Shero-Fitzgerald Past Creates Bright Future for NJD

In May of 2015, when the newly named general manager of the New Jersey Devils, Ray Shero, received permission from Jim Rutherford, the general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, to speak with their assistant general manager, Tom Fitzgerald, Shero thought the interview that would follow was a mere formality.

"I thought this was going to be a slam dunk," Shero said. "He was the captain when I was [assistant general manager] in Nashville. I gave him his first job in management in Pittsburgh and brought him up through the ranks. Why wouldn't he want to work with me? But when he came to meet with me, I realized real quick it wasn't a slam dunk at all."

As a player, Fitzgerald was known, above all else, as a competitor. He prided himself on being one of the toughest players to go up against night in and night out and strived to improve every season. After being drafted 17th overall in 1986, it's that work ethic and mentality that enabled him to play 17 seasons in the NHL for seven different teams, including two who selected them in their respective expansion drafts - Florida and Nashville - while averaging just 20 points a season.

When he transitioned into management in 2007 as the Director of Player Development for the Penguins, his work ethic and competitive spirit didn't disappear. Not only did he still want to do everything he could to help his team win, but he also wanted to grow and be challenged in his new role. Just as he worked hard to grow and be challenged as a player to reach the highest level, his new goal was to reach the highest level in management.

When Shero reached out to Fitzgerald about coming to New Jersey, it wasn't just about having the opportunity to work with a man he respected and had an outstanding previous relationship with. It was also about how this position could grow him as a member of management and prepare him for the opportunity to become an NHL GM someday.

"Looking back on it, I shouldn't have expected anything less," said Shero of the intense three hour meeting he had with Fitzgerald, where he had to sell him on the organization, the ownership and his expanded responsibilities as assistant general manager of the Devils. "He's a competitive guy who is extremely thorough in his research. The due diligence he took while making sure this was the right career move and opportunity for him is exactly the due diligence I saw from every management decision he made in Pittsburgh and why I wanted him on my team."

Shero inherited the Devils two season ago whose AHL affiliate had missed the playoffs eight of the previous ten seasons and, the two times they made it, they were quickly eliminated in the first round. It wasn't an ideal scenario to start building a culture of success and the depth of their prospect pool was something Shero wanted to address immediately.

With Fitzgerald's background in player development, Shero felt he was the best man to not only assist him with personnel decisions, scouting and contract negotiations, but also to oversee the development of the team's prospects across all leagues and levels. That starts with his role as general manager of the Albany Devils, the Devils AHL affiliate which will be relocating to Binghamton next season, and extends to include prospects playing in the various junior leagues, the NCAA and in Europe, which means he travels…a lot.

"The travel is always hard, but you get used to it, your family gets used to it and it just becomes what you do." Fitzgerald said. "Our job is to find players that we think can help our team on the ice and in the locker room. We're looking for talent, character, competitors and you can't do that from your office or in your car. You've got to get out and go to hockey games and if that means seeing 150 games a year, then you see 150 games a year."

But evaluating talent goes beyond what they can do for you on the ice, which is why Fitzgerald spends more time than he'd like to admit on the phone.

"Honestly, I'm on the phone a lot, whether I'm talking to agents or scouts or our coaches in Albany or our development coaches or other AGMs or Ray," he continued.
"It's all part of the process of finding out what motivates each player and how we can help them develop into someone who can consistently play at the NHL level. I want to know everything about a player both on and off the ice, so we can help them as best as we can. We owe it to them to make sure they have everything they need to be successful and to ourselves to make the most of our assets."

Since Fitzgerald has been at the helm of player development for the Devils, there's been a dramatic shift in the organization's development philosophy that includes a number of undrafted free agent signings and it's evident in the AHL standings and the Devils' NHL roster. Last season, the Albany Devils finished second in their division and were eliminated in the Calder Cup playoffs after an epic seven game battle with the Toronto Marlies in the second round. With a month left in the regular season, they once again sit second in their division and are poised for a deep run in the playoffs.

What's even more impressive, is that they're doing it without their starting goalie - Scott Wedgewood, who has missed most of the season recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder - and with seven players in New Jersey - Miles Wood, Steven Santini, Nick Lappin, Blake Coleman, Joe Blandisi, Blake Pietila and John Quenneville - who are all having a positive impact at the NHL level earning primetime minutes against some of the league's best.

"I couldn't be happier to see all these players from Albany not only playing at the NHL level but being positive contributors to the team's success," Fitzgerald said. "Our cupboards were bare [when we took over two years ago] and with the salary cap in place, it's difficult to find consistent success without developing your own prospects into NHL players. It's one item we wanted to address and we like the progress we've seen, but we're not done yet - we have to be able to maintain this kind of prospect depth by drafting well and signing quality junior and college free agents - but we've definitely taken a step in the right direction."

All seven of those players will be eligible to join Albany for the final three games of their regular season and the Calder Cup playoffs following the end of the Devils season.