The Utica Comets’ blue line is suddenly looking crowded in a good way, and that’s before the season even gets here.
With the Devils’ AHL affiliate adding more bodies over the summer, the question isn’t whether Utica has defensemen. It’s how all of them fit. And in this early look at what 2026-27 could bring, the answer starts with a pair that has a little of everything: size, skill, and plenty of projection.
At the top, Anton Silayev and Seamus Casey make for a natural fit. Silayev is expected to spend at least the start of the season in Utica while he adjusts to the North American game, even though there’s a belief he’ll play meaningful games for the Devils this year.
The 20-year-old’s size, strength, and gap control give the Comets a real anchor on one side, while Casey brings the puck-moving touch on the other. Casey’s development has been slowed by injuries over the last two seasons, and he appeared in just 29 games in 2025-26, but the 22-year-old still has the kind of upside that keeps him in the long-term conversation if he can stay healthy.
Behind them, Vladislav Kolyachonok and Mikael Diotte look like the next wave. Kolyachonok, who recently signed, has been bouncing between the NHL and AHL since his Coyotes debut in 2021-22.
The 25-year-old former second-round pick could push for a Devils job in camp, but for now he lands on the second pair. He’s not flashy, but he brings a strong transition game, physical play, and the sort of steady details coaches want from a defenseman trying to survive at the next level.
Last season, he put up 9 points in 34 games for the Texas Stars and added 3 points in 13 NHL games split between the Bruins and Stars.
Diotte is coming off a much-needed rebound. Injuries wrecked his rookie season, but the 6-foot-3 defender bounced back last year and even logged top-pairing minutes at times on the right side. He finished with 8 points in 53 games and now looks set for another big role in Utica, with a chance to rediscover some of the offense he showed with the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the QMJHL.
The third pair might actually be the most misleading part of the whole exercise, because both Topias Vilen and Ethan Edwards figure to play more than this setup suggests. Vilen’s stock has risen fast.
He won the Utica Comets Team Award for Best Defenseman last season and the Most-Improved Award the year before, then followed that up with 27 points in 61 games, which ranked second among Comets defensemen. He also earned a couple of games with the Devils last year.
At 23, this feels like a breakout window for him, though the sheer number of left-shot defensemen ahead of him could keep him waiting.
Edwards slides to the right side because the Comets are loaded on the left. He has done it before, including some shifts on the right last season, so it shouldn’t be a major adjustment. The 24-year-old is coming off a strong 10-goal, 23-point season, but the recent additions have pushed him down the chart a bit.
There are plenty of others in the mix. Etienne Morin arrived in the Simon Nemec trade and split his first pro season between the Calgary Wranglers, where he had 7 points in 42 games, and the Rapid City Rush of the ECHL, where he added 3 points in 7 games. The 6-foot-1, 21-year-old lefty should get meaningful games for Utica this season, even if he’s hard to place above the established names on a healthy roster.
Eamon Powell is another new AHL name for the Comets. The right-shot defender signed an AHL deal this offseason after missing significant time with a broken jaw and then splitting last season between the Charlotte Checkers, where he had 7 points in 23 games, and the Savannah Ghost Pirates, where he had 3 points in 4 games. As a right-handed option, he should get plenty of run in Utica.
Utica also brought in D.J. King on a two-way AHL contract.
The 25-year-old lefty stands 6-foot-3 and has spent most of his pro career in the ECHL, though he did appear in 18 games last season between the Hershey Bears and Iowa Wild. Jeremy Hanzel, who came to the Devils in the Erik Haula trade, also deserves a look after leading the Adirondack Thunder defense and finishing second on the team with 49 points in 72 games.
At 23, he’s due for a longer look in the AHL.
Then there’s Charlie Leddy, whose AHL contract has now been confirmed by Elite Prospects. Even with that deal, he could still become an unrestricted free agent on August 15th if he is not signed to an ELC, since AHL contracts do not hold a player’s rights under the rules. Leddy wrapped up his college career last season as an alternate captain at Quinnipiac, and wherever he lands, the expectation is straightforward: solid, defense-first minutes.
The bigger picture is pretty clear. Utica’s back end is deep, especially on the left side, and that gives the Comets real flexibility.
The Devils may still want another right-shot recall option, particularly with Casey’s injury history in mind, or Utica could add one more right-handed defenseman on a two-way AHL-ECHL deal. But even with some uncertainty still hanging around the edges, the Comets have clearly beefed up on defense and should have enough depth to absorb injuries and call-ups as the season rolls along.
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