Prospect 3-on-3 Tournament Recap | NOTEBOOK

This afternoon the New Jersey Devils Development Camp prospects participated in their annual 3-on-3 tournament in front of a crowd of fans at RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House.

Fans got a glimpse into the Devils future and the players got a dose of the fan base with a little summer-time hockey.

3-on-3 Wrap:

The Devils held a 3-on-3 tournament Wednesday night in front of a packed house of Black and Red members at the RWJ Barnabas Health Hockey House.

The prospects and invitees were divided into four different teams (Stevens, Daneyko, Brodeur, Niedermayer). All four teams played each other in a round-robin style before the top two squared off in the Championship Game.

The title game featured Team Stevens and Team Niedermayer, with Stevens taking home the trophy with a 8-4 victory - which included two empty-netters.

Team Stevens consisted of goaltender Cole Brady, forwards Lenni Hameenaho, Ondrej Psenicka, Cole Brown, Xavier Parent and Artem Shlaine and defensemen Chase Cheslock and Brendan Fitzgerald.

--Sam Kasan, Beat Reporter

Hameenaho Shines:

The player that stood out the most to me was New Jersey's 2023 second-round pick (58th overall) Lenni Hameenaho. The 6-foot, 180-pound Finn was part of the tournament winning squad (Team Stevens), and he played a huge part in the victory.

Hameenaho scored two goals and setup another for three points in the Championship Game alone against Team Niedermayer. He made a no-look pass off a head fake while finding Artem Shlaine on the backdoor for a tap in.

Hameenaho powered around a defender and was tripped up leading to a penalty shot. On the ensuing try he deked numerous times before fooling goaltender Jakub Malek to the ice and sliding the puck around him for a goal. He also scored on a ridiculous snipe late in the game that held up as the game-winner.

Hameenaho's hand skills in the tight 3-on-3 competition were very obvious and he really excelled during the tournament, despite still overcoming some jetlag from his flight.

--Sam Kasan, Beat Reporter

Video: Lenni Hämeenaho speaks after Devils Prospects 3-on-3

Shlaine Stands Out:

Shlaine finished the Championship Game with a hat trick to help Team Stevens collect the 3-on-3 tournament hardware. Shlaine, 21, was New Jersey's fifth-round pick (130th overall) in 2020.

The 6-foot-1, 165-pound forward wasn't afraid to shoot the puck. He scored on a backdoor tap-in on a nice pass play by Lenni Hameenaho. He scored on a long range shot with a perfectly placed wrist shot. And for the hat trick tally, Shlaine went bardown late in the contest to give his team a lead it would not relinquish.

Shlaine is coming off a career season during his junior campaign with Northern Michigan (after transferring following two years with the University of Connecticut). He recorded career highs in goals (11), assists (21) and points (32).

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