Coming to America | FEATURE

NEWARK, NJ – The Devils opened their Rookie Camp on Saturday afternoon with a practice at the RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House inside the Prudential Center. And one player stood above the rest. Literally.

Anton Silaev, the team’s first-round pick (10^th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft, towered over his peers. Standing in at 6-foot-7, the defenseman was head and shoulders above the rest of the group.

“Big, really big,” Utica head coach Ryan Parent said of his first impression of the Russian blueliner. “Covers a lot of ice. He’s really competitive. I’m excited to see him play.”

Silaev, 20, is dipping his toe into North American hockey this season after playing in Russia for his entire life. The left-shot defenseman played the last few years under Hall of Famer Igor Larionov with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the Kontinental Hockey League, but is making the leap across the ocean to pursue his dream.

“I’m very happy. It’s my dream to come to the NHL and play here,” Silaev said through translator Misha Manchik, a European scout for the team. “I’m very excited about that. I feel good two weeks here. I adapted very quickly, quicker than I thought. I love to be in America.”

Silaev worked with Seamus Casey at Saturday’s practice and saw action in all areas of the ice, including power play and penalty kill.

“He’s such a good player and more importantly seems like a really great guy,” Casey said of his first impression. “We’ve been having a lot of fun getting to know each other. It’s been a blast so far. He’s super happy around the rink at all times, which is really important as the season goes on.”

Silaev plays and aggressive and mean game. He is physical and likes to out-muscle opponents. But what really stands out is his skating ability, especially for a big guy.

“He’s huge, he’s massive, but he’s got really good feet, really good coordination,” Parent said. “Which is going to help with the transition on the smaller ice sheet and faster tempo.”

Fans will get their first look at Silaev, who is being mentored by Devils forward and fellow Russian Arseny Gritsyuk, on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. when the Devils prospects host the New York Islanders prospects for the first two rookie contests (the game will be live streamed, and more info can be found here). It will be Silaev’s first taste of hockey in the United States.

“Very good practice (today). Did PK and power play. Tomorrow is the first game. I’m excited for the game,” he said.

While it’ll be his first taste of North American hockey, it won’t be his first experience on the smaller ice surface.

“He has experience playing on this size ice because two teams in the Russian league have the same size,” Manchik said. “He played there pretty often. So, he knows that.”

With the trade of defenseman Simon Nemec, an opportunity has opened up on the Devils’ blue line. And no doubt, Silaev is a player on their long-term radar. But his goal for training camp and this upcoming season is to elevate himself to the short-term radar.

The Devils have some openings on the defensive side, and Silaev would like to be part of the conversation on slotting into one of those spots.

“Biggest success would be making the NHL team and spend most of the time here,” Manchik translated. “That would be a successful season.”