Berman, Hayward Reflect on Second Development Camp | FEATURE

As the Devils held their annual summer development camp there were several returning faces on the ice, and not just on the player side. Leon Hayward and Lindsay Berman, guest coaches at last year's camp, returned for their second straight year. Both are members of the NHL Coaches Association and were brought in by the Devils to learn and grow through this experience.

Hayward, an assistant coach at the University of St. Thomas men's hockey team, is a part of the BIPOC Coaches Program while Berman, an assistant coach for Northeastern University's women's hockey team, is a member of the Female Coaches Development Program. Their first year was an opportunity to see how an NHL organization runs and bring back this knowledge to their college hockey programs.

"Last year I left here and just couldn't really believe the professionalism," Berman explained. "But also how accepting and welcoming everybody was. The staff, the players, everybody was just so willing to share and include us. I just left here, super grateful for the opportunity and a big Devils fan for the rest of the year."

"It's really cool to be back for a second year and really appreciative of the opportunity," Hayward shared. "To spend the year following the team and getting a chance to interact with coaches was awesome and pretty special. It's nice to come back a second year, having a little bit more comfort with just the surroundings, where to go, who to talk to for everything, and then seeing some of the prospects that come back."

Bringing back both coaches for this year's camp was an opportunity for the Devils to build on what Berman and Hayward learned in their first experience and support their growth to another level.

"I think what's awesome is that our organization is continuing this program with this same group," Meghan Duggan, the Devils Director of Player Development, shared. "Now they feel like part of the mix. We had Hayward and Berman last year, then they continued on, engaged this year with our NHL coaches throughout the season."

Both Berman and Hayward kept in contact with various members of the Devils organization over the last year including Duggan and Devils Assistant General Manager Kate Madigan.

"Kate Madigan was checking in with me before a game of theirs or before the playoffs when she had much bigger things on her plate, but she still had the capacity to include me," Berman shared. "To actually feel like you can pick up the phone and call them, it's pretty special because they mean it. I was actually able to make a trip down in December, come to a game, sit in the pro scouting meetings, it was unbelievable. To have these kinds of resources, it's amazing."

"(Duggan) actually came out to Minnesota last year to watch one of the prospects," Hayward explained. "So we got to spend some time there too … the beauty of working with the Devils for me is they're there. They've been an open book so it's been really nice to have that access."

With a higher level of familiarity due to it being Berman and Hayward's second camp, both felt it was an opportunity to increase their participation and grow their impact as guest coaches.

"Just being active," Hayward explained about how the second year is different. "When you're on the ice, you're not trying to stand around, trying to get involved in drills. I think they do a great job of that at the NHL level, being really involved in the drills, everything has a purpose. Just the explanation in the detail of each drill is really high end."

"It's different this year," Berman shared. "Just being a little more comfortable and having met all of these people (last year), and even knowing your way around the building a little bit. But I think now having that comfort level, I want to ask a little more, a few more questions. I've already talked more about the game on the ice than I did last year because I didn't want to step on any toes or be in the way at all (last year)."

Berman and Hayward both learned about the details and preparation at the NHL level which they can bring back to their respective college teams. However, the Devils also benefitted greatly from hearing about their experiences as coaches.

"They bring a different perspective," Duggan explained. "They can see things that maybe we don't see because we're around the players all the time or we're following them so closely, we're caught up in the details."

Whether its the coaches gaining invaluable experience, or the Devils learning from their guests, the NHLCA program that has brought together Hayward, Berman, and the Devils has had impacts all around.

"It's really special," Hayward reflected. "I'm honored to be a part of it and really appreciate the access that (Tom) Fitzgerald, Madigan, and everybody has given us, it's awesome."