Hynes, Devils bring intensity to Saturday's scrimmage

The ice is fresh and so are the legs at New Jersey Devils training camp, as coaches got on the ice with their players for the first time. And if we have learned one thing over the last few years with Head Coach John Hynes at the helm, it's that no training camp is going to be easy. Hynes had his groups working from the moment they stepped on the ice, with his voice carrying over the entire practice facility.

The 54 players at camp have been divided into three groups, all of which got in hour-long practices throughout the day. Day One also featured a two-half scrimmage between Group A and Group B.

While players have been in town for the last week, this was the first real chance for the coaching staff to get a glimpse of the work their players have put in over the course of the summer, to come in faster, stronger and better. Jesper Bratt, who participated in the morning practice session and scrimmage, had a noticeable extra step in his stride, telling NewJerseyDevils.com that working on his stamina to withstand the grueling 82 game regular season was a priority after his rookie NHL campaign. Bratt was paired on a familiar line alongside Hall and Hischier for the scrimmage. Hischier got on the board and Hall picked up an assist on a Blake Speers marker in the 3-3 draw between Group A and B.

Also scoring in the scrimmage was 20-year-old Mike McLeod, who is participating in his third Devils training camp. McLeod skated on a line with Eric Tangradi and Marian Studenic and used a new sense of game maturity to make smart plays.
"I felt pretty good," McLeod said. "I was in the right spots and I made two plays. I think I've just matured as a player. I'm more patient at my own end, I'm developing into a two-way player."
Hynes was certainly pleased to see the growth in McLeod's game. "He's very fast and quick, and speedy," Hynes said. "You want him] to be quick, but not in a hurry. We want to have guys that can play with pace and are extremely competitive. I thought all-in-all he had a really good day today. I think his work ethic is really strong and he played with the qualities we want to have our players play with."
For McLeod, though still a young player, the experience of an intense Hynes training camp is nothing he hasn't experienced before. He's been here twice before. He knows Hynes expects his players to maintain a game-like pace, be ultra-competitive and earn every inch of ice, it's a brand-new experience for players like forwards Brett Seney and Joey Anderson.
"It was definitely a tough day," Seney said after participating in a practice immediately after a scrimmage. "The guys really grind out there, it was certainly a good start to camp. Obviously, this is my first [training camp], I'm just trying to go out there and show what I can do. I'm trying to earn a roster spot."
[Tweet from @NJDevils: Let the competition begin! The #NJDevils kicked off Saturday with our first scrimmage of camp. pic.twitter.com/C5xKGmS4jy
"It's tough to prepare for that," Anderson added. "This being my first camp, I've heard stories [about how hard they are]. I didn't quite know what to expect. It's good to have day one over with and now I know what to expect going forward."
As young players get used to the intensity of training camp, they'll also be thrown into the mix of NHL preseason play. The Devils are gearing up for their first preseason games which will be held in a split-squad format on Monday night. One roster will remain at Prudential Center to face the New York Rangers, while a second roster will travel to Montreal to face the Canadiens. One lineup decision that has been publicly made is that goaltender Cory Schneider will not participate in either game. Schneider was however on the ice on Day One, though he did not participate in the scrimmage. He took shots and was active in protecting the net during practice, but his recovery from off-season hip surgery is still ongoing.
"Cory is really progressing really the way he should be," Hynes said. "This is the natural progression. He had been skating over the course of the summer, and now it's a situation where he's working one-on-one with [goaltending coach Roland Melanson], and then getting into practice situations with other guys. He's on track to continue to move forward."
The Devils have one more full day of practice on Sunday before getting into preseason action. Players will be on the ice starting at 9 a.m. on Sunday with three practice sessions and a scrimmage scheduled.