Another practice, another scrimmage

New Jersey Devils head coach John Hynes gave "football Sunday" a new meaning on Sunday morning at the Devils practice facility. As the team gets ready to play in their first two preseason games on Monday night, Hynes brought out football blockers in his drills, donated to him by the New York Jets.

The blockers, held by assistant coaches and allowing them to be more physically involved, helped replicate the feeling of battles along the boards, trying to pin players as they fought for pucks behind the net. It's all an attempt to keep things fresh and new, something that Hynes values as an important part of the training camp process.

Also valued, is the intensity that each player puts into to every session on the ice. Ask any player at a Hynes training camp, and they will tell you 'compete level' is what the Devils head coach expects to see from them.

"[The guys intensity] was very good again today," Hynes said. "It was something we talked about this morning, having consistency and sustainability of our focus and work ethic in our attention to detail, and how hard we need to compete to get ourselves ready and our habits engrained."
One player who is never short of work-ethic is forward Blake Coleman. After a breakout season in 2017-18, where he finished with 13 goals and 12 assists in 79 games, Coleman knows that despite a brand-new three-year contract, there is still work to be done in his game.
"At every stage of my career there has been a similar pattern," Coleman said. "The first year is a lot of hard work, that's how I've gotten noticed throughout my career, just outworking the guys next to me. But, I try to take that next step each year, making more plays and showing up more consistently on the scoresheet. I'm looking to build on every aspect of my game this year."

Coleman was a player who this time last year was fighting to make an impression and earn a roster spot. He serves as an important reminder that there is opportunity to be had during training camp. One player who is in a similar position that Coleman was in last year is Blake Speers.
Speers just finished his first full season in the AHL, where he registered 12 goals and seven assists in 62 games with the Binghamton Devils, and is focused on making a difference at this years NHL camp.
"I'm putting a lot of effort and focus into making sure I'm one of the hardest competitors [at camp]," Speers, who is suffering from a broken nose from an errant elbow in Saturday's scrimmage, said.
Speers has been showcasing his improved game over the last two weeks. In Buffalo during the Prospects Challenge, Speers turned heads with his smarts and speed, and that has carried through to main camp as well.
"You can see he has a real strong focus level about him," Hynes said. "I think the way he has practiced the last couple of days, he's done everything right with attention to detail, full speed and great compete level. We've commented a couple of times as coaches that we've been really impressed with how he's come back. He's really dialed in."
Practices and scrimmages will have to wait a day or two, as the Devils get their pre-season underway. On Monday night, the Devils will have two split-squad matchups. At the Prudential Center, the Devils will host the New York Rangers while a second group will head to Montreal to face the Canadiens.
Hynes won't coach either game, instead leaving the job up to his assistants. Assistant coach Alain Nasreddine, and Mike Greir along with Binghamton head coach Mark Dennehy will travel to Montreal, while Devils assistant coach Rick Kowalsky and Binghamton assistants Sergei Brylin and Ryan Parent will be behind the bench in New Jersey. Hynes will be keeping a watchful eye over his players, evaluating their every shift, from suite-level.