Studenic, Bahl Get Chance Due to Protocols | BLOG

As the Devils navigate the current of COVID-19 protocols, the club needs to make sure it has enough bodies on hand to ice a team. As such, the volatility of the situation has and will create opportunities for players to show what they can do in the lineup.
Two such players were the recently recalled Marián Studenič and Kevin Bahl.
The former started the season with the Devils after making the team out of training camp. Studenic, 23, appeared in five games before being assigned to Utica of the Amirian Hockey League, where he's posted five goals and 10 points in 13 games.
"When I got sent down, I still had the mindset to keep going," the forward admitted. "Maybe I would have another opportunity. It's here now so I'm happy about it.

Studenic played a top-6 role for the Comets, which included power-play time and big minutes. In New Jersey, he's ticketed more as a penalty killer and fourth liner, though a fourth liner with a lot of speed.
"The one thing that we need is speed up front," stated head coach Lindy Ruff. "It always helps our team, and he can bring that."
Bahl, a 6-foot-6, 230-pound defenseman, meanwhile was assigned to Utica at the start of the season after a poor showing in training camp.
"I don't think in training camp I got to the level that I wanted to," he confessed.
However, he's progressed in some of the areas that were lacking in his camp performance.
"Kevin has got the range and the skating ability that a lot of guys don't have," Ruff said. "I felt he got off to a slow start at camp. He didn't use his legs a lot. He didn't use his reach. I think his physicality could have been better. From what I've heard, that part of his game has really come around. It's something he's worked at.
"You have to give him credit. He's worked hard at it. He's going to get another opportunity."
Bahl, who will fit well into the lineup as a left-handed blueliner, used his time in Utica to work on many facets of his play. He pointed to his positional play and retrieving pucks in the D zone as a few.
"The biggest thing down there was development," Bahl said. "I was watching video every day. It was a big factor for me to keep getting better. I'm definitely excited. it means a lot to get called up and it shows they have a lot of faith in me."
Bahl, 21, did play seven games last season in New Jersey. So, he knows what it's like playing at the NHL level.
"Last year was awesome. I got a feel for it," Bahl said. "I know a bit more what to expect. I'm just excited to play."
With Ryan Graves and Christian Jaros both in protocols, Bahl will have a chance to make an impression.
"The biggest thing is turning my preparation into confidence," he said. "How well I can prepare and how well I do things away from the rink. That will build my confidence being on the ice."