Amadeus Lombardi, Devils' uniquely named forward, eager to make NHL debut

NEWARK, N.J. -- When Amadeus Lombardi learned that he is penciled in to play in the season opener for the New Jersey Devils, it was music to his ears.

“It’s pretty surreal,” Lombardi said. “Very emotional.”

Lombardi, 23, was talking on Wednesday, a day before the opener against the Philadelphia Flyers at Prudential Center (7 p.m. ET; Disney+, HULU, ESPN+), about his long journey to this moment and how his family -- including siblings with unique and musically themed names -- helped him get there. 

He called his younger sister, Symphony, the “backbone for everything” because of the time she sacrificed accompanying him and his younger brother, Ulysses, to rinks. 

Ulysses, 18, is pursuing his own hockey career and has become Lombardi’s closest training partner. Ulysses is in his second season with Erie of the Ontario Hockey League.

“My sister has sacrificed so much growing up, just coming around the rinks with us, always being there by our side,” Lombardi said. “She supports both of us so much. My brother, we’ve gotten so close over the last few years, going down the same path. I really believe in him. He’s my best friend.”

Their unusual names reflect their parents' love of music and mythology. Lombardi’s father, Nick, played in two bands, Dropkick Me Jesus and Attomik.

“Both my parents love music,” Lombardi said. “Amadeus means to love God, so that’s where my name comes from, in Latin. The Latinized version of Odysseus is Ulysses. Symphony, I believe the translation is harmonious conjunction of sounds. We all have pretty unique names.”

His story to get to the NHL, however, is not unique. It’s one of a player overcoming odds and sticking with the dream to eventually make it. 

Lombardi’s journey included four seasons with Grand Rapids, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. He had 109 points (40 goals, 69 assists) in 163 regular-season games, including 42 points (16 goals, 26 assists) in 47 games last season.

The Devils acquired him in a trade with the Red Wings on June 25 for a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, giving Lombardi the opportunity he had been chasing since the Red Wings selected him in the fourth round (No. 113) of the 2022 NHL Draft.

When asked if he expected to reach the NHL by now, Lombardi said, “I think yes and no. After a couple years, maybe you’ll crack it. But the reality is there’s so many good players in the world, so many good players in the NHL. It really takes time to fully polish your game and be ready to take that next step.”

The wait tested Lombardi, but it also drove him.

“Sometimes it felt like I was so close but so far,” he said. “Going into the summer, I was pretty motivated. I was working, not out of anger, but I was very motivated.

“Once the trade happened, once I talked to (Devils general manager Sunny Mehta), the staff, (coach) Sheldon (Keefe), all these guys, it went from training to prove people wrong to training to prove people right. These guys took a bet on me. These guys are willing to give me an opportunity. I’m going to make sure they look really good for betting on me.”

Lombardi (5-foot-11, 180 pounds) nearly gave up that pursuit long before reaching professional hockey. Undersized as a teenager, he wondered whether he could continue.

“I went through a period of time where I was just really, really small, getting killed every game,” Lombardi said. “I was about to quit when I was 14 just because I was so small. It was getting so hard, and my family just made sure I stuck with it. They were really supportive of me.”

They will be there on Thursday when he makes his NHL debut, something he suspected could happen as training camp went along. 

“You kind of have an idea just with the way the practices are going, but I wasn’t going to jinx anything,” he said. “It was pretty emotional a couple days ago, just hearing that you made the final roster and then this morning when Keefe announced I was making my debut, it was pretty surreal.”

Keefe said Lombardi’s work ethic and humility earned him his opportunity.

“He’s worked extremely hard,” Keefe said. “He shows his talent and his ability, and I think his teammates recognize that he has things to offer. He’s just been so humble in this whole experience. It’s an exciting time for him and his family, and well deserved.”

Lombardi is expected to begin his NHL career on the fourth line alongside center Cody Glass and right wing Stefan Noesen.

“He’s very skilled, very fast,” Glass said. “He wins a lot of puck battles for a small guy. We want to make him as comfortable as possible because that’s when he’s going to shine.”

Lombardi plans to embrace everything that comes with his debut, including walking the red carpet before the opener at home.

“I’ve got to find a good outfit,” he joked.

His mother, father, brother and sister will attend, along with grandparents, extended family and childhood hockey friends.

“I’ve got a lot of people coming,” he said. “So many people helped me get here. It was really emotional just talking to them, letting them know that we finally made it.”