Captain’s skates are rolling at RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House, and with training camp looming, the New Jersey Devils are in that familiar late-summer phase where old faces are back in the building and new arrivals are learning the lay of the land.
It’s also the time of year when the notebook starts getting crowded again. Numbers, bios, quotes, prospect details - all the little stuff that matters once the season starts moving fast. In the process of looking back through last season’s notes, a few loose ends surfaced worth pulling together before the focus fully shifts to 2026-27.
One of the clearest themes is how strongly teammates reacted when Nico Hischier signed his extension in July. Stefan Noesen made his feelings plain to The Hockey News: “Since day one when he was drafted, he has always been a loyal person, and it holds true today.
He loves New Jersey. He clearly sees the vision and wants to be here.
He’s a great leader and an even better person.”
There’s also fresh context on prospect Matias Vanhanen, who committed to Boston College on July 21. Before making that call, the winger talked with other schools and even sat through a Zoom pitch from the Boston College staff explaining why he fit their program. He took his time weighing the options before choosing BC, and the whole thing came with a small twist: he had visited the campus about three and a half years ago with his mom while he was in Boston.
Boston College assistant coach Brent Darnell came away describing Vanhanen as a smart player who understands himself and the kind of game he plays.
At development camp, Conrad Fondrk had nothing but praise for his Boston University teammate and Devils prospect Mikhail Yegorov: “Big Mike, he’s great. Such a character.
I mean, nothing but good things to say about him. He is always positive, always checking in and keeping other guys in check.
I am good friends with him, and we talk all the time.”
Fondrk also explained that last season never really gave him a clean slate physically. “I was dealing with a leg (injury) up until almost Christmas.
Even after that, it was still kind of bugging me a little bit. Then I had a concussion there at the end, so I was out for a while.”
The upside, he said, is that he finally got a full summer of training in, and the work on the ice and in the weight room helped bring back his confidence heading into 2026-27.
Another development worth watching involves Anton Silayev and Arseny Gritsyuk. Silayev didn’t know Gritsyuk before this summer, but the second-year winger could still end up being a helpful presence for the towering defenseman, especially when it comes to settling into North America more quickly.
Brett Pesce’s absence also left a bigger mark than some might think. Brenden Dillon didn’t just point to the defenseman’s play; he emphasized the value Pesce brought away from the puck, and in the room.
“I always start smiling when talking about him. He is probably one of my closest buddies on the team.
Injuries are just so tough, and he wore it this year. Block a shot, and he is out for two months; then he comes back, and then he’s dealing with something else.
He just tries to play through everything. Even when he got hurt at the end of the year, he finished the game, and there are a handful of guys I know that would be able to play through what he was playing through.
“In the locker room, he is a vocal guy, adding one more leadership voice in there to settle things down if it is not going great. I think everybody should be pissed off.
I know he is, for sure, with how things have played out. I think for him and me, we signed here at the same time, hoping and wanting to be a part of something special.
Unfortunately, we lost out in the first round last year and then this year to not even be in the playoffs. Those are chips on both of our shoulders, and we are going to look forward to getting better next year.”
One player also summed up Connor Brown in a simple way, saying: “There's a lot of guys in here keeping each other accountable, but I would say he is a big one.”
And then there’s Sunny Mehta, whose view of his own legacy as Devils general manager is tied to something bigger than the title itself: “I would say somebody who truly cared about this organization more than just being the general manager, because I think that is true. It is not very often that the general manager also grew up 20 miles from the arena, grew up a huge fan of the team, and cares so deeply about the organization, and I do think that is something that is important to me.”
In Other News...
Devils Linked To Quinn Hughes But The Price Could Sting
The idea of Quinn Hughes landing in New Jersey is the kind of speculative swing that instantly gets attention, because it would change the Devils blue line in a hurry. Hughes is already viewed as one of the top defensemen in the league, and any conversation about bringing him in naturally comes back to what a team has to give up to make it happen.
In this scenario, the cost is part of the appeal and part of the danger, with the proposed return built around prospects, developing players and a first-round pick. That kind of package can look reasonable on paper for a club chasing impact now, but it also says plenty about how expensive a move for a player like Hughes would be, which is why the idea remains more intriguing than imminent. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Roster Battles Are Heating Up As A Bigger Shift Takes Shape
Training camp is doing what it always does in New Jersey: turning roster theory into a daily test. The Devils are sorting through how their lineup might fit around Luke Evangelista, while the competition for the third-line center job adds another layer to a group already being evaluated on puck retrievals and cleaner zone exits under GM Sunny Mehta's influence.
Andy Greene, now working as an advisor, has only sharpened the conversation by suggesting this roster may be more talented than the one that reached the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals. It is the kind of internal confidence that can mean something once the games start, but right now it mainly underscores how much is still in flux, from the forward combinations to the bigger shape of the lineup the Devils are trying to build. [Read more 🡒]
Evan Rodrigues Faces A Devils Test That Could Define This Move
Evan Rodrigues arrives in New Jersey with a track record that makes him easy to trust and hard to pin down. The Devils brought him in as part of the Jacob Markstrom trade, banking on a forward who has carved out a long career as a dependable depth piece and shown he can fit into winning lineups, including two Stanley Cup runs with Florida.
For the Devils, the appeal is obvious: Rodrigues gives them another experienced option in a forward group that wants more stability and versatility. What is less certain is how much offense he can provide in this setting, and whether this move ends up looking like a smart supporting add or something closer to a bigger swing once the games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]