To further strengthen the walls of his team, Lindy Ruff has formally announced the addition of another terrifying NHL wizard.
NEWARK, New Jersey The New Jersey Devils announced before practice on Tuesday that they have recalled forward Shane Bowers from the American Hockey League’s Utica Comets.
After being recalled on January 3, Graeme Clarke, 22, made his NHL debut on January 6 against the Vancouver Canucks. On January 7, he was traded to the Comets the next day.
With 29 games played for the Comets this season, Bowers—who is two years older than Clarke—has seven points (six goals, one assist). The 22-year-old clearly has the advantage in terms of point production, but when questioned about Bowers’ call-up, head coach Lindy Ruff gave two other explanations.
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Ruff remarked, “(He has) good speed.” “I believe we’re lacking a lot of speed in our squad, and he and Max (Willman) both contribute speed to the roster. Down in Utica, Bowers has shown to be an excellent penalty taker. Perhaps that can lighten the load a little bit for a man like Hischier, as Comets head coach Kevin Dineen has been praising of his ability to kill penalties.”
Team reporter Catherine Bogart questioned Bowers on his knowledge of the Devils organization since his acquisition on June 26, 2023, following Tuesday’s practice.
“The Devils are a fast squad, no doubt about it, and this system is based mostly on playing quickly. In Utica, we’ve been attempting to accomplish a lot of that,” he stated. “I’m just trying to implement that into my game.”
In exchange for defenceman Reilly Walsh going to the Boston Bruins, the Devils obtained Bowers. It was the third trade that Bowers had made with a player who was either a current or previous member of the Devils.
Along with former Devils goalie Andrew Hammond, he was dealt by the Ottawa Senators to the Colorado Avalanche in November 2017. He was transferred from Colorado to Boston for netminder Keith Kinkaid in February 2023, many years later.
Bowers made his NHL debut with the Avalanche in 2017, the year he was selected by the Senators with the 28th overall pick. He dressed up to play the Nashville Predators on November 10, 2022, but he was forced to exit the game after less than two minutes of play due to an injury.
