Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
Change has hit the New Jersey Devils this offseason, and the Utica Comets are feeling the effects.
New Jersey has failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs three times in the past five seasons, and has only one winning streak in that span. And the Comets’ three-game losing streak has the Devils eager to get their AHL affiliate back, too.
Sunny Mehta was hired on April 16 to be the new general manager of the Devils, taking over Tom Fitzgerald. Coming from a Florida Panthers organization that has been known in recent seasons for its aggressive running game, Mehta has brought that same mindset to his new job. Mehta also started Braden Birch from the Panthers as assistant GM; a key part of Birch’s portfolio will include serving as Utica’s new general manager.
The activity has not slowed down since then.
The protector Anton Silayevtaken 10th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft by the Devils, signed his rookie deal on June 1. The 20-year-old stands 6-foot-7 and already has three full seasons of experience in the Kontinental Hockey League with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod.
Goalkeeper Nico Dawes received a two-year contract extension after appearing in 44 games for the Comets in 2025-26. Daws will be entering his sixth season in the organization. Forward Marc McLaughlin again Xavier’s parentage were re-signed to one-year deals, along with the Comets captain Ryan Schmelzer has a new AHL contract for 2026-27.
The protector Etienne Morin came from the Calgary Flames in a trade Simon Nemec on June 23. Morin, 21, is a 2023 second-round pick who played 42 games as a rookie with the Calgary Wranglers in 2025-26. Interest forward Amadeus Lombardi arrived in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings on June 25. Only 23 years old, Lombardi is coming off a 42-point season (16 goals, 26 assists) with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Another trade posted a goal Jacob Markstrom and forward Angus Crookshank to Florida onwards Jesper Boqvist, Evan Rodrigues again Ben Steeves. In Steeves the Devils got a 2026 AHL All-Star who was part of Charlotte’s run to the 2025 Calder Cup Finals.
The Devils upgraded their depth chart in free agency as well. They acquired one of the top names on the AHL roster on the opening day of free agency, signing a power forward Riley Tufte. The 6-foot-6 Tufte is tied for third in the AHL with 32 goals in 64 games for the Providence Bruins in 2025-26. The protector Vladislav Kolyachonokwho finished last season with the Texas Stars, has also signed a one-year deal with the Devils.
Perhaps some of that group can break through to become full-time NHL contributors. That is Mehta’s hope.
“There’s a certain time, and I think the Devils are in this spot right now, where we need to take chances on guys,” Mehta said on a press conference call earlier this month. “We need to find players. We need to find high scores. We need to find hidden gems, you name it.”
In addition to Schmelzer, AHL contracts have been offered to carry forward Jack Maloneand Charlotte’s Eamon Powellin Cleveland Justin Pearson and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s Zach Gallant again Gabe Klassen.
Recently, the Devils announced that Leo Luongo as their new goaltending director after spending 10 seasons with the Florida organization and gathering a wealth of experience working with their AHL prospects. AJ MacLean He will be a new assistant coach in New Jersey as well, coming from the Syracuse Crunch. The new goalkeeper coach Dan Stewart is on board after work with St. Louis Blues and the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Time will tell how these moves go, who goes where, and who can compete for a full-time job in New Jersey. But expect the Comets to play a key role in this transition period in New Jersey. Mehta hails from Florida, where the Panthers are coming off a strong performance in Charlotte.
Mehta recounted an early conversation with the Devils’ managing partner and chairman David Blitzer. Utica came quickly.
“[Blitzer] he raised Utica,” Mehta recalled.[Utica] it needs to be something that we prioritize, that we think about both in terms of not only the success of that organization in terms of wins and losses, but also in terms of player development. So, as we used this kind of decision-making process that I’m talking about to base our decisions on in the NHL, we did exactly the same thing in the AHL. I mean, on the screen when we pull up our NHL roster, we have the AHL roster next to it, and we think it’s all one big thing where we’re trying to use that same roster strategy in Utica.
“We’re very focused on Utica in general. It’s a priority for us.”
In the American Hockey League for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams and currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for the league’s top scorer in 2016.
