The New Jersey Devils made a roster move ahead of their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night.
The organization announced that veteran forward Evgenii Dadonov has been placed on the Injured Reserve list with a fracture in his hand.
“The X-rays were negative, but he woke up and wasn’t feeling much better,” head coach Sheldon Keefe told NJD.TV. “They had further imaging, which did show there was a fracture in there. The extent of it, they need to look a little bit closer. He will be out for the rest of this road trip, and we will get him back home and get a better sense of what the timeline will be.”
In a corresponding move, Brian Halonen was called up from the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL). The 26-year-old scored one goal in the Comets’ game on Saturday afternoon against the Cleveland Monsters and was named the third star of the game. His line that included Matyas Melovsky and Xavier Parent combined for four points in Utica’s 3-2 overtime loss.
With the Comets, Halonen is a top-six player who gets time on the first power play unit. During training camp, he spoke about his different roles in Utica vs. when he plays in New Jersey.
“Obviously, the minutes you play and the opportunities you are put in are different,” he said. “There are not the same opportunities here (in New Jersey). I feel like growing up in college, I played both roles. I started off in more of a bottom-six role, and in my later years, I was in a top-six role. I feel like I have experience in both roles.
“I just try to put my best foot forward wherever I am playing.”
In an exclusive interview with The Hockey News, Devils’ Assistant General Manager/Utica Comets General Manager Dan MacKinnon spoke further about balancing competitiveness in the AHL with developing players in specific roles.
“That has always been the nature of the American Hockey League,” he said. “You are projecting prospects down there to potentially grow into a certain role at the NHL level, and that doesn’t always completely align with what they are asked to do in the American Hockey League.
“A bona fide future third or fourth line NHLer is probably, after an initial adjustment period, going to be at least a middle-six or top line AHL player. That is just the nature of the beast.
“We believe as an organization that the best development happens when you are part of a competitive team that is getting its fair share of wins,” he continued. “You want Brian Halonen to score, and I think he can this year, 30 to 40 goals in the AHL, but the job he is competing for at the NHL level is a fourth line role where, if he ever has it full-time, and gets eight to 10 goals, I think the organization would be thrilled.”
Halonen is projected to play on New Jersey’s fourth line with Paul Cotter and Luke Glendening against the Blue Jackets.
“He is putting in his time in Utica and has been al leader down there in his play, his attitude, and work,” Keefe told NJD.TV Monday morning. “When you need a guy this early in the season, there are a lot of people in the organization that go to bat for him. I think even in the short time he spent with us last season, you saw some elements in his game that with greater opportunity, you want to see how it plays out. There is a chance here now.”
The winger has played four career NHL games over the past two seasons. He has averaged 11:06 of ice time and has four shots on goal.
Puck drop between the Devils and Blue Jackets is at 7:00 p.m. Fans can watch tonight’s game on MSGSN or the Gotham Sports.
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