Devils Sign Theo to 1-Day Contract | FEATURE

The Devils are looking to bolster their lineup. And the roster received a massive upgrade Wednesday morning with the addition of 12-year-old Theo Koshenkov.

Theo, who hails from East Brunswick, New Jersey, is a Devils superfan that was recently diagnosed with Lymphoma. He was offered a one-day contract by Devils V.P. of Hockey Operations Martin Brodeur in the Hall of Fame goaltenders’ office at Prudential Center.

“It means a lot (to us as an organization),” Brodeur said. “People are going through a difficult phase in their life. To make a great day like today, getting Theo on board with a one-day contract with the New Jersey Devils, it’s an easy thing for us to do but it means a lot for Theo and his family.”

The Devils will be hosting Theo and his family on Saturday, Nov. 30 for the team’s Hockey Fights Cancer Night against the Washington Capitals. That night, Theo will watch warmups from the penalty box, join the starting lineup read in the locker room, participate in the pre-game ceremonial puck drop and ride the Zamboni.

But the real fun for Theo began Wednesday morning. The contract signing was just the start to Theo’s day with the Devils. He was welcomed into the locker room to cheers and applause by all the players and coaches. Head coach Sheldon Keefe presented Theo with a Devils Hockey Fights Cancer jersey autographed by the entire team.

Theo, who was accompanied by his mother Diana and grandfather Paul, was given his own locker stall with his nameplate and jersey. He wore the jersey and sat in his locker while watching Keefe go over the team’s drills for their morning skate that afternoon.

After finishing the team meeting, Keefe had one final message to his team before they took the ice for the morning skate.

“Do your best. Theo’s watching,” he said.

As the meeting broke up, Theo made his way over to the locker of his favorite player, Jack Hughes. The two had a private conversation and after Theo went around the room giving fist bumps to the players as they made their way out to the ice.

“It was cool meeting one of the greatest players in the league,” Theo said of meeting his idol.

“He’s usually very cool and collected. But today I saw him break down a little bit today because it was very cool to meet his heroes,” Theo’s mother, Diana, said.

Theo also made his way to the ice and sat on the Devils bench as the team went through its on-ice work. Theo watched in amazement at the speed and ferocity of the game up close.

“I liked how when it was quiet you could just hear the sounds more and see all the goals up close,” Theo said. “It’s a hockey fans dream come true.”

At one point, Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon was checked into the boards and water bottles flew into the bench a few feet away from Theo. Forward Timo Meier skated by and gave some advice to Theo.

“You have to be careful here,” he said with a smile.

At the conclusion of the morning skate, several players came over to give Theo another fist bump, including Hughes, Nico Hischier and Jake Allen.

“Who’s your favorite player? I know it’s not me,” Allen joked.

The entire team gathered at the bench to take a photo with Theo. Jacob Markstrom extended his arm and helped Theo navigate the slippery ice surface to be in the middle of the team photo. After the pictures were taken, the group broke up and the players began making their way back to the locker room.

One of the last to leave was Dawson Mercer. He came over to check in on Theo.

“Did you have fun?” he asked.

Theo nodded graciously.

“We’ll see you Saturday?” Mercer followed up.

Theo nodded again with a big smile. Mercer flashed a smile of his own, waved and headed back to the locker room. Not a bad day for the youngster.

“It was cool to sign the contract to be part of the team for a day. The locker room was cool too obviously,” he said of his experience. “It was a lot of fun. It was great to meet the guys and Martin Brodeur.”

And Brodeur was equally excited to meet Theo and add him to the team for a day.

“Every time you’re able to do something special, having days like this mean a lot,” Brodeur said. “We’re here and we want to make a difference. You hope you’re able to do that with days like this.”