Devils Back to Work in Camp Practice | NOTEBOOK

The Devils are practicing Monday afternoon after opening the preseason with a 4-2 setback to the NY Islanders Sunday night. The players that played against the Islanders have the day off, while those that did not play will participate in today's practice.

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

Practice Lines

Welcome to the Show

Defenseman Seamus Casey is getting his first taste of the NHL during the current training camp.

He signed his first pro contract in the spring after his sophomore season at Michigan, and so far, he has enjoyed the adjustment to hockey becoming his full-time job.

“It’s like, go to bed on time. Figure out what you need to eat. What time you need to get to the next place. Warm up. Skate. Work out. What do I need to stretch and get treatment on. Go home and repeat. I’ve never had more fun,” he said. “It’s awesome.”

Casey, 20, knew that the game would be different at the highest level. But it’s one thing to know and another thing to experience. He got his closest taste during a Devils intrasquad scrimmage last week.

“I was out there against Jack and Bratt’s line. The way they were flying around the zone,” he laughed. “I was standing in front of the net like ‘I’ll just pack it in right here and hope they lose (the puck) or something.’ It was good though.”

And beyond the team, Casey has soaked up what the Devils coaching staff has been teaching the club.

“The level of detail and every drill. You can do any drill but it’s how you do each drill,” he said. “The coaching staff will blow (the whistle) if they see a detail is wrong. That’s the most important thing, the details you put into it.”

Casey took part in the team’s game night warmup on Sunday when the Devils hosted the New York Islanders. Even though he did not play in the game, it was quite an experience.

“A tease in a good way,” he smiled. “I got to go out with the guys and see what a game day is like here. I got prepared and ready to play just in case anything happened.”

Second Time's a Charm

Blueliner Simon Nemec is attending his second NHL training camp. And it would be an understatement to say that his mentality is much different than last year.

In Nemec’s first camp in 2023, he was hoping to make the club’s opening day roster. But also understood that realistically the Devils preferred he spend a considerable amount of the season with Utica of the American Hockey League.

However, injury and circumstances propelled the then 19-year-old rookie into the lineup for 60 games.

Fast forward to the current camp and Nemec feels much more confident in his position with the team. That confidence should only be bolstered with the injuries to Luke Hughes (shoulder) and Brett Pesce (leg). However, Nemec is not going to be complacent.

“I feel really good (at this camp),” Nemec said. “I don’t want to say I feel 100-percent comfortable here because I have to earn my stop. But I feel a lot better than last year.”

A lot was asked of Nemec last year. He averaged 19:52 minutes of ice per game, but toward the end of the year he was regularly logging over 20 minutes. And that’s the way he liked it.

“I feel if I play more minutes then I’m better than if I play less minutes,” Nemec said. “I like playing with the puck and being on the ice for a lot of minutes.”

Nemec will appear in his first preseason game of the season Tuesday night when the Devils travel to Montreal. And he will likely be paired with Santeri Hatakka, whom was his partner for Monday’s practice.

“We played a couple games together (last year),” Nemec said. “He’s a really good skater. He’s really good with the puck. I think some chemistry is there.”

Nemec is hoping that all the work he’s put in during the off-season – from conditioning to strength to on-ice – will show against the Habs.

“I tried to practice during the off-season, play quicker and do everything quicker.I hope it’ll be there tomorrow night,” he said. “It’ll still be the first game. It’s not going to be perfect. I hope to show what I learned last season. I hope it’s going to be really good.”

He Sait It:

Allen on working with Markstrom: "I knew that we were going to try to do something. You hope everything follows through,” he said. “Someone texted me from the team and said the trade was happening, I was ecstatic. Me and Marky are the same age. We’ve played against each other since we were 17.”