Sunny Mehta wanted one thing fixed when he took over hockey operations for the New Jersey Devils: make the Utica Comets matter again.
That was a clear priority from the start, and ownership - especially David Blitzer - wanted the same thing. Even before the season has opened, Mehta has already checked that box, at least on paper.
A big reason is the addition of Braden Birch, who arrives as Assistant General Manager and the Comets’ General Manager after being pulled from the Florida Panthers’ organization. Birch is viewed as Mehta’s right-hand man, and his arrival gives the Devils another analytics-minded voice focused on building a roster that can win by outscoring the opposition.
The Comets’ personnel looks almost nothing like it did a year ago. New Jersey moved on from 13 unrestricted free agents, including Brian Halonen, Calen Addison, and Colton White, then replaced them with a wave of more proven offense.
Among the newcomers are Colin White, Riley Tufte, and Amadeus Lombardi, each of whom has produced at or near a point per game in the AHL. Lombardi looks like a candidate to be in the NHL at the start of 2026-27, while White and Tufte project as reliable AHL pieces who should help fill out the top nine.
The Devils also added Anton Silayev, who signed his entry-level contract, along with Ben Steeves, who posted 45 points in 72 AHL games last season. A group of other promising AHL and ECHL players is also in the mix, all of them looking to take a step forward.
Utica also brought back Xavier Parent, Topias Vilen, Jakub Malek, Marc McLaughlin, and captain Ryan Schmelzer, while adding former second-round pick Etienne Morin.
On paper, this is a much stronger AHL roster. And if Lenni Hameenaho and Seamus Casey begin the year in Utica, the ceiling gets even higher.
Last season, Hameenaho was the team’s best per-game producer at 0.7 points per game. This group has multiple forwards who can match or exceed that kind of output.
That’s the shift Mehta was aiming for: a Comets team that is relevant in its own right and useful in the larger mission of developing NHL talent for New Jersey.
In Other News...
Dawson Mercer Suddenly Has A Devils Problem Fans Can Feel
As the Devils head into the season with a roster that is largely set, the squeeze up front is becoming impossible to ignore. New Jersey has roughly 18 forwards vying for 13 or 14 NHL spots, and that kind of crowding leaves little room for players whose roles are still being sorted out. It also means the teams depth, while a strength on paper, is now turning into a real lineup puzzle as camp and preseason decisions approach.
Dawson Mercer sits right in the middle of it. The 24-year-old forward has shown enough to matter, but his inconsistency has kept him from locking down a clearer place in the lineup, and the safest fit may be a third-line role. If the Devils cannot find the right usage for him, the possibility of exploring a trade has to at least be part of the conversation, especially with injuries always able to shift the picture quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Just Got A Brett Pesce Update That Changes Everything
Brett Pesce offered a reassuring update at the Shoulder Check Showcase, where the Devils defenseman helped raise mental health awareness and said he is fully healthy. For New Jersey, that matters because Pesce was one of several blueliners whose availability never really settled during the 2025-26 season, and his time on the shelf came with both upper- and lower-body injuries that clearly had an impact on his play.
The Devils never got the kind of steady defensive group they were hoping for, with injuries to Luke Hughes and Johnathan Kovacevic adding to the mess around Pesce. A healthy version of Pesce changes the conversation for a team that spent too much of the season patching holes instead of building chemistry, and now the focus shifts to whether the Devils can finally get their back end intact when it counts. [Read more 🡒]
Tomas Nosek Leaves Devils After Sudden Career Turnaround
Tomas Nosek is heading back to where it all started, signing with HC Dynamo Pardubice in Czechia for the upcoming season after stints with the Devils and Panthers. For a veteran forward with more than 500 NHL games on his resume, the move brings him full circle, back to the club where he launched his professional career before carving out a long run in North America.
Noseks path has taken a notable late-career turn, capped by a Stanley Cup with Florida in 2025, and this return to Pardubice appears to mark the next stage of that journey. For New Jersey, it serves as another reminder of how quickly the league can change course for a depth player whose value often shows up in the kind of steady, adaptable work that tends to age well until the final chapters arrive. [Read more 🡒]