Weinrich Keeps Close Eye on Defensive Prospects | DEV CAMP

Devils development coach Eric Weinrich spends a lot of time in Michigan.
Not because he lives there, but the Michigan University roster boasts a couple of Devils prospects. Like many development coaches, Weinrich's job takes him on the road to catch up with players in the Devils' system, to check in on their progress, get to know them off the ice and watch their games.
"It's kind of a unique thing that's happening in hockey," Weinrich said, "Back when I started, it was unheard of to have somebody come around from the team, we were lucky to see somebody from management maybe once in our career. To get out there and see the guys, talk to the coaches I think one thing it does for the players, it makes them feel like the organization just wants to give them some time and really care about them and how they're doing."
When he arrives in Michigan it's a trip that keeps him busy with both Luke Hughes and Ethan Edwards on the Michigan roster, and Seamus Casey, drafted in the second round this year, will join them for the upcoming season.
That's when Casey will be introduced to the little Michigan Breakfast Club.

When the coach they call Weinois in town, Hughes and Edwards carpool together to a breakfast spot and are joined by Weinrich to catch up.
"I met them there once and we just kind of made it a tradition now," Weinrich said, "Now with Seamus Casey going there, we'll have three. The best part for me is that we talk about things other than hockey, of course, it always comes up because that's their life but Michigan is such a big campus, there's a whole lot going on there. I hear about their families, how school is going, what they do with their off-time, it's really fun to just sit there and talk."
While that might be the fun part, Weinrich is also there to track the player's progression and see how they are developing and taking the next steps in their careers. He has been keeping a close eye on the fourth-overall pick in 2021, Luke Hughes.
Needless to say, he's impressed.
"To be honest, when I watched him before the draft, I wasn't sure about what kind of an offensive upside he would bring," Weinrich admitted, "but I think he exceeded everybody's expectations in that part of the game. He really wants to round out his game defensively and be able to control the game a little more from the back end. When he's able to do that at this level, he's going to be more than ready to step."
General Manager Tom Fitzgerald noted before the draft in Montreal that Hughes will return to Michigan this season, a place where he can continue to evolve his game.
"He has room to grow physically, he'll be able to do that at Michigan. He has some great teammates there, and he really likes school. He's young. As we all know these kids are just kids still. This will give him one more year of maturity, but he's got a ton of promise and a ton of ability."
A defenseman himself in his playing days, Weinrich has a particular affinity for keeping an eye on the defensemen, and New Jersey has certainly been investing in a crop of up-and-coming defensive talent. This past week was the first time Weinrich was able to watch second-overall pick Simon Nemec in person and was taken aback by how composed the 18-year-old is.
"I watched him on video a lot, and I'm so impressed with his poise, he's really confident with the puck and he doesn't expend a lot of energy. There's guys that you can compare him to in that respect, like a Chris Chelios, just a guy whose game never goes up and down, it's just so steady. I'm really excited to see him play in some games."

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Hughes and Nemec headline a long list of defensemen in the Devils' prospect pool. Just last week, Fitzgerald and his staff used five of their eight picks in the draft to select defensemen, Nemec included.
Weinrich is going to be busy. But he wouldn't have it any other way.
"It's great for me, I love all the kids but especially, being a defenseman myself, watching these kids go through the process, it's been fun," he said, "The guys that we have, we have a really good mix of high talent and high character. The more that we acquire, it just helps because everybody knows you have to build from the back out. To have some really strong prospects is great for the future."