FEATURE: Mark Dennehy Prepares for Season in New Jersey

When the Binghamton Devils season was cut short and canceled last season because of the pandemic, the AHL franchise was on a roll. As a team, and as individuals they were playing some of their very best hockey under head coach Mark Dennehy.
Little was everyone aware, they wouldn't return to Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena, home to the AHL Devils, for what looks like over a year.
For the 2021 AHL season, Dennehy and his team will play out of New Jersey, relocating for a single year to accommodate necessary provisions around the pandemic. The team will play out of RWJ Barnabas Health Hockey House, the NHL teams' practice rink. Where the franchise is extra fortunate is the rink they will play out of is part of the Prudential Center complex, putting both the NHL and AHL team under one roof. But their home in Binghamton isn't far from their minds.

"We love Bingo," head coach Mark Dennehy shared, "and that's where we want to be. Just because of what's going on these are trying times and it's still a difficult circumstance. So, this was the best option in terms of being able to play and that's what we want to do."
For anyone who knows Dennehy, he is extremely thorough in his preparation, how he gets his teams ready, and what he asks of his players. With the new location, a new division, and most certainly a very different atmosphere with no fans, Dennehy has reached out to coaches who have already been through it.
"I think there's a lot of unknown," he said, "I've got a buddy of mine coaching in Europe and he says it's hard at times, you play in a regular-season game in front of nobody, and you've got to bring your own energy to the rink. Now the good news is, we've got a lot of young guys, so young people tend to just have energy, but there are going to be games when we're going to have to probably get the jockey whip out a little bit and get these guys up and running."
Dennehy isn't too worried. Consider how hockey has ruled the lives of both players and coaches alike, for as long as they can remember, and that routine was taken away. Now it's back.
"I just think that overall, the overall excitement about playing again - it should be enough to carry us through the 34 games."
It's been a busy New Jersey camp for Dennehy. On days where the team is playing a game, he sits in the stands alongside his assistant coach Sergei Brylin. They are watchful eyes over the ice, always analyzing, always scouting their own players. Dennehy is a man who cares immensely about his players and his team. Asking him to point out a player or two who maybe has stood out during camp, or a player he's specifically excited about, it's not always something easy to answer.
"When I talk about these guys, I feel like I'm talking about my children, so you don't want to favorite."
If you know Dennehy, you know this isn't just lip-service. Instead of having to pick just one, he offers up these thoughts:
"I think that the New Jersey fans should be excited about our young defenseman. We've got some really good young defensemen here now that, you know, whether they're playing in the NHL or playing in the American Hockey League, I think half of them have the chance to have really good NHL careers."
Dennehy is always very cautious in how he speaks about a player's career progression. As a coach, he can guide them, teach them, and help nurture their careers, but he'll always put the onus on the player to take that and run. That is their responsibility in this equation.
"Now that's a starting point, there's still a lot of work to be done but I think you look at that, and you think, 'Oh wow,' you look at a Kevin Bahl, look at [Nikita] Okhotiuk, you look at Smitty [Ty Smith], like, hey, these are guys you know and that's not looking by Jakey [Josh Jacobs] and Whitey [Colton White] who have come in in their three years and are continuing to develop. So, I think our young defensive core is something for New Jersey fans to be excited about."
The Binghamton team will set up shop in the NHL Devils' old game-day locker room, sitting in a room that used to house some of the top players of the past generation. The walk along the carpet isn't too far from the Hockey House, where players will take to their ice for their games. They'll skate under the three Devils championship banners, that also hangs in the practice arena, the four retired numbers are there too. There's a perch as well, where Devils management and staff often sit and watch Devils practices.
"You can't be afraid to make mistakes, I mean that's part of development," Dennehy said. "But we talked about energy, you control your effort level. And don't kid yourself, there are going to be eyes upon you constantly, you're going to be evaluated, all the time. Which is one of the reasons why we're here right now."
And Dennehy knows exactly what the watchful eyes are looking for.
"The compete needs to be there I mean those are things I've known Tom [Fitzgerald] for a long time. Work ethic and compete are non-negotiables."