Mark Milestones | 10 takeaways

The New Jersey Devils will be well represented at the upcoming 4-nation tournament, taking place February 12-20 in both Montreal and Boston. Jesper Bratt, Jacob Markstrom, Erik Haula and Jack Hughes will all be on the ice for their respective nations, while two additional individuals will be present off the ice also representing New Jersey. Tom Fitzgerald is the assistant general manager of the US squad, while Chris “Frosty” Scoppetto, the Devils’ chief equipment manager, will be on the US equipment staff.

\It’s an exciting time with the return of some of the best-on-best hockey players, and with the Devils representing them, it’s even more exciting to be a part of.

Of course, the chirping is in full swing – at least for a day.

“That’s all I know about him,” Haula laughed as he said he would shoot Bratt a few times. “I have to keep my feet moving and try to keep up with him. I probably have more to worry about than him.”

“I guess I’ll do it my way, maybe try to outrun him,” Bratt chimed in regarding the retaliation. “We’re going to get some good fights out there. It will be exciting.”

Hughes and Markstrom refused to share what the book said about A) stopping a Jack shot and B) how to defeat Markstrom.

That’s because the focus until February 12th is solely on the New Jersey Devils and neither Hughes nor Markstrom wanted to reveal any secrets about their upcoming NHL competition.

And the Devils have plenty of that, starting with Friday night against the Seattle Kraken, where two players will reach milestones: Jesper Bratt will play his 500th NHL game and Dougie Hamilton will play his 800th.

1.

It has been a great joy over the years to watch him develop into the star he has become. My first year at the club coincided with him and Nico Hischier’s first year, so I’m really privileged to say that I witnessed it all right in front of my eyes. On Tuesday I had the opportunity to speak with Jesper about the upcoming milestone, which he is very proud of.

But I think what really makes him proud is seeing what the team has evolved into from Game 1 to Game 500. Only he and Nico remain from Game 1, and their shared experiences can only be fully understood by each other.

This is what Bratt told me about his friend Nico:

“For me, having Nico here and going through this together, we went through everything together,” he said. “From ups and downs, it’s really special for me to have him and just know that we’ve both been one.” “I’ve been part of this journey for so long… and now it’s becoming a successful team, the good one Playing hockey…it’s a lot of fun and I know, and he feels the same way, that our best years are ahead of us.”