The New Jersey Devils have announced they have assigned defenseman Simon Nemec to the AHL Utica Comets before the puck drops on Thursday night against the Montreal Canadiens.
?Devils Thought of the Day ?
Devils Assign Simon Nemec to AHL to Help His Development #njdevils pic.twitter.com/OafqxPzhW8
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) November 7, 2024
Nemec played in the first nine games of the season for the Devils recording just one assist. He has been a healthy scratch for the past six games. Once Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce returned from injury, Nemec became the odd man out. Signs were there that Nemec was going to come out of the lineup. Not just because of two stalwarts returning. He did not have a great training camp or preseason.
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You could tell this young defenseman struggled in his second NHL season. That could have been related to his injury before training camp started when he played for Slovakia at the Olympic Qualification. Recall he left the game with an apparent shoulder injury in the first game of the mini-tournament. He did not return or play in the final game as the Devils held him out of the game.
Reports were that Nemec would be further evaluated for the injury, but no further update was given. So you could tie his slow start to the injury. Not to mention the emergence of Jonathan Kovacevic. Kovacevic came in and took Nemec’s spot on the second defense pair. He has not done anything to warrant a demotion from head coach Sheldon Keefe. Thus, the young defenseman came out of the lineup.
Sheldon Keefe went with veterans and guys he trusted like any coach does. But Nemec needed to play and there had been calls for him to go to Utica. Before the assignment to Utica, Nemec would have been a healthy scratch for the seventh straight game. For a kid who needs to play and develop, sitting in the press box does not help that development. You can learn only so much from watching. A young defenseman needs to play.
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The Devils selected Simon Nemec 2nd overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. Last season, he played in 60 games for the Devils because of backend injuries, most notably to Dougie Hamilton. He picked up 19 points (three goals and 16 assists). Devils President and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald admitted he played more than he should have last season. Nemec was supposed to be in the AHL all season last year.
Before his call-up last season, he played in 13 games with Utica, recording eight points (two goals and six assists). This is what is best for him and the organization. Simon Nemec joins Seamus Casey in Utica, whom the Devils assigned to the AHL a few weeks ago after he made the main club out of training camp. Again, Casey took advantage of the opportunities that were given to him.
Nemec will get a first-hand look at new interim head coach Ryan Parent in Utica. The Comets replaced Kevin Dineen with Parent after going 0-8-1 to start the season. Former Devils defenseman Eric Weinrich will join the staff as an interim assistant coach.
