Nemec working toward spot with Devils at World Championship

RIGA, Latvia -- Simon Nemec is making hockey history as a teenager with Slovakia.

The New Jersey Devils defenseman prospect, who joined Slovakia at the 2023 IIHF World Championship in Finland and Latvia on Monday, set a Slovakia record by playing in his third tournament before the age of 20 when he suited up in a 2-1 shootout loss to Canada at Arena Riga on Monday.

The feat is not lost on Nemec, who was the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

"I think it's great," said Nemec, whose men's national team debut as a 17-year-old in 2021 also came here. "It means a lot to me. It's amazing. It's a great feeling.

"It's a pleasure to play for Slovakia for me. Craig Ramsay is a great coach. The assistant coaches are great people. I want to play with my friends. It's great playing for Slovakia because you can see the fans in the games. It's unreal. Every time I feel good and feel healthy I'm going to go."

Nemec arrived here shortly after the Devils were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Second Round on Thursday.

He didn't get into any games but was practicing with the Devils following the end of his first season with Utica of the American Hockey League. He was fifth among AHL rookie defensemen with 34 points (12 goals, 22 assists) in 65 games.

Nemec, though, felt his biggest developmental strides came at the other end of the ice.

"I think it was my defense," he said. "We focused on the defense the whole year in Utica. I think I improved my defense. I think I've improved my game a lot this season.

"But you never know in the NHL. I'll just come to main training camp and try to make the team next season."

He should be able to get a boost in that quest by playing at the World Championship.

"I only have one concern with a guy like Simon Nemec, is he can sometimes try to do too much," said Ramsay, a former NHL coach with the Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers and Atlanta Thrashers. "He's got to fit in, especially that first game when he gets out there. He's got to just play. He has all the tools to play. I think he's a world-class player.

"He adds a lot to our team. He has to try to help other players be better players. He's the guy that can do that for us as long as he stays in control of his own game."

That's the small-picture assignment.

Nemec is building into a cornerstone piece for a Slovakia hockey program budding with elite young talent.

He and Juraj Slafkovsky became the highest drafted Slovakia-born players at the 2022 draft when the Montreal Canadiens selected Slafkovsky at No. 1. A third player from the country went in the first round when the Canadiens selected forward Filip Mesar at No. 26. Another Slovakia-born player is likely to go in the first round of the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft; forward Dalibor Dvorsky is No. 3 in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters presented by BioSteel.

"I think it's great," Nemec said. "We're a really great group of young players. We started playing for the men's national team two years ago. It's amazing. It's a great chance. We were just 17-year-old guys.

"We were kids. Now we are men."

Nemec still has a shot at one more mark as a teen.

He is tied with Slafkovsky, Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary and Hockey Hall of Fame forward Marian Hossa at 14 games played at the World Championship as an under-20 skater. His 15th game will come against Switzerland on Thursday.

Nemec said the record "means a lot," but he's more focused on a strong performance at the tournament, which features plenty of NHL talent, and showing that he's ready for a full-time spot with the Devils next season.

"I just want to play hockey and just focus on my game," he said. "I try not to focus on some records and stuff like that, but I think it's great. I think I can show I'm ready for the NHL, and can play games against NHL players. It's a really tough game.

"I can show I'm ready. I just want to play my game."