Here are your links for today:
Devils Links
Can Jack Hughes remain healthy? Who replaces injured defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic to begin the season? Are there any players expected to make their NHL debut and remain with the team all season out of training camp? Three questions for the Devils heading into the season: [NHL.com]
Assistant general manager Dan MacKinnon: “To put it succinctly, it’s time to take another step. I think those are the expectations from ownership on down, expectations of ourselves and the players in that room. We were a little bit derailed by some injuries last season but got into the Stanley Cup Playoffs and, I thought, played pretty competitive hockey against the Carolina Hurricanes (in a five-game series loss in the Eastern Conference First Round).” [NHL.com]
“The Devils’ lack of a true breakout player hurt them in 2024-25. Their season probably could have looked a bit different if Mercer looked closer to his 2022-23 self or Nemec hadn’t struggled through an injury. It’ll need to be different this coming season, and if it is, they should improve on the 91 points they totaled last year.” [Devils on the Rush]
A deep-dive into the organization’s prospects pool: [Devils’ Advocates]
Hockey Links
A look at who has scored the most hat tricks for each NHL franchise:
A look around the league assessing each team’s defensive depth chart: [TSN]
The Hockey Diversity Alliance turns five years old: “The HDA’s first successful youth hockey program was in the greater Toronto area in 2022: free hockey clinics for children between 6 and 15 years old from diverse communities. The HDA has run clinics for the past three years. Its early pilot programs had around 220 young athletes. (Akim) Aliu estimates that the HDA has 1,500 young players involved in its programs ‘playing hockey completely free of cost,’” with programs running 22 to 26 weeks.” [ESPN]
Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.