Lenni Hameenaho’s first North American season gave the Devils plenty to think about, and the biggest question now is simple: does he start 2026-27 in New Jersey or back in Utica?
The 21-year-old winger opened 2025-26 with the Utica Comets and needed a little time to find his footing. He went without a point in his first nine games, then settled in and produced 22 points over his next 25 outings.
That stretch earned him a longer look with the Devils, where he ended up making 33 NHL appearances. In those games, Hameenaho posted eight points - two goals and six assists - while mostly working in the bottom six.
New Jersey eventually sent him back to Utica for the final push as the Comets chased a playoff spot. They fell just short, but Hameenaho still chipped in four points in those three games.
On the surface, the NHL numbers don’t jump off the page. But the context matters.
He was usually parked on the fourth line, had little to no special teams usage, and wasn’t consistently skating with linemates who were set up to drive offense. Young players make mistakes, and Hameenaho had his share, but by the end of the year he looked like a more polished player than he did when the season began.
That makes the coming summer and training camp huge for him. The Devils have loaded up their forward depth for 2026-27, to the point that Hameenaho would be one of 14 forwards if he made the NHL roster alongside everyone listed on PuckPedia.
And unlike last season, the argument can’t really be made that several of those forwards are not NHL-caliber. New Jersey wants to win now, but it also wants to protect its prospects.
That leaves Hameenaho in a tricky spot: good enough to help, but maybe not guaranteed the kind of role that actually helps him grow.
A lot will come down to what he did this offseason. If he spent the summer studying game film, getting a firmer handle on Sheldon Keefe’s system, adding muscle, and sharpening his skills, he could push past some of the lower-tier forwards and earn a place on the opening night roster.
If that happens, the Devils might need to move a goaltender or a fringe forward down. The question there is whether the club would really be much worse off without one of Nico Daws/David Rittich or Jesper Boqvist/Nick Bjugstad.
There’s also the other side of the equation. Hameenaho is still extremely young, and he’ll only be turning 22 shortly into the season.
A full year in the minors wouldn’t be a setback if it comes with real progress. In fact, if he can dominate in Utica or at least become a strong, steady contributor there, it could set him up nicely for 2027-28, when several Devils are scheduled to hit free agency after 2026-27.
So the path is pretty clear, even if the destination isn’t. Hameenaho has a real shot to keep building on what he showed last season, but the final call will hinge on his summer work and what he does in camp.
If the roster crunch pushes him back into the bottom six again, Utica may be the better place for him. That would give New Jersey a call-up option and, ideally, a more impactful player when he returns to Jersey.
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