Gathered at PostFinancial Arena in Bern, Switzerland, the New Jersey Devils have made their way overseas as they continue the final stretch of training camp. Today, they jumped onto the practice rink normally occupied by the local SC Bern hockey team.
On Monday, the Devils will play an exhibition game against SC Bern, as the coaching staff continues to tinker with the roster ahead of the season opener on Saturday in Sweden.
It is exciting for this town to have an NHL team playing in their home barn, especially given the Devils top line center, Nico Hischier, who once played in this building before being drafted into the NHL first overall in 2017.
"It feels great," Hischier said. "I know this rink pretty well. To be back here is neat, it's a little bit weird to be honest. But still it's fun to be here. I'm excited."
Hischier is a popular figure among the locals. On Saturday night, the team attended a SC Bern game and there were fans in the crowd wearing New Jersey Devils 'Hischier' jerseys. The sight was something the 19-year-old is proud of.
"It's not a bad thing," Hischier joked. "It's for sure nice to see people wear my jersey and represent me in games I'm not even playing. You feel honored."
While there is certainly a lot of attention on Hischier and his fellow countryman defenseman Mirco Mueller, the process still remains the same. There is a lot of work to be done, systems to fine-tune, and an NHL regular season opener to prepare for.
"We've talked to the players about it," coach John Hynes said. "There's still competition for who the 12 forwards are going to be opening night, who the six defensemen out of the eight we have on the trip. When we're on the ice and preparing in the meetings, we have to be on task. The guys have done a really good job, they've been very focused."
The trip to Bern is also a first opportunity for newcomer Jean-Sebastien Dea to become acclimated with his new team. Dea knows Hynes and assistant coach Alain Nasreddine well, having played for them when all three were in the Penguins AHL system in Wilkes-Barre.
"It's easier when I got here," Dea said. "I could talk French with [coach Nasreddine], I talked to [coach Hynes] a little bit. It makes you feel more comfortable. I'm just taking it one day at a time and everything will take care of itself."
Dea was used today as an extra forward along with Drew Stafford.
As for the game against SC Bern, the only official lineup decision is Keith Kinkaid will get the start in net and is expected to play the full 60 minutes. Cory Schneider is on the trip with his teammates as he continues to rehab from hip surgery, but Hynes has officially ruled Schneider out of either game on the European trip.
Coach Hynes put together the following lineup for practice:
Hall-Hischier-Palmieri
Johansson-Zacha-Bratt
Wood-Zajac-Quenneville
Coleman-Boyle-Noesen
Dea-Stafford
Mueller-Vatanen
Greene-Severson
Butcher-Lovejoy
Gryba-Santini
Kinkaid
Lack
Schneider
Blackwood
