The Utica Comets (AHL) are 39 games into their 72-game schedule and have certainly been feeling the ill-effects of all the injuries being suffered by the New Jersey Devils. The Comets own a lackluster 16-16-4-3 record which is good for last place in an extremely strong North Division. For comparisons sake, the Comets’ .500 point percentage ranks 24th in the AHL.
If head coach Kevin Dineen‘s team wants to head back to the playoffs for the third-straight year, the team will need to move from seventh in the North Division to fifth by season’s end. They are only two points out of fifth place and three points out of fourth in the division.
The Comets, who have played much better as of late (6-3-1-0 in their last 10 games), rank 17th in goals for and 19th in goals against. As for special teams, their power play ranks 28th and penalty kill a much-more encouraging second in the league.
Offense
The Comets’ offense is lead by three different players with over 28 points each. Graeme Clarke, one of the organization’s top prospects, paces the team with 31 points and 16 goals. The goal total is six higher than the team’s second-leading goal scorer, Ryan Schmelzer. Clarke is also the team’s leader in AHL Tracker’s Game Score per game (GS/G) metric at 0.86. Of 165 forward in the AHL that have played at least 15 games this season, aged 23 or younger, Clarke’s GS/G ranks ninth. He is the team’s lone All-Star representative.
Speaking of the team’s captain, Schmelzer, the 30-year-old is second on the team in points (28), assists, and goals. He is on pace to shatter his previous career-high point output of 35 last season. Then, tied with Schmelzer in points, is 22-year-old rookie Xavier Parent. Parent is on pace for 53 points this season and leads the team in assists. This after having a big year in the ECHL for Adirondack last season (51 points in 50 games).
Other players excelling from a point-per-game perspective are current New Jersey winger Max Willman (16 points in 20 games), veteran Kyle Criscuolo (23 points in 30 games), and previously-injured Brian Halonen (seven goals in 13 games).
As far as defenseman go, veteran Tyler Wotherspoon leads the group in scoring with 14 points in 38 games. Rookies Daniil Misyul and Topias Vilén both have 11 points in 30 and 22 games, respectively.
Defense
Tyler Wotherspoon (30 years old) and Robbie Russo (30 years old) have largely served as the team’s top defenseman. The veteran duo, who each joined the team in 2021, own the squad’s second and third highest GS/G, respectively. For whatever it is worth, Russo is a plus-6 rating this year, the highest among defenseman and second-highest on the team.
Pacing the above duo in GS/G is intriguing prospect Topias Vilén. Vilén, only 20 years old, has 10 points in six ECHL games this year and has spent the rest of his time with Utica where he recently (Saturday) served on the top pair alongside Russo. His 0.42 GS/G ranks 12th among 47 AHL defenseman aged 22 or younger that have appeared in at least 15 games this season.
Elsewhere, Daniil Misyul has shown some flashes in his first AHL season. Meanwhile, Michael Vukojevic (second-worst GS/G among defenseman on the team) and Cal Foote (team-worse minus-14 rating) have struggled.
Goaltenders
The Comets have had five different goalies start a game for them this season. The most successful of the group has been 22-year-old Isaac Poulter. Poulter has posted a 0.913 save percentage and an 11-5-1 record.
Additionally, both Erik Källgren and Akira Schmid have played 10 games each. Both have posted subpar save percentages; Källgren an 0.843 save percentage and Schmid an 0.891 save percentage.
Lastly, Nico Daws has only played three games but has performed extremely well (0.929 save percentage) and Jeremy Brodeur, who is thriving in the ECHL for Adirondack (0.928 save percentage and 13-5-0 record), played one game for Utica stopping 20 of 22 shots.
Players To Watch Going Forward
Graeme Clarke, F
Clarke’s emerging as one of the top prospects in the organization. His point output in the first part of the season has taken a very slight step back from last year. Granted, the Comets were much stronger last season. However, he is on pace to crack the 30-goal mark for the first time and has been one of the most positively-impactful young forwards in the AHL.
Xavier Parent, F
Parent has scored wherever he has gone throughout his career. He had a historic 2021-22 with the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the QMJHL where he posted 106 points (51 goals) in only 65 games. He then posted 22 points in 11 playoff games. He was then a point-per-game player the following year in the ECHL. Lots of intrigue with the undrafted free agent who has had a nice first half of the season with Utica.
Note, Parent is only on an AHL contract.
Chase Stillman, F
The 2021 29th-overall pick has struggled much like he did in junior hockey to produce from a points standpoint. In his rookie season with the Comets, he has only posted 11 points in 32 games. He does have 44 penalty minutes for whatever it is worth. It appears his only path to the NHL is a penalty killing, defensive-type fourth line role. Regardless, it’s looking like as troublesome of a pick as it was the day it happened.
Topias Vilén, D
Arguably the most intriguing and underrated prospect in the Devils’ system is the left-handed defenseman Vilén. At only 20 years old, he still has a lot of room to grow. Vilén has shown to be strong in the Liiga (top professional league in Finland) during the 2022-23 season and also performed at a point-per-game pace in the ECHL this season. He is now serving in a large role with the Comets, owning a team-high GS/G among Utica defenseman thus far this year.
Daniil Misyul, D
Misyul is one of the better defensive prospects in the Devils’ system. He has had decent results thus far this season in Utica and is said to possess an unique skillset of smooth skating and physicality. A veteran of 184 KHL games, Misyul will continue to adjust to the North American ice.
Isaac Poulter, G
Poulter has come out of nowhere to put together a very strong stint for the Comets. His 0.913 save percentage is the best, outside of three games from Nico Daws, Utica has gotten this season. Only 22 years old, if Poulter, who is only on an AHL contract, can form into anything of value for the Devils, it would be huge given the organization’s current goaltending landscape.