggles that I have had, especially in my early years, (as well as) the good things too.

“Málek is a great goalie,” he continued. “This league is tough, and I think he has done a great job so far. He has so much potential. I just want him to feel comfortable talking to me. It is important to talk about the position. Obviously, every goalie plays so different, but there are things that you can learn from everybody. I want to make sure that he knows that if he has questions about my game, he can bounce them off me. We can talk about it and talk things through. I will talk to him about things that I like in his game as well. I think these past few weeks I have seen our relationship grow.”

There is no better person to ask about the play of a defenseman than a goaltender.

The Comets currently have two young blueliners who are honing their craft in front of Daws: Seamus Casey (21) and Ethan Edwards (23).

“They are both uber-talented players,” Daws said. “They do a lot for our team, and then they get a lot of ice time down here.”

Casey has displayed his offensive talents time and time again since making his NHL debut in October 2024. For him, the focus has been on developing the defensive side of his game.

“From watching Casey's game grow over the past couple of years, I think he has become a lot more well-rounded,” Daws shared. “Obviously, everybody knows about how offensively gifted he is. He has got all the tools there. Obviously, I am not in those conversations with him and the coaches, but I think defensively, his game has been really good this year. It has been nice. I am a big fan of his.”

Edwards is in the midst of his rookie season and has 10 points (4G, 6A) in 30 games.

“He is a great player, I am a fan of his as well,” Daws continued. “I think (as) he gets (more) comfortable, the more he has been using all of his skill sets. He is a super-skilled player, and he is very vocal as well. He talks a lot.

“They both want to learn, and they want to get better. Those kinds of mindsets are the mindsets you need down in the American League because at the end of the day, this isn't where we want to be, but it is where we are. You try to make the most out of it while you are here before you eventually try to move on up.”

The Hockey News will be in attendance at the Comets' Saturday game against the Bridgeport Islanders for the latest news and notes surrounding the Devils’ AHL affiliate.

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