The New Jersey Devils announced this afternoon that defenseman Simon Nemec, the 2nd overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, has been recalled from the Utica Comets, his first call-up to the National Hockey League.
The 19-year-old has played in 13 games with the Comets this season, with 2 goals and 8 assists. In his rookie season, Nemec played 65 games in the AHL with 12 goals and 22 assists, along with a plus-13 differential.
Nemec, who had a very strong training camp and preseason, has been pushing to make the NHL roster, and it appears his time has arrived. In the absence of Dougie Hamilton, who has been placed on Injured Reserve, the Devils required a seventh defenseman on the roster, and Nemec has received the call.
When he was originally sent back to Utica before the start of the Devils regular season, Lindy Ruff and Nemec had a good conversation about what to expect next.
“It was a really good conversation,” Ruff shared at the time. “I thought (his camp) started a little show but I thought as camp went on, he got better and better. Talked a lot about playing a lot of hockey, talked a lot about being on the power play, and being a top penalty killing guy and getting the ice time he would need. And how his game built as camp went on and really just to push himself, to just keep getting better and I think in camp he did that and now he’s going to continue to do that.
Nemec made no secret from the start of camp that he wanted to be in the NHL this season and today is that very first step.
