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NEWARK, N.J. -- Chase Stillman realizes a big part of turning professional is playing to one's identity.

It's something the 20-year-old forward is determined to perfect during his quest to get future playing time with the New Jersey Devils.

"I think I'm starting to become a little bit more comfortable with what's expected from me here in New Jersey and what they offer, after talking to (general manager) Tom Fitzgerald," Stillman said during Devils development camp last month. "I think that I'm really starting to kind of fill into my shoes and be the player they want me to be.

"I feel like I'm starting to get a little bit more comfortable in my skin with who I am as a player. I feel like the more I improve on that, the faster I can make the jump, and I'm looking forward to it. I think I can do it shortly."

Stillman, selected by New Jersey with the No. 29 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, signed his three-year, entry-level contract on Aug. 20, 2021, and is expected to begin his first professional season with Utica of the American Hockey League.

"Hopefully, I can play in New Jersey as fast as possible," Stillman said. "But if I end up in Utica, it's really exciting. It's a big step for me hockey-wise and life-wise. First time being away from home, being away from a billet family. I'm really looking forward to it."

Born in St. Louis and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, he's the son of former NHL forward Cory Stillman, who played 16 NHL seasons and won the Stanley Cup twice, with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004 and the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.

"Chase is one of those guys who has a lot of grit to his game but he possesses some skills that will make him kind of a special player," Devils player development coach Eric Weinrich said. "He's still learning how to put it all together. He took a lot of steps playing his role and understanding where he fit into the team scheme last year, and that's all part of learning.

"I think once he figures out what kind of a player he could be as a pro, he can sort of focus on those things, and I think it'll help him a lot."

Stillman had 48 points (19 goals, 29 assists) in 59 games last season, his fourth in the Ontario Hockey League and second with Petersborough. An alternate captain, he had 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 21 OHL playoff games, helping Peterborough to the league championship and a berth in the Memorial Cup, where it lost 4-1 to Seattle of the Western Hockey League in the semifinals.

A video of Stillman went viral during round-robin action of the Memorial Cup, when he delivered a big open-ice hit against Kamloops forward Matthew Seminoff (Dallas Stars) before being challenged and fighting forward Caeden Bankier (Minnesota Wild) seconds later during an eventual 5-4 overtime victory.

"We were down 3-1 ... I figured I had to do something to turn it around and an opportunity came," said Stillman (6-foot-1, 185 pounds). "It's not like I was going out there to hurt anybody, but a guy cut across the middle, and I finished him. Then a second guy came, and I guess I was just a little bit more ready than he was.

"I think that's just the complete in me. I'm a guy who's going to get under players' skin with the way I play. I'm expected to be a hard-nosed player, a hard guy to play against."

Photos: Kenneth Andersen Photography