You probably figured out that I am a huge hockey fan. I enjoy it so very much that I even watch the draft on TV…

This year New Jersey Devils were #1 in the draft order. Quite the experience. We had two possible players that we could pick and our illustrious GM, Ray Shero, played his cards close to the chest.

You may have heard of Nolan Patrick. He seemed to be the premier first pick, but we passed on him. Nolan had abdominal surgery last year to repair a hernia and then again 10 days before the draft apparently due to complications from the first surgery. He went to the Flyers.

So we took Nico Hischier. He is Swiss. And he is very happy to be a Devil. I like Nico and think that Ray did a good job getting us a top pick. Nico, however, has his challenges. Unlike Patrick, who either plays in the Juniors or for the Flyers, Nico has no such restrictions. You see, Nico is owned by the SC Bern of the Swiss hockey league. But wait? He plays for the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads. But he is only on loan. So that means Nico can play for New Jersey, for Albany Binghamton, or for a ECHL team (I’d be THRILLED if he was for the Adirondack Thunder so I could watch him). That gives Ray quite a bit of flexibility. So I think we definitely got the better pick!

Now…the NJ Devils will look quite a bit different next year. Honestly, I am not sure that John Hynes, the head coach, has the experience needed to guide our team. However, he has the backing of Ray Shero and Ray has established himself as a long range planner – so maybe we are seeing the beginnings of the next dynasty…One can hope.

Last year I went to my first New Jersey Devils game with my friend Jason. It was a great experience and I enjoyed it a lot. I thought for sure it was going to be our year. We did manage to get into the 5th overtime and had quite a few OT’s to start the year. All we needed to do was find the chemistry in our lines. And, as the season progressed, it quickly became apparent it would not happen this year. So, this year, I am excited to see some changes…

We have picked up Brian Boyle and Marcus Johansson, and extended Kinkaid’s contract.  And, apparently, Kovalfuk is not coming back. While I think this is great, we still need to work on our defence. What possibly does Shero have in our future I do not know…but what I do know, on this 4th of July, is that In Shero I Trust.