The official beginning of the 2014-15 season has finally arrived, as Devils rookies reported to New Jersey this morning for the start of training camp. The veterans will report later this week, with the first game at MSG against the Rangers just one week away. Here is the full New Jersey camp list:
GOALTENDERS
1 Keith Kinkaid
31 Scott Wedgewood
35 Cory Schneider
40 Scott Clemmensen
55 Maxime Clermont
60 Anthony Brodeur
DEFENSEMEN
2 Marek Zidlicky
5 Adam Larsson
6 Andy Greene
7 Jon Merrill
10 Peter Harrold
22 Eric Gelinas
24 Bryce Salvador
39 Dan Kelly
41 Brandon Burlon
42 Corbin McPherson
43 Reece Scarlett
44 Raman Hrabarenka
45 Seth Helgeson
46 Ramat Mamashev (camp invite)
47 Tomas Kaberle (camp invite)
48 Damon Severson
59 Ryan Rehill
62 Joe Faust
72 Mike Komisarek (camp invite)
FORWARDS
8 Dainius Zubrus
9 Martin Havlat
11 Stephen Gionta
12 Damien Brunner
14 Adam Henrique
15 Tuomo Ruutu
16 Jacob Josefson
17 Michael Ryder
18 Steve Bernier
19 Travis Zajac
20 Ryan Carter (camp invite)
23 Mike Cammalleri
25 Cam Janssen
26 Patrik Elias
28 Scott Gomez (camp invite)
29 Ryane Clowe
32 Tim Sestito
33 Rod Pelley
34 Mike Sislo
36 Reid Boucher
37 Joe Whitney
38 Stefan Matteau
49 Ben Thomson
51 Scott Timmins
52 David Wohlberg
53 Graham Black
54 Brandon Baddock
56 John Quenneville
57 Chris McKelvie
58 Kelly Zajac
61 Darcy Zajac
63 Ryan Kujawinski
64 Myles Bell
65 Ben Johnson
66 Connor Chatham
67 Paul Thompson
68 Jaromir Jagr
74 Jordin Tootoo (camp invite)
76 Ruslan Fedotenko (camp invite)
A few observations:
-Eric Gelinas, the last of the restricted free agents, finally agreed to a 1 year contract, ending a potential holdout situation.
-Good to see both Chris McKelvie and Kelly Zajac back in the fold for another season.
-Among the camp invites (well, other than a who’s who of I can’t get a contract), there are two names that may potentially see time here:
Mamashev is a 31-year-old Russian defenseman who has only one year of North American experience (2000-01 in Moose Jaw). He split last season with Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk and Traktor Chelyabinsk 0f the KHL.
Thompson split last season between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Springfield, scoring 8 goals in 69 games. He is a former college teammate of Mike Sislo (and former Devils Phil DeSimone and Bobby Butler) at New Hampshire.
Looking ahead to New Jersey’s preseason schedule…first game (as mentioned earlier) is next Monday night at the Garden, followed by back to back road matchups in Philly on September 25th and in Brooklyn against the Islanders on the 26th. My guess is first cuts to Albany would come that weekend.
And the cuts to Albany will be greeted by a new look coaching staff. While Rick Kowalsky and Sergei Brylin have returned, two have moved on. Tommy Albelin has been promoted to the bench in New Jersey, taking the spot of Scott Stevens, who left for personal reasons. And Johan Hedberg (otherwise known as MOOOOSE) will take over goaltending coach duties. Dave Caruso has decided to concentrate on his goaltending camp in Ohio for the season. A replacement for Albelin has yet to be named.
UPDATE (1:30 PM): Per a tweet from Fire and Ice, New Jersey has chosen a somewhat familiar name to take Albelin’s spot as an assistant coach. Former River Rat David Cunniff, son of late Albany (and New Jersey) coach John, will join Brylin and Kowalsky on the bench. He spent the last12 years as an assistant with the Sharks AHL affiliate in Cleveland and Worcester.
Thoughts Inside The Box 