Seney to rely on speed, skill and grit to make impact

Brett Seney spent the past four seasons as the leading scorer for the Merrimack Warriors where the 22-year-old forward earned 115 points during his collegiate career. When their season ended in the first round of the Hockey East playoffs in March, the Devils 6th round draft choice in 2015 signed a two-year entry level deal as well as an amateur tryout agreement to play in Binghamton for the remainder of the season.

As he prepares for his first full professional season, he's taking the lessons learned in those 12 games to help him make a great impression during rookie camp in September.
"You know it's going to be hard to make the jump to the pros and that things will be different, but you don't really understand until you're actually playing at that level," Seney explained. "It's quite a bit different. The game is so much more controlled. In college, you only play twice a week so everyone's always going 100 miles an hour, but at the pro game, there's a big emphasis on being efficient with your energy and you have to make better decisions with the puck and without the puck and you really have to think the game at a higher level, not just play at a higher level."
Known for his speed, skill and grit, the 5-foot-10, 175 pound Ontario native went into his time with Binghamton on a mission to showcase the type of player he is and what he could bring to the table.
"I'm not the biggest guy, but I try to play fast and I'm not afraid to mix it up either, even against a bigger guy," he explained. "At the same time, when I get the puck I try to set up my teammates and make the right play and I think going to college really rounded out my game and helped me be able to do that better. I'm much more of a two-way forward than just the offensive threat that I was in my freshman year, but now I have to be even more aware of those opportunities.
"At Merrimack, I was relied upon to score goals and make things happen," he continued. "I had some freedom in trying to create things, but at this level, the guys are more talented and I don't have to try to carry the load so much and can rely on my teammates to make things happen too. I will have to learn to use them better instead of just trying to do it all on my own. I learned that lesson the hard way in the spring. I got thumped quite a few times in Binghamton because I made the aggressive play instead of the smart play - like I said before about being efficient - but that's all part of the learning process."
In those first 12 games, Seney notched three goals and five assists for eight points and, at the end of the season, he returned to Merrimack to complete his masters degree in business management to go along with the bachelors degree in business that he completed the year before. He also went back with a gameplan on what and how he could improve this summer.
"Their main message to me before I went back to Merrimack was to get stronger, especially if I was going to continue to play my competitive style," Seney said. "This summer, I've worked really hard in the gym and have been trying to put on some weight and work on my lower body strength. I think I've done a good job so far, but I still have some work to do. I'm not the biggest guy and I'm playing against men now, so I need to be ready for that."
After his third development camp with the Devils this past July (he missed last year's while recovering from an injury), he said this year was totally different. It wasn't just that he was taking the next step in his career and preparing for his first professional season, but that through the development process the past few years he was more prepared mentally to be able to absorb more of the information.
"I remember my first year and there was just so much information," he said. "It was definitely overwhelming, but each year I feel like more and more is able to sink in and your better able to use that information to make yourself better. So even though I might have heard this information several times before at previous camps, maybe I wasn't ready to implement it then and it didn't quite click, but now in my third year I'm able to take in so much more because of the steps I've taken each year to get better and now it's time to take it to another level once again."
College players are not able to participate in rookie camp because NCAA rules prohibit it, so the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo will be a first for him as the Devils prospects take on the Sabres, Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins at the HarborCenter in Buffalo, September 7th through the 10th.
"I've talked to a couple guys that have been to rookie camp before and they've given me some inside info and helped me figure out what to expect." Seney explained. "I'm looking forward to it and it will be a good test for me and for the rest of the guys. We've all been told that there are spots for us to make the team but that they won't be handed to us just because they're there, we have to earn them and I know I'll be working really hard to put myself in a position to earn one of them."
The one advantage he'll have over everyone else is the relationship he's already established with new Binghamton head coach Mark Dennehy, who took over for Rick Kowalsky after he was named an assistant coach under John Hynes in New Jersey. Dennehy recruited Seney and was his head coach during his four years at Merrimack.
Familiarity aside, Seney knows he's not the big fish in a little pond anymore and is motivated by the challenge to prove himself in the professional ranks.
"I find when I'm playing with players that are better than me, I can contribute more with my playmaking and help them be better and it also helps me be better as a player in all aspects of my game," he said. "It's really exciting to be challenged at this next level and continue to raise my game and get better and better. It's been a great summer of training and I'm really looking forward to what's coming next."