Hockey in New Jersey Comes Full Circle for Luke Rowe | FEATURE

Luke Rowe's invite to the New Jersey Devils Development Camp didn't mean he was walking into some place so unfamiliar.

In fact, RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House is an ice surface and practice rink he knows all too well. Rowe, who is from Succasunna, New Jersey, has spent countless hours either playing in the area and at Prudential Center or volunteering as a coach with Hockey NJ.

"I grew up playing around the area," Rowe said during this year's development camp, "and then when I was 16 I started playing at the (Prudential Center). I've never been on this side, in the Devils' locker room and facility, but still in the summers I skate here, and do a lot of training here. To be on this side of it is just incredible."

'This side' is inside the Devils locker room. As an invite to the summer camp, Rowe's nameplate adorned a stall where one would typically find John Marino's name during the NHL season. The 25-year-old defenseman has played the last four seasons for the Air Force Academy, but his roots are planted in the time he spent growing up in New Jersey. And that is why it has been important for Rowe to give back to the community that helped raise him as a hockey player, by volunteering - when he has the chance amidst his busy schedule - with Hockey in New Jersey.

"I figured, you know, I'm from New Jersey and I'd love to do whatever I can to help out a little bit," he explained, "Mike Liu, Dennis Ruppe, Danielle Deresky, they all run it, they do an unbelievable job and I loved to be a part of it, so I just go and coach when I could a couple of years back.

"It's just awesome, to be able to share the passion and the love that I have for the game to people who may not have gotten the chance to play hockey," he continued, "They do an unbelievable amount of equipment and clothing drives so kids can play. The coaching they get is awesome, and it's just a bunch of volunteers and people who just truly care and they just want people to feel that same love for the game that we all have."

Hockey in New Jersey (HNJ) is a nonprofit charitable organization that provides a year-round hockey program for inner-city children "who may not be well represented in the sport due to gender, race, ethnicity, disability or socioeconomic status."

HNJ's goal and mission is something that Rowe truly recognizes and while his goal was to help provide the children with the best possible time on the ice, perhaps what he didn't realize was the experience left on him.

"I think I got more than the kids got, to be honest with you," he said, "You see so much joy and cheer from these kids who may not have the best lives at home, who may not have the best social lives or honestly, safety. Seeing that, and to see them come out there, smiling, having fun and just getting better and working, it is just an unbelievable experience. I wish I had more time away from school and I'd be there a lot more."

Although he hasn't had the same time to be a part of HNJ that he would like, the organization has not forgotten one of their own and are thankful for his participation. When the Devils hosted the 3-on-3 tournament during the 2023 Development Camp, Rowe had some special guests waiting for him after the game. Outside the Devils locker room, members of Hockey in New Jersey were there to meet their old friend, the Hockey In New Jersey experience coming full circle.

"It's awesome, you know. It just means that maybe you left an impression on some kids. That's the goal when you're trying to inspire."