Devils Practice in Canmore | NOTEBOOK

The Devils are practicing at Canmore Recreation Center near Banff, Alberta.

Stay tuned to the notebook for the latest info, updates, interviews, videos and more from the practice session!

Practice Details

Devils forward Nate Bastian suffered a jaw injury at Calgary on Friday night during a fight with Ryan Lomberg. He did not finish the game and returned to New Jersey.

“He’s going to be out at least a couple of weeks,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We’ll reassess him and figure out a plan from there.”

The Devils practice had a livelier atmosphere than normal. That’s because the venue was open to the public and was heavily attended by young children looking to get a look at the Devils up close – and get an autograph or two.

“It’s cool. You think back, you were these kids one day. It was fun,” Hischier said. “A lot of people here. It’s fun to see how much they’re into hockey and showing up for a practice like this. It’s really cool.”

“Any time you can do this and involve the community, have them come out, it gives a little extra juice to the practice,” Keefe said. “A little reprieve from the schedule and something different.”

But at the end of the day, it was still an important day of work.

"Get some reps in on some things that we feel are important and slipping in our game a little bit," Keefe said. "Practice time is valuable. I felt the same about the practice we had prior to the game in Vancouver. That was helpful for us and having a couple days between the games and similar here with this situation for tomorrow night."

Banff Getaway

The Devils spent Saturday and Sunday in Banff, Alberta. The club bused to Banff following its game at Calgary on Friday night. On Saturday the Devils did some team bonding exercises and then practiced Sunday.

“Banff was beautiful. We got the most out of it here together as a team,” captain Nico Hischier said. “We talked about a lot of things. It was a good trip for us.”

Teams tend to bond while on the road, especially on longer road trips like the club’s current eight-day affair. The players are around each other all day, at practice, at the hotel, at dinner. And the team bonding exercises are another way to help form bonds amongst the group.

“It’s been awesome. I had some FOMO not going to Prague with the fellas and getting to know everyone,” said defenseman Brett Pesce, who had an ankle injury that kept him from the Prague trip to start the season for the Global Series. “It’s been a good team bonding experience. I really got to know everyone on this trip. I’m thankful for that. Chemistry is everything in this league. If you’re going to be good you have to truly care about one another on and off the ice.”

The Banff getaway was the idea of head coach Sheldon Keefe, how noted the few days between games against Calgary and Edmonton. It was a welcomed break from a game heavy early schedule.

“It’s really a byproduct of what we were into in October. We looked at it as a breath in the schedule where we could regroup,” Keefe said. “We had some team building activities yesterday. It wasn’t a full day off for the guys. They did some activities and had time to spend together and have some discussions.

“All those things are really productive. A chance to get away from the regular NHL routine to do so. We’ve been through a lot in October in terms of the schedule.”

He Said It:

Hischier on comparing the Swiss and Banff mountains: "It’s nice, but I’m still going with Switzerland. It’s obviously really similar."