The New Jersey Devils have announced that they’ve signed forwards Kevin Rooney and Luke Glendening, along with goaltenders Georgi Romanov and Adam Scheel, to Professional Tryouts.
Forwards
Kevin Rooney
The Former Devil is back in Jersey after playing his first 95 games with the Devils from 2016 to 2020, during which he scored 10 goals and added nine assists for 19 points. Since leaving New Jersey, Rooney has made stops with the New York Rangers and Calgary Flames. In 330 NHL games, he’s put up 32 goals and 28 assists for 60 points. In 15 games during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he had two assists. Even if the 32-year-old forward can’t get an NHL deal, he could be a solid veteran piece for the Devils if he agreed to a two-way deal. It will be interesting to see if there is a reunion in the cards for New Jersey and Kevin Rooney.
Luke Glendening
Glendening, 36, had four goals and three assists for seven points in 77 games last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He would add a goal and an assist in five games during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Grand Rapids, Michigan native is entering his 14th season in the league, with eight of those seasons being with the Detroit Red Wings. In 864 games, he’s put up 83 goals and 83 assists for 166 points. If Glendening is able to make the team, he would be a solid veteran piece that you could bring on with a league-minimum deal.
Goaltenders
Georgi Romanov
Romanov, 25, had a rough year at the NHL level last season with the San Jose Sharks, going 0-6 with a 3.89 GAA and .877SV% in eight games with the Sharks. The majority of his season came at the AHL level with the San Jose Barracuda, where he went 11-6-5 with a 3.10 GAA and .905SV%.
He spent his first professional season playing at all three levels. The Russian goaltender, like this season, spent the majority of the 2023-24 season with the Barracuda. He would go 9-9-8 with a 3.14 GAA and .904SV%. In seven games at the ECHL level with the Wichita Thunder, he went 3-3-1 with a 4.00 GAA and .870SV%. Romanov would finish the season with the Sharks, where he made two appearances, both of which came in a relief role.
Adam Scheel
Scheel, 26, spent last season on an AHL deal with the Colorado Eagles. In 14 games with the Eagles, he went 10-2-2 with a 2.62 GAA, .904SV%, and three shutouts. He would also see time at the ECHL level with the Utah Grizzlies, where he went 5-12-2 with a 3.93 GAA and .884SV%.
The Lakewood, Ohio, native has spent his entire career in the AHL and ECHL. At the AHL level, he’s gone 38-37-22 with a 2.90 GAA, .905SV%, and five shutouts in 101 games with the Texas Stars, Chicago Wolves, and Colorado Eagles. During his time in the ECHL with the Idaho Steelheads and Utah Grizzlies, he went 36-23-2 with a 2.60 GAA, .914SV%, and five shutouts. His best season came during the 2022-23 season, when he went 28-8 with a league-leading 1.97 GAA and a .932 SV%, along with five shutouts in 37 games, leading the Steelheads to a Brabham Cup.
What This Means For the Devils In Net
This is a very interesting move for a Devils team that currently has a logjam of goaltenders. They have Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen at the NHL level. In the AHL, you have Nico Daws and Jakub Málek, as well as Jeremy Broduer, who signed a one-way AHL contract. The Devils also have Tyler Brennan, who is in the final year of his entry-level contract, and will spend the season in Adirondack (ECHL) after having back-to-back injury-shortened seasons to start his career. Romanov or Sheel will really have to impress the Devils to find their way to a contract.
ITR 49: For Real This Time – Inside The Rink
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