On Monday, the Devils ended their 2023-24 season with a 4-1 loss against the New York Islanders. This season for the Devils consisted of a bunch of ups and downs, from losing key players like Nico Hischier, Dougie Hamilton, and Jack Hughes to the firing of their head coach Lindy Ruff. They ended with 38 wins and 39 losses out of the 81-game season. Today, we got to hear from some of the players as they did their locker room cleanout, and here are some of the things the team had to say.
Luke Hughes
Luke Hughes, the 20-year-old, finished his rookie year playing all 82 games healthy and ended up with 9 goals and 47 points. During his interview, he mentioned that playing in college to the NHL was a big shift. In collegiate hockey, you only play about 34 games compared to the 82 in the NHL, but he had no option but to adapt.
He also mentioned how New Jersey and the fans have been great to him and how he can’t wait to come back and be even better next season. When asked about who he leaned on the most this season, he obviously mentioned his big brother Jack. He said it’s been nice to spend every day with him and also have him around to cook for him.
If you feel like you would like to see Luke play some more before the new season starts, he announced that he will be going to play for Team USA during the IIHF Men’s World Championship.
Simon Nemec
Simone is another player who wrapped up their rookie season. He said for him, his welcome to the NHL moment was when he had to face Connor McDavid in his fourth game in the league. Outside of the ice, he said joining the Devils this season changed his life, but he’s been loving it. One of the things he said made him more comfortable was being able to have Ondrej Palat and Tomas Nosek around to communicate in their language, and that they would often take him out for dinner.
This definitely won’t be the last time we hear from Nemec with the Devils, hopefully. He has a bunch of improving to do, but I can see him being a big help for the Devils in the future. This summer, he said he wanted to focus on being more consistent and come back quicker, stronger, and with a better shot.
Alexander Holtz
Alex Holtz has been a fan favorite this season throughout the Devils fandom, although this season he has been benched a bunch. We’re not exactly sure why, but Alex talked about how next season he wants to come back a different player: more reliable, quicker, and a better skater. Hopefully, we can see that from him so we can see him out on the ice more. He said he really watches how players like Jesper Bratt and Ondrej Palat carry themselves every day by showing up to the rink early.
Dougie Hamilton
Dougie hasn’t played a game with the Devils since late November, so many fans and reporters included were excited to hear from him today. In the 16 games Dougie did play, he tallied up 20 points, which is one of the many reasons the team needed the veteran defenseman. He mentioned that he would’ve been ready to start practicing with the group again if they would have made the playoffs, which is sad to hear, but we can’t wait to see what he does next season when he’s healthy and ready to play again.
As the season concludes, I’m hopeful for improvements in critical areas such as avoiding giving up the first goal, tightening up our defense, and minimizing injuries—though injuries are beyond our control, we can certainly hope for better luck in that regard. Looking ahead, I’m eager to witness the team’s individual performances at the World Championships, including potential participants like Luke Hughes, Simone Nemec, Tomas Nosek, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Ondrej Palat. With the team giving up the first goal of the game 57 times this season, I’m particularly optimistic about seeing noticeable improvements in that aspect as they prepare for the challenges ahead.
ITR 32: The Final Countdown – Inside The Rink
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