Devils' Stefan Noesen Enjoys Opportunity – Hockey Writers – New Jersey Devils

Stefan Noesen just scored his season-high 15th goal for the New Jersey Devils, and it's not Christmas yet. It hasn't been a straight path to NHL success.

He previously spent time with the Anaheim Ducks, Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, San Jose Barracuda (American Hockey League – AHL), Toronto Marlies (AHL), Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Wolves (AHL) and Carolina Hurricanes, before returning. to New Jersey.

In 2021-22, he recorded a big season for the AHL Wolves, putting up 57 goals and 110 points in 88 games between the regular season and the Calder Cup Playoffs. As an assistant captain, he helped lead them to the Calder Cup championship.

He followed that up with two successful seasons for the Hurricanes, posting 36 and 37 points, respectively, and 12 points in 26 Stanley Cup Playoff games. The 31-year-old from Plano, Texas signed a three-year, $8.25 million contract with the Devils this past season. He has always been a threat in net, bullying his way to bad goals in the crease with consistency. He's now on pace for 34 goals and 55 points…including 16 power play goals, which is a big reason the Devils' man advantage ranks second in the NHL at 29.5%.

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Noesen spoke on his journey and coach Sheldon Keefe's trust in him:

“In Carolina, I probably didn't get it the greatest of all opportunity to play for many minutes. And Keefer really trusted me. I signed up to play up and down the list. That's what I do best. You need me to break through the wall, I will cross the wall.”

– Stefan Noesen

It doesn't seem like a knock on the Hurricanes, but instead they were a very talented team during Noesen's tenure and had other guys boasting impressive resumes to fill big roles. Now, he's been a big part of the Devils' purchase of Keefe's system, taking a team-first attitude, “As long as we're winning games, that's all that matters. If I score a goal because of that, it's good, if we win because someone else scored, that makes me very happy.”

You don't get 57 goals in an AHL season by accident. New Jersey's ability to bet on that upside, and Keefe's confidence, has been a huge success.

Keefe said, “He just has good intentions…he always tries to do the right thing. He plays with purpose and intent. Both offensively and defensively, he is always involved in the game…giving us important minutes. He is an important guy for us who I feel can go up and down the list; special teams, power play, penalty killing – all those things. It's been fun and I'm happy for him. I didn't realize it was a high performance for him tonight. It's just good for him.”

The Devils as a whole really buy in as a team, no matter what side of the game it is. They are physical, disabling, and can lead to many lawsuits. Their .653 percentage is good for fourth in the NHL and second in the Metropolitan Division. But that wouldn't be the case without Noesen, who has been a standout on the Devils' frontcourt.