The New Jersey Devils open their training camp on September 17th — and they'll have a couple of veterans joining the fray. Kevin Rooney, Luke Glendening, Adam Scheel and Georgi Romanov were all signed to professional tryout contracts, the team announced on Friday.
Of the four, Rooney is the only player who has suited up for the Devils, playing parts of four seasons with the team between 2016-20. He began his career in Newark in 2016-17 after going undrafted and spending time with the now-defunct Albany Devils in the American Hockey League.
Rooney never scored more than 10 points in any campaign with the Devils, and has spent the last three years within the Calgary Flames organization. The 32-year-old forward played 70 games in 2024-25, managing five goals and five assists.
Glendening is another veteran who has bounced around a couple of teams after spending nearly the first decade of his career with the Detroit Red Wings. The 36-year-old most recently played for the Tampa Bay Lightning, leading the team in faceoff percentage in 2024-25 while chipping in seven points in 77 regular season contests.
He brings significant Stanley Cup Playoff experience, having suited up for 50 career postseason games since 2013-14. He also helped the Grand Rapids Griffins win the AHL's Calder Cup in 2013. Both veterans could compete for fourth-line roles with New Jersey in 2025-26.
Adam Scheel, Georgi Romanov will battle for an AHL spot
As for Scheel and Romanov, the two goaltenders should battle for spots with the Utica Comets — New Jersey's current AHL affiliate. Veterans Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen are locked in as the tandem for the 2025-26 season.
Romanov spent the last two seasons within the San Jose Sharks organization, getting into 10 games in the big leagues and managing an 0-6 record with a 3.53 goals-against average and .888 save percentage in that span. He has spent most of his time with the AHL's Barracuda, seeing 50 games for the AHL club and playing to a .905 save percentage in 21 games last season.
Scheel has never played an NHL game, and he split time between the AHL's Colorado Eagles and ECHL's Utah Grizzlies in 2024-25. He impressed with the Eagles, sporting a 10-2 record along with a .904 save percentage.
Whichever of the two win the goalie battle at training camp will most likely become Utica's third-string netminder behind Nico Daws and Jakub Malek.
It wouldn't be surprising if none of Rooney, Glendening, Scheel or Romanov got signed after their respective tryouts, although there is potential. It'll be interesting to see if any of the four veterans do enough to earn a longer look.
The Devils open the preseason against the New York Rangers on September 21. Their regular season opener is set for October 9 against the Hurricanes in Carolina.
