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Daniil Misyul

Devils Reassign Daniil Misyul

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The Devils have assigned defenseman Daniil Misyul to AHL Utica, per a team release.

Misyul earned his first NHL call-up on Monday, a day before his 24th birthday. The Russian-born left-shot made his NHL debut the following night, posting a -1 rating in 12:23 of ice time against the Lightning.

With Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce coming off injured reserve and returning to the lineup in last night’s loss to the Red Wings, it’s no surprise to see the Devils shed a defender from the active roster. Misyul was initially summoned to give New Jersey a much-needed left-shot option, allowing rookie Seamus Casey to go from playing his off-side in limited NHL minutes to playing his natural right side in top-pairing duties with Utica. But with Hughes back in the fold, Misyul wouldn’t get NHL playing time ahead of him, Brenden Dillon, or Jonas Siegenthaler, so he naturally heads back to the minors.

The Devils selected Misyul 70th overall in the 2019 draft. He played the following four seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl before arriving in North America for the 2023-24 campaign. Over his brief stint with Utica over the past year, he’s got 14 points (4 G, 10 A) in 47 appearances with 55 PIMs and a -1 rating. The strong, stay-at-home defender will be an RFA with arbitration rights at the end of the season.

Devils Reassign Seamus Casey, Recall Daniil Misyul

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Devils rookie defenseman Seamus Casey will get some reps in the minors after being sent down to AHL Utica, per a team announcement. 24-year-old Daniil Misyul was recalled in a corresponding transaction and will likely make his NHL debut tomorrow against the Lightning.

Casey, 20, managed to crack New Jersey’s opening night roster on his first try, undoubtedly aided by injuries to Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce. But the 2022 second-round pick took the opportunity and ran with it, posting three goals and an assist with a +2 rating through his first eight contests. He’s been highly sheltered by head coach Sheldon Keefe, averaging under 12 minutes per game. That’s related to some shoddy possession metrics, especially considering his frequent offensive-zone deployment. He’s controlled just 40.4% of shot attempts, far below the team average, with his rating boosted by a sky-high 97.8 oiSV%.

The former Michigan standout is also one of four right-shot defensemen on the Devils roster, and he’s been the one tabbed to play on his off side with Hughes out. That likely offers some explanation for his poor defensive showing thus far, but regardless, some extended time in Utica logging top-four minutes on his natural right side should do wonders for his development in his first professional season. It’s also why they’ve recalled a left-shot defender in Misyul.

Casey, who checks in at 5’10” and 181 lbs, had 15 goals and 59 assists for 74 points in 77 games in NCAA play for the Wolverines over the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. His offensive dominance helped guide Michigan to the Big 10 championship in 2023 and earned him a spot on the NCAA’s West Region First All-American Team last year.

Misyul has been in New Jersey’s system much longer than Casey, going 70th overall in the 2019 draft. The Belarusian defender came over to North America just last season and is in the final year of his entry-level contract. A physical, stay-at-home talent, Misyul has no points and a -2 rating with 8 PIMs in three games for Utica so far this season. He had 14 points and a +1 rating in 44 appearances for the Comets last year.

Devils Assign Three Players To AHL

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The Devils assigned center Justin Dowling and defensemen Santeri Hatakka and Daniil Misyul to AHL Utica on Sunday, per a team announcement. New Jersey recalled all three players within the last two weeks, but they’ll now get some additional playing time in the minors with the Devils entering their bye week.

Dowling, 33, is coming off a brief audition in a top-six role. He centered Tyler Toffoli and Dawson Mercer in Saturday’s 6-3 loss to the Lightning, the team’s last outing for 10 days. It was a decidedly failed experiment, as the trio controlled just 20% of expected goals at 5-on-5, per MoneyPuck. Dowling also failed to record a shot and posted a -3 rating in 14:24 of ice time.

The 539-game AHL veteran did score in his only other appearance with the Devils since his recall, a loss to the Hurricanes on Thursday. Since he played less than ten games and has been on the NHL roster for less than 30 days since clearing waivers during training camp, he doesn’t need to pass through them again to return to Utica. There, Dowling has eight goals and 19 points in 30 games, both ranking sixth on the team.

Hatakka, 23, played in three of five games since his recall ten days ago in place of the injured Brendan Smith. The 2019 sixth-round pick of the Sharks had a strong showing, recording an assist and a +5 rating while logging 16:08 per game. His possession metrics don’t point to the sustainability of that goal differential, though, as he recorded a subpar 43.8% Corsi share at even strength that was 6.4% worse than his teammates’ share without him on the ice.

The 23-year-old Misyul did not play in either of the Devils’ two games since he and Dowling were recalled on Thursday. The Belarus-born defender, who was picked three rounds ahead of Hatakka in 2019, returns to Utica without his NHL debut under his belt. He’ll look to continue a decent rookie season in Utica, where he’s recorded 11 points and an even plus-minus rating in 30 games while occupying a shutdown role. Both Hatakka and Misyul are still waiver-exempt.

Dowling could see another recall in a week and a half if Jack Hughes is not ready to return by the end of the All-Star break. After the Devils claimed blue-liner Nick DeSimone off waivers from the Flames last week, though, it’s unlikely both Hatakka and Misyul will be back on the NHL roster when New Jersey returns to game action.

Devils Recall Justin Dowling, Daniil Misyul

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The Devils recalled center Justin Dowling and defenseman Daniil Misyul from AHL Utica on Thursday, per a team announcement. They take the roster spots of center Michael McLeod and defenseman Cal Foote, who took indefinite leaves of absence from the team yesterday.

Dowling, 33, is in the 13th season of his professional career, which he’s spent mostly in the minors. An undrafted free agent signing by the Stars in 2014, he remained in the organization for seven years before joining the Canucks as a free agent in 2021. After completing a two-year deal in Vancouver, Dowling inked another two-year, two-way deal with New Jersey to serve as a veteran farmhand in Utica.

The Devils placed him on waivers to begin the season, and he passed through unclaimed. They’ve recalled him once – a one-day emergency summons on Oct. 29 – but he did not play. He has eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points in 30 games with Utica, a slight dip from his near-point-per-game pace with AHL Abbotsford over the past two seasons but solid nonetheless. He’s tied for fifth on the team in scoring and has a -6 rating.

Dowling’s offensive upside in the NHL is limited, boasting six goals and 12 assists through 98 appearances dating back to 2016. He’s adept in the faceoff circle, though, winning 175 of his 350 draws (a 50% success rate) and has been able to shoulder fourth-line minutes without getting caved in possession-wise. He’ll likely be a healthy scratch on most occasions barring two or more injuries to the Devils’ forward core, and will factor in limited minutes when he does play. 22-year-old Dawson Mercer has momentarily shifted to centering a second line between Ondřej Palát and Tyler Toffoli to help New Jersey cope with McLeod’s absence and an injury to star pivot Jack Hughes.

This is the first NHL recall for Misyul, 23, a third-round pick of the team in 2019. He’s in his first season under contract with the Devils, signing an entry-level deal in May 2023 after spending four post-draft seasons suiting up for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the KHL. A strong skater with a decent long-term NHL outlook as a bottom-pairing utility player, he’s posted three goals and eight assists, along with 33 PIMs, in 30 games with Utica. While the 6-foot-3 Belarusian won’t factor in much on the scoresheet in his first major-league chance, the Devils hope he can occupy a third-pairing role without much fanfare as they continue to deal with injuries to Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler and Brendan Smith on the back end.

New Jersey Devils Sign Daniil Misyul

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The New Jersey Devils are still battling in this year’s playoffs, but the front office is hard at work securing the future. The team has announced a two-year entry-level contract for Daniil Misyul, which starts in 2023-24. While the original release indicated a three-year deal, it has been updated, given the 22-year-old is only eligible for two years.

Misyul was selected 70th overall in 2019, and has spent the last several years playing full-time in the KHL for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv. The 6’3″ defenseman brings almost no offensive upside to the ice, with just 23 points in his 205-game professional career, but can defend well with his long reach and big frame. Just 13 even-strength goals were scored by the opposition when he was on the ice this season, though his minutes were still limited (just over 15 per game).

Still, given how many offensive puck-moving defensemen the Devils have in the system, adding a stay-at-home type could certainly pay off. The fact that he has so much professional experience at such a young age should help him transition to the AHL, and potentially push for an NHL call-up in short order.

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