Rock Me
The Devils held their lone intrasquad scrimmage of training camp on Friday. And the player that stood out the most was forward Amadeus Lomdardi.
The 23-year-old scored two goals to lift his team to a 3-1 victory, and they were both beauties. On the first, Lombardi carried the puck down the right side and to the goal line before cutting across the crease and slipping it through the five-hole of goalie David Rittich. Later, he took a pass at the left hash mark and sniped a shot into the far top corner.
“A couple nice plays by my linemates and they ended up going in so I’m not going to complain,” Lombardi said. “All in all, a good game.”
Lombardi’s linemates were veterans Cody Glass and Connor Brown. He opened camp skating with the duo and has made the most of his opportunity thus far.
“I don’t think you can ask for much more in terms of the showing today,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “Showing his skillset and his skating, which is exceptional. That stood out in practice yesterday as well, that he’s a natural skater, which is so important with how we want to play and the type of team that we have.
“Great finish to score on the goals. I’m sure that’ll go a long way with his confidence. He recognizes that he’s going to get a real good opportunity here and he showed that he’s ready for that here today.”
The Devils acquired Lombardi from Detroit in the summer in exchange for a fourth-round pick. An injury to Nick Bjugstad to start camp created an opening. Lombardi was slotted into that opening as an early indication of what management thinks of him.
General manager Sunny Mehta has praised Lombardi in the past for his potential.
“When I got traded and I heard all the nice things that Sunny and his staff were staying about me, I was working almost out of love to prove these guys right, prove that they made the right decision,” Lombardi said. “It helps me that way and keeps me motivated in a different way.
“It’s been such a blessing. I’m so happy that they believe in me.”
