Notes on the Devils’ final two games of Prospects Challenge

Alex Chauvancy shares his thoughts on which New Jersey Devils prospects stood out over the last few days.

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By Alex Chauvancy (@AlexC_THW)

The first bit of hockey for the 2022-23 season wrapped up yesterday, with the New Jersey Devils falling 3-2 to the Boston Bruins in the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo, New York.

The Devils finished 1-1-1 and played well against the Bruins in their final tuneup ahead of training camp.

Let's look at who stood out over the last two games. 

Reilly Walsh

Walsh had an adventurous two games against the Buffalo Sabres and Bruins. He had a couple of defensive lapses against the Sabres where he was out of position, which led to a couple of goals against that Nico Daws had no chance of stopping. 

Perhaps it was playing on back-to-back nights without having any real sort of camp beforehand, but the day off on Sunday seemed to help Walsh. He responded with a strong game against the Bruins, picking up an assist on Aarne Talvitie's breakaway goal in the first period. 

Walsh's defensive game was also much-improved compared to the Sabres game. He was making good decisions with the puck for the most part and showed some escapability when under pressure.

Cracking the Devils' roster may prove difficult since they have Dougie Hamilton, Damon Severson and John Marino on the right side. But Walsh's relatively strong weekend should send him into training camp on a high note to prove he belongs in the NHL. 

Nolan Foote

It wasn't the best tournament for Foote, although he did have a good showing Monday against the Bruins. He didn't find the scoresheet, but he had more than a few scoring chances of different varieties. Foote had a breakaway that he failed to convert on and also a couple of scoring opportunities in tight where he redirected the puck wide or high of Bruins goaltender Brandon Bussi. 

For Foote to have a role with the Devils this season, he'll need to play as a power forward. He looked more like a power forward Monday than he did on Saturday night and was involved in a good way, unlike the previous games where he had a handful of miscues offensively.

If he performs more like he did against Boston, he may have a shot at making the Devils out of camp. 

Josh Filmon