hischier casino markstrom sweep the deck

When the Devils launched the inaugural ‘Sweep the Deck Gala’ in 2020, the modest hope was to raise $1 million for the community.

Thursday night at the Prudential Center, the fourth annual Sweep the Deck was held, and it raised a whopping $2 million, surpassing last year’s $1.68 million total.

“This is one of my favorite events of the entire year,” Devils and Prudential Center President Jake Reynolds said. “It’s incredible to bring so many people together for such an incredible cause. It brings the entire organization together, our fans together, our players together, to help change the lives of the youth of New Jersey.”

Attendees of the event got to mingle with the entire Devils team, including captain Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Luke Hughes, Dougie Hamilton, Jesper Bratt, Devils coaches and management, and Devils’ legends Martin Brodeur, Ken Daneyko, Chico Resch and more.

“It’s a very welcoming feeling. It’s great to see so many people show up for a great cause,” Hischier said. “We’re hockey players, but the community is so important. We can help people in need. We care. Look around, so many people are here.”

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      The fifth annual signature event raised nearly $1.7 million for Devils Youth Foundation

      Alongside Devils players and alumni, people curled on the Devils’ home ice and hit the “casino” area to play poker, craps and roulette. Devils players captained curling teams, dealt cards at the casino and did their best bartending while serving drinks.

      “Sweep the Deck is one of the most unique, amazing events in all of sports,” said Allison Blitzer, Chair of the Devils Youth Foundation. “We get all our players to be here, and they are so genuinely excited to partake in something that is so important to our community. I think our players, and I’m super proud of this, feel like it’s just as important to be professional and supportive and do their best work on the ice as well as off the ice.

      “It's a night for everybody to relax and enjoy. It’s just about feeling positive and that’s a really important message.”

      And, of course, it was all for a good cause. The team’s signature fundraising event benefits the Devils Youth Foundation, which has contributed over $4 million in philanthropic and programmatic support to dozens of non-profit organizations across New Jersey and New York. Some, but not all, include Hockey in New Jersey, Ice Hockey in Harlem, Coalition for Health Equity, Boys & Girls Club of Newark, New City Kids, Newark Day Care, Special Olympics New Jersey, Community Foodbank of NJ, and many, many more.

      “We’ll be able to impact and influence over 100 different organizations both in terms of food insecurity and getting kids more active,” Reynolds said. “The opportunity to take this money and drive meaningful change throughout New Jersey is an obligation that we have as the Devils and Prudential Center.”

      “We primarily focus on youth in New Jersey,” said Kate Whitman Annis, Executive Director of the Devils Youth Foundation. “We have four pillars, and our mission is to bring life changing opportunities to New Jersey’s youth through the power of sports and entertainment.

      “We’re so excited to have the buy-in of our fans, our supporters, our players and our team. It’s been wonderful.”

      Certain areas of the venue were decorated in an upscale ski lodge style. Attendees also took part in live and silent auctions and heard performances by the Newark Arts High School Latin Band and TJ the DJ, the Devils’ official DJ.

      And thanks to everyone’s efforts and contributions, the money collected will help fund over 1 million meals for New Jersey’s youth, amongst many other amazing benefits to the Garden State.

      “To be the only team that represents New Jersey in our name and on our chest, we take a tremendous amount of pride in that,” Reynolds said. “New Jersey is a state where when things get tough, people come together.”

      What started in 2020 has blown past every expectation and has grown every year. And the future should only get brighter.

      “I think this event can grow exponentially,” Whitman Annis said. “We have so much fun every year. People talk about it, they get excited and they want to be a part of it. So, I think there’s no ceiling on what we can grow into.”