TRAINING CAMP: Fast Paced Camp Lies Ahead for Devils

NEWARK, NJ -"I want players to have enthusiasm. I want them to have energy."
Lindy Ruff was not referring to "nervous energy", which is something a few of the newest members of the New Jersey Devils might have had entering Prudential Center on Thursday morning.

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INTERVIEWS
Coach Lindy Ruff
Hughes
Zajac
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When the veteran bench boss stepped into the arena on Thursday, it was an unofficial kick-off to his first training camp in New Jersey. The normal excitement was still there, of course.
"It feels great," said Ruff. "First of all, to get in front of all the players [is great]. Still having a tough time with the masks and everything, trying to recognize them but to get day one underway, I'm thrilled. I know my whole staff is extremely excited to get this going."
But then, the reality hits. The Devils begin their season in two weeks' time. Indeed, it was not only the first day of camp for the team, but it was the first day of a camp, which closes out a year mired by a global pandemic. The pandemic, which led to a pause in sporting events, a loss of fans in the stands, a postponement of the season, the axing of crucial pre-season games, the consolidation of camp into a small window of time, and the shortening of the schedule by 26 games.
So Ruff's first training camp in Jersey begins with its share of challenges. Those challenges are particularly stark for clubs trotting out a new coaching staff and several new pieces to the roster.
But that's not too intimidating for Ruff. In fact, he's eager to meet this incredibly unique challenge.
"I like it," said Ruff. "The fact that this isn't a normal year."
Ruff and his staff believe they've determined the right plan of action to get the Devils on-boarded quickly and on the path to success.
"We're looking at a schedule where you can't spend too much time on what just happened, but what's going to happen next. So if we lose a game we've got to move on, be ready for the next game. And we really have to enjoy where we're at. Whether that's a practice day, whether it's the game the next night, let's enjoy it and move on."
And that's why some of the Devils players wore gear during media day Thursday, with the saying, "eNJoy the ride" on it. It's a camp theme, chosen by the players, that helps keep these next two weeks, and this season, in perspective.
And that's just part of the task at hand for Ruff. He has to keep things in perspective for his players and find a way to make the most of the situation. He, as the coach, has to put them in a position to win games and make strides in the standings. That means jumping right in and not wasting the time the club has.
"We've discussed that at length," he said. "We've put together schedules and within the last week, it changed on a daily basis with how can we build a schedule of practices and games in this segment of time that can get us ready for game one against Boston. And I think our final answer was almost all these players have been skating for months. Most of our players haven't played with a few exceptions, and haven't played real hockey for 10 months.
"We decided that if we could play a few more games at camp, serious games, where we get basically NHL competition-type of play then it would serve our team the best that they get to play against each other. They've spent the last month practicing. They spent time with skills coaches. They've done every skating drill, every passing drill. So in the first couple of days, incorporate our system and get to a game. Spend a lot of time working on special teams, but then try to get in two or three more games and an evening and evening game to get us ready for playing at seven at night. We feel that's going to be the best."
Devils fans looking for some view into what this team could look like this season should look no further than Ruff's overarching philosophy. He's employing structured, yet fast development in camp. It mirrors how he wants his teams to play.
"It is definitely up uptempo with discipline," he said. "I think if you look at the Dallas team I coached previously, it was an uptempo game with the fourth man involved in the rush, trying to create. But when the opportunity wasn't there, it was making the right decisions with puck. And that's the part of the game we've got to start from day one here, knowing that this is the situation we are inside of a game, whether it's 2-1 late or whether we're at the start of the second period and it's a 1-1 game. Know the situation you're in and play to the strength of how we can be successful."
That means puck possession and game-situational awareness, on top of becoming more mobile and more active, particularly on defense.
"That can help create some space for our skilled forwards. And we're going to work hard on that through the first week of camp."
And so it's time to implement these beliefs. Day one is in the books.
Day two, the Devils step on the ice.
And then, it's fast and furious from there on, leading to opening night on January 14, against Boston in the very arena Ruff paced through today as head coach of his new franchise.