New Jersey Devils Prospect Update: Week 19

The Albany Devils both earned a shutout and were shutout last weekend with goals coming from secondary lines. On the college level, we saw players injured, and players come back from injury. Keep reading for stat updates and notes on standout players.

Albany Notes:

• Both Kinkaid and Wedgewood helped the Devils blank the Bridgeport Sound Tigers 3-0 on Saturday. Kinkaid was injured, so Wedgewood stepped in late in the second period. The goalies stopped a total of 28 shots. Stefan Matteau, Kelly Zajac and Chris McKelvie scored while Alex Urbom had two assists. Here are the highlights:

• The Devils weren't as successful on Sunday in a 3-0 loss to the Manchester Monarchs. Scott Wedgewood was in net and made 26 saves on 29 shots. Here are the highlights:

• Jon Merrill was reassigned to Albany as the NHL Olympic break began. He hasn't played a game yet but is eligible. He will most likely be in the lineup after the AHL All-Star break.
• While Eric Gelinas was sent down to Albany last week, he cannot play during the Olympic break - he played too many games in the NHL to be eligible.
• Kinkaid was injured during the Devils shutout over Bridgeport last week. He is considered day-to-day. He has the All-Star break to recover.
• With Kinkaid injured, Anthony Felice signed a PTO last week. He was Wedgewood's backup for one game before being released.
• MOOOOOOOOSE. Johan Hedberg was signed to a PTO this morning due to Kinkaid's injury. He may see a game over the weekend, too - the team has a big 3-in-3 coming up.
• Some have been wondering why Maxime Clermont doesn't come up and play as back-up to Wedgewood. I'm sure he would have been the original choice, but he has been injured for about two weeks, as well.
• With recent struggles, the Albany Devils find themselves out of the playoff race for the first time this season. They are currently 9^th in the Eastern Conference but are just one point behind the eighth seed and have a seven-point lead over the tenth.

Other Notes:

• Alexander Kerfoot was hurt during the Beanpot consolation game. Harvard won the match 6-2.
• Curtis Gedig was back playing for Ohio State after missing a few weeks with an injury. He had an assist in his first weekend back.
• Blake Pietila had a huge week for Michigan Tech. In just two games, he had four goals and two assists. Three of those goals were on the power play.
• Steve Santini helped Boston College win its 5^th straight Beanpot Championship. While he didn't have any points, he had a few major hits to help the team get necessary wins.

Prospect of the Week:

Blake Pietila wins the honor this week. He has had a slow season scoring just eight goals in 31 games, but four of those goals came last weekend. He doubled his goal total and added another two assists to bring his PPG to .77. He has 102 shots this season, so his low goal total is not due to a lack of effort, and he seems to have gotten his penalty issues under control. While he still takes one or two penalties each weekend, he hasn't taken a major penalty since early in the season. Hopefully his four-goal weekend will lead to a somewhat of a streak.

Do you think the Albany Devils can find their way back into playoff contention this weekend? Will Pietila keep scoring after such a strong week last week? With so many players back in Albany after a stint in the NHL (especially on defense), who would you sit in their place? Discuss your thoughts on the Devils prospects in the comments section below. Thanks for reading!