Brendan Smith Segment The New Jersey Devils hit the road and will begin their Western Canada road trip versus the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night. Accompanying them is 19-year-old Simon Nemec [https://www.nhl.com/devils/player/simon-nemec-8483495], who made his NHL debut on Dec. 1 versus the San Jose Sharks. After Dougie Hamilton was placed on injured reserve, Nemec was recalled from the Utica Comets (American Hockey League). Hamilton underwent successful surgery last week for a torn left pectoral muscle and is considered to be out indefinitely. With Brendan Smith finishing his suspension for slashing Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Konecny, Nemec will appear in his second straight NHL game versus the Canucks. It currently leaves New Jersey with a very young blue line, with Nemec, Luke Hughes [https://www.nhl.com/devils/player/luke-hughes-8482684], and Kevin Bahl having a combined 113 games of NHL experience. In the team's 6-3 loss to the Sharks, Nemec was initially paired with Jonas Siegnethaler, Bahl with John Marino, and Hughes with Colin Miller. All three pairs had a proper balance of rookie and veteran, offensive-minded and defensive-minded. It is known that defensemen take longer to develop, and rookie players will make rookie mistakes regardless of how high their ceiling is. After a recent practice, I sat down with Smith to discuss what it is like playing alongside a young blueliner. "I feel like you're trying to help them grow and become the best player they (can be), but not try to take away what got them here in the first place," Smith said. "It is a tricky game for not only myself but for coaches (because) you want them to play the right way but not take away their best attributes." Nemec and the youngest Hughes brother have already proved to be offensively gifted. The former became the first Slovak player to register two points in his NHL debut, while Hughes' 14 points are tied for second-most among NHL rookies. Smith has spent more games playing alongside Hughes than any other defenseman this season and continues to have high praise for the rookie. "In Luke Hughes' case, he is so highly skilled, and the more you do anything, the better you're going to be at it," Smith said. "The sky is the limit, and he's been very responsive when people are talking about certain plays and whatnot. I think the more he does it, the better he's going to be, the better his partnerships going to be, and so on." I asked Smith if there is a lack of stability when their defensive partner is skating around the offensive zone trying to make plays and if it makes it harder for Smith or any veteran defenseman to prepare for their next move. He stated that stability might not be the right word, and after a few seconds, we instead landed on anticipation. "A lot of times, when you know where the puck is going to go, you can anticipate quicker, and when things are sporadic, they are harder to anticipate," he said. "When you are hard to detect or hard to figure out what you will do offensively, that's how you create offense, but I believe it has to go both ways. You can't be too run and gun because then you're not taking care of your own end, and if you're too robotic, then everybody can read you." The reality is that Smith, Miller, and Siegenthaler are looking to get in sync with players who have not seen or experienced as much because the NHL is vastly different than any other league. "There's a happy medium, and I believe in everything, there has to be a happy medium," Smith said. "When you can feel the game and learn the game and kind of understand when to pinch, when not to pinch when to jump up in a rush, when not to, when to play safe because we're up by three, two, or whatever the time and place." The team's latest loss versus the Sharks provides a perfect example of the growing pains that young defensemen will go through. San Jose's second goal [https://twitter.com/SanJoseSharks/status/1730756850805870604] was a result of a Hughes giveaway. On their third goal [https://twitter.com/SanJoseSharks/status/1730759493217300587], Nemec was late to get back into his zone, and Bahl got caught pinching in at the wrong time ahead of their fourth goal [https://twitter.com/SanJoseSharks/status/1730771066577129761]. "These are all big things for a younger player; they have to learn. You don't want (to take their gift away), but you want to mold them into the best version of themselves." The partnership that develops between two defensemen is always intriguing to watch. When it comes to Hughes and Nemec, they are still in the early stages of adjusting and know that chemistry will naturally come with their defensive partner. According to Smith, it starts with an open dialogue. "I think by communicating and being open about certain things, that is the only way for (young defensemen) to get to the next level, and then it helps both parties," he continued. "If they can understand why you want to play this certain way, then you can move forward with that individual." Devils reporter Catherine Bogart reported [https://twitter.com/CatherineBogart/status/1731783840622887114]that the team used the following pairs at Monday's practice in Vancouver: Siegenthaler and Nemec, Bahl and Marino, and Hughes and Miller, with Smith skating as the extra. The team's next game is tomorrow at 10:00 P.M. EST at Rogers Arena. It will be the first time Luke Hughes will play in a game with both his brothers.
