The New Jersey Devils opened rookie camp Friday at RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House inside Prudential Center, and the message was clear from the start: nothing is being handed out.
For a group that includes Lenni Hämeenaho, Seamus Casey, Ethan Edwards, Anton Silayev and Shane Lachance, this is the first step in a much bigger evaluation. Each player is trying to raise his stock, work his way into a bigger role with the Utica Comets, or make enough noise to crack the NHL picture.
That path is crowded.
General manager Sunny Mehta has spent the offseason upgrading the organization’s depth, and that has turned the battle for roster spots into a real squeeze. New Jersey looks to have 11 forwards who are strong bets to open the season in the lineup: Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, Luke Evangelista, Jesper Bratt, Jack Hughes, Anthony Mantha, Arseny Gritsyuk, Cody Glass, Dawson Mercer, Connor Brown and Evan Rodrigues.
With that many names already penciled in, there may be only one opening left. The fight for it could involve Stefan Noesen, Nick Bjugstad, Jesper Boqvist, Lenni Hämeenaho, Amadeus Lombardi and others, all of whom will have to make their case during training camp and the preseason.
Lombardi’s absence from rookie camp stands out. It raises the question of whether the organization already sees him as someone with a real shot at an NHL job.
Mehta has made it clear he likes what he sees.
“He’s a guy that we specifically targeted,” Mehta said. “The combination of our scouting department as well as our analytics department; we look at, ‘Who would be the prime targets?’ He was for sure one of them.”
The blue line may be just as tight. Jonas Siegenthaler, Dougie Hamilton, Luke Hughes, Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon and Johnathan Kovacevic are all back, and the Devils added Declan Chisholm in a trade with the Washington Capitals. That gives New Jersey another defenseman who can push for NHL minutes.
Behind that group are Seamus Casey, Anton Silayev, Ethan Edwards, Topias Vilén and other young defenders trying to move up the ladder.
Unless there are more trades before opening night, spots will be hard to come by. Players who might have been in line for NHL roles in earlier seasons could end up starting in Utica or serving as depth in the system.
For the Devils, though, that’s the kind of problem that comes with building a deeper roster.
Mehta has spent the offseason reshaping the team and strengthening it across the board, leaving New Jersey with a surplus of options as the 2026-27 season approaches. Rookie camp is the first chance for those young players to prove they belong in that mix.
The Devils rookies will face the Islanders rookies Saturday, Sept. 13, at 2 p.m. at RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House. The teams will meet again Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 6 p.m. at Northwell Health Ice Center.
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Devils Face A Costly Dougie Hamilton Decision If They Dream Big
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The topic has resurfaced because the Devils are still being linked to bigger ambitions, and those ambitions could force a harder look at the salary structure on defense. If New Jersey wants to create room for a major addition, Hamilton is the kind of name that inevitably comes up, even if the decision would not be simple. For now, it is less about a deal being close than about the reality that the Devils may have to choose between keeping a proven veteran and chasing a swing at something even larger. [Read more 🡒]