New Jersey Devils‘ 3rd round pick in the 2011 draft (#75 overall) center Blake Coleman(40) suffered a shoulder injury that knocked him out of all but 14 AHL games of his rookie campaign with affiliate Albany Devils (4 goals, 3 assists).
The 5’11” 200 lbs. pivot didn’t let that sidetrack him too much as he had a strong training camp, was one of the last cuts to be reassigned, then got right to work.
In 34 games he is tied for team lead with 13 goals and 10 assists with a best +15 rating.
He’s always been pretty good connecting the puck with the net, basically winning every scoring award category including USA Hockey Junior Player Of The Year in his 2nd season for Indiana Ice of the USHL.
Through four years of college at Miami University (Ohio) he was a point per game guy as a senior and missed a second 20 goal showing by one, while helping his squad win the 2015 NCAA/NCHC Championship.
The 25-year old skated a decent amount of shifts for at least 11+ minutes of ice time in his first two NHL appearances.
There’s little doubt he has the tenacity to become a full-time player in the show but will have to continue to work hard for his opportunities.