The 2022 NHL Draft is in the books. That means the New Jersey Devils’ 2022 Draft Party is over as well. We laughed, we cried, and we welcomed Simon Nemec. It was a great night, but it was a bit different than Devils’ draft parties of the past. Here’s our review of the Devils 2022 edition.
Change Of Venue
Instead of being held at the Prudential Center, this year’s party was held at the Stone Pony. For those who don’t know what the Stone Pony is, it’s a legendary rock bar right off the beach in Asbury Park, New Jersey. It’s where a young Bruce Springsteen rose to fame. Unfortunately, Mr. Springsteen wasn’t in attendance as we had hoped.
There’s very few places more ‘New Jersey’ than the Stone Pony. It would be like the Los Angeles Lakers having an event at the Hollywood sign, the Anaheim Ducks having an event at Disneyland, or the New York Yankees having an event at the Empire State building. We’d say the New York Yankees should have an event at the Statue of Liberty, but we all know she actually lies in New Jersey. Just like New York’s NFL teams, but that’s a different story for a different time.
For North Jersey Devils’ fans, the ride down or up to exit 102 on the Garden State Parkway on a weeknight might have been too much. For Central Jersey (yes, it does exist), Devils’ fans it was closer than going to the Prudential Center. Plus, it gave the area a New Jersey Devils’ presence that had been lacking since the last ‘Devils Beach Bash’ in Point Pleasant Beach a few years back.
Open Them Wallets
Unlike other Devils draft parties of the past, this event had a $10 ticket cost. The money is being donated to the Devils’ charities and the Asbury Music Foundtaion, so we didn’t mind. Plus, $10 is roughly on par with other team’s draft party tickets.
Jersey shore favorite, ‘Windmill’, set up a food stand, while Rocco’s pizza also had a stand in the VIP area. Drink specials where available all night so for those that wanted to drink away the surprise of not choosing Shane Wright, beer costs between $4-$10.
Where To Watch The Draft
Anyone familiar with the Stone Pony knows of the ‘Stone Pony Summer Stage’. It is a large outdoor stage for big musical acts. Most were under the impression the draft would be broadcast on a big screen on the actual stage part of the summer stage. Surprisingly, the stage was down and not in use. Large screen televisions were set up inside where a live band played to the rather tiny indoor bar. At the outdoor bar used for outdoor shows another large televisions screen broadcast the draft, as you can see below.
What About Those T-Shirts
Shortly before the draft, the Devils tweeted out that free t-shirts with Asbury Park inspired New Jersey Devils’ designs would be given out for free to attendees. As you can imagine, the shirts were extremely popular. First guests had to go the Verizon activation booth to scan a QR code to see if Verizon Fios was available in their area. Verizon representatives were not allowed to give out t-shirt vouchers until fans in attendance did this.
One thing you probably didn’t realize is that the shirts were made right there in front of you. Fans picked a color shirt, and then a design. One of those blank shirts then had the design that was chosen printed on them right in front of the customer. This was a rather lengthy process, and caused the t-shirt line to be well over an hour long.
Devils in Attendance
We joked that Bruce Springsteen wasn’t in attendance, but very few Devils were also in attendance. Dougie Hamilton seemed to be the only current Devil in attendance. To his credit, Dougie was incredibly generous with his time taking pictures and signing for whoever asked. He couldn’t give us a definitive answer on if it’s ‘Taylor ham’ or ‘pork roll’, unfortunately.
Former captain turned MSG analyst Bryce Salvador was in attendance, as were alumni Grant Marshall and Ken Danyeko although we did not personally see them. It was incredibly surprising not seeing NJ Devil in attendance. Even if NJ was busy, isn’t there a backup NJ? Give me a free pair of 300 level tickets and I’ll do it I don’t care. It’ll be the closest I ever get to being in the NHL.
Other Activities
Live music was a great choice, and it wouldn’t feel like the Stone Pony without it. The Devils puck-shooting game was there, along with street hockey for the kids along with some corn hole and JENGA. Problem was there wasn’t much else. Maybe there should have been an indoor and outdoor band? Maybe bring a few other Devils alumni to set up an autograph area? Most of people’s night consisted of watching the first two picks, getting a t-shirt and leaving.
Want To Buy A Jersey? Not Here!
Since the party wasn’t at Prudential Center, Devils’ fans couldn’t go to the official team store to buy merchandise. The Devils didn’t sell any team merchandise at the event. They could have packed up some stuff and set up a little stand. Maybe Simon Nemec jerseys wouldn’t have flown off the shelves, but we’re sure some fans would have made some impulse purchases on t-shirts, hats, etc. Maybe with all that extra money you weren’t spending on a jersey you could go buy some more drinks from the Stone Pony bartenders.
Final Impression
The event was practically in my backyard at a legendary New Jersey venue that made my inner Springsteen lover excited. I wanted to like this event, but unfortunately, it pales in comparison to the draft parties of the past. The weather did hold up, which meant it was perfect weather for a hockey jersey and shorts. The event just seem too little put together, almost as if it was an afterthought. The team didn’t reach the full potential that could have been at the Stone Pony. There should have been more food, there should have been more players, there should have been more party.
As the guy standing behind me in the t-shirt line so eloquently stated, “the team really half-a$%#d this draft party, didn’t they?” Yes they did, pal. Yes they did.