The New Jersey Devils are utilizing a mini-training camp this week as they prepare to resume their regular season following a break for international competition. Head coach Sheldon Keefe emphasized the importance of maximizing practice time to shake off rust and regain conditioning, even with several key players still participating in the Olympics.
“Whether we have our full group or not, we’ve got to maximize every day,” Keefe said. “Today is a day to obtain the rust off, get back out, get the body feeling good so that you can ramp it up and really start pushing well to arrive out after the break, so that’s really been my focus, is to have our players and staff ready for our practice sessions here and be ready to take each day as it comes.”
Currently, the Devils are without several players competing in the Olympics. Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, and Jonas Siegenthaler are representing Switzerland, whereas Simon Nemec is playing for Slovakia. Sweden, featuring Jesper Bratt and Jacob Markstrom, has advanced to the semi-finals where they will face the United States and Jack Hughes.
Forward Connor Brown highlighted the importance of utilizing the practice time to refine skills and conditioning. “You’ve got to make sure your conditioning is in the right spot,” Brown said. “Make sure that your skills and touches are there. More than anything it’s fun to be back with the guys, get back with the group and get on the ice together.”
Keefe acknowledged that the break provided an opportunity for in-depth analysis of the team’s performance. “For myself, it wasn’t much of a break in terms of time away,” Keefe stated. “I was fortunate to spend a lot of time with my wife and kids, but a lot of time on video. It kind of felt in a lot of ways like an off-season in terms of regrouping, diving into what’s gone well, what hasn’t and obviously there’s been too many things that hasn’t gone well. I spent a great deal of time of diagnosing that, working at it, looking at ourselves, the trends around the league and just trying to make some adjustments and have our guys ready to travel when the puck drops.”
The Devils will have four more practice days before resuming play, with the return of their Olympians anticipated as their respective competitions conclude.
