The future is always bright on days like this. 

On Tuesday, June 30th and Wednesday, July 1st, the New Jersey Devils are hosting their annual Development Camp for their prospects, just like every team around The NHL. Yes, the format and style of these camps differ from team to team, but, for the most part, the prospects spend some time on the ice and some off it, doing other team-based activities. 

“This was talked about, I’d say, probably over a month ago,” said Ryan Parent, Head Coach of the Utica Comets, the Devils’ AHL team. “It was kind of the idea that we had to make it a smaller group. 

“Then, you get to kind of meet the new players, the first and second year drafted guys, that when the camp’s larger, sometimes you get a lot of invites and it’s harder to connect with each guy individually. So, it gives us more time when you’re walking around the room, anything off ice. And then, when you’re on ice as well, just more time with each of the younger players.”

As Parent mentioned, the Devils decided to go with a smaller group of prospects this year, compared to years past, in order to give the players a more intimate welcome to the organization.

Of course, not every player is from their 2026 draft class. Some were drafted in 2025. For the returnees, this camp acts as a sort of check-in or progress report to see where the 2025 draftees are in their development curve one year later. Granted, there are no “winners” or “losers” in this camp. Nobody is going to earn an NHL roster spot based on this camp, nor will they lose one. 

“This is the first one that I’ve been part of that’s been small, so we’re gonna see how it goes,” Parent explained. “You hear the messages from a lot of the other camps and no one uses this as an evaluation. They say you’re not gonna make the team out of this camp, which I think is true, but we’re always evaluating players, especially if we don’t know them. 

“We’re trying to see what the scouts saw in them or learning each player, seeing how their development went that year, if we hadn’t seen them as well. We’re always evaluating them, but it’s not highly competitive as Training Camp is. So that’s why, again, you have a smaller group, you’re not really prioritizing that as much and you’re able to interact more with the players.”

Part of that interaction is the various team-building activities that the Devils are hosting for their group of prospects.

“We had a good presentation,” Parent said. “A company came in and did it. A lot of it was on learning, self-evaluation, how to be a good leader. And within that, there was a lot of little team-building activities and stuff. The smallest thing, just being in a group where, at times, there’s only 10 or 14 players around. 

“You interact more with each other. You’re not in a group of 40, where you might be kind of trying to figure out who each guy is or where they come from. There’s only 14 of them, so even having lunch together is a good team-building activity for those guys.”

The team-building is fun, but the camp is also a chance for the players to open up a bit more, not just with each other, but also with the media, showing a side of themselves you don’t normally see during their respective seasons.

Mason Moe, a center whom the Devils drafted in the third round in 2025, is back for his second camp. Last year, this Minnesota native shared how, during his time away from the rink, he enjoyed golfing and playing pickleball. Well, it’s time to get an update on his off-ice hobbies, including his improving golf game, going from a nine handicap to a six.

“I actually ordered (new) irons a few weeks ago and they’re supposed to come in like the next week,” Moe said regarding his newly purchased golf clubs. “Beat my dad last week and yeah, I’m playing good golf right now.”

“I took some time off that,” Moe said about pickleball. “But I gotta get back out there.”

New Jersey’s first-round pick this year (2026), Alexander Command, also a center, is known to enjoy (and be very good at) ping-pong and soccer, two activities that are very prevalent among NHL players. So, when he was asked how he intends to approach those games with the Devils’ veterans, he said, “I think I’ll keep my distance in the beginning and then we’ll see what happens.” 

Of course, just because he won’t immediately challenge his new teammates doesn’t mean he’s entirely abstaining from enjoying those sports.

“I love to watch soccer or football, as we call it,” Command quipped. “So pumped to see Sweden tonight (Tuesday) and hopefully they’ll stand a chance (of winning the World Cup).”

Now that we’ve gotten some personality out of the players, it’s time to get back into the hockey of it all.

“A big thing for me is still staying present, focusing in the moment, not looking too far ahead,” Moe explained. “But, right now it’s just, how can I prepare for next season and be ready to go when the time comes…I think, a big thing, I was talking to one of the coaches out there about face-offs, being able to win ’em a lot more and kind of be in a better position wherever I am on the ice.”

One thing the Devils do well is prep their centers in all aspects of the on-ice game. After all, with current pivots like Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes on the roster, it’s only natural that the organization places extra emphasis on the position. Plus, they have plenty of legendary alumni around, like Ken Daneyko, Sergei Brylin and Patrik Elias to help teach the kids what it means to be a Devil.

“It’s truly awesome,” Command said about having the former Devils around. “They know how it’s been for us and we look up to them and trying to replicate what they did for so many years. Hopefully, one day, they’ll be mentors for us and just trying to pass on the torch.”

The day after Command was selected in the first round, the Devils’ Chief Amateur Scout, Mark Dennehy, said they considered him to be a “true center,” which Command responded to on Tuesday by saying, “It’s just who I am. I am a center, so of course I’m glad to hear that.”

The future is bright in New Jersey and from the sound of it, the Devils are bringing the next generation along in just the right way.