Two goaltenders in the 3ICE Summer Tournament are eyeing potential futures with the New Jersey Devils organization.

Jeremy Brodeur and Keith Kinkaid both took the ice in Florida for the three-on-three tournament, which is held annually during the NHL offseason as an opportunity for current, former, and aspiring players to compete in a fast-paced, friendly format.

The event is now heading into its final four round, featuring No. 4 Minnesota, No. 3 Tennessee, No. 2 NJ/NY, and No. 1 Buffalo.

Leading the Buffalo team in net is former Devil Keith Kinkaid.

Kinkaid joined New Jersey in 2012-13 as an undrafted free agent and went on to play six seasons with the team, appearing in 41 games across the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. In total, he spent 10 seasons in the NHL, playing primarily with American Hockey League affiliates, and is now looking to return to the league. His strong showing in the tournament could draw interest from teams, especially with the current NHL goaltending market thin and several clubs in need.

“Right now, I just want to keep playing,” Kinkaid told NHL.com. “We’ll see what happens. This is a great opportunity to show I still have it. My body is holding up very well… Any opportunity is fine with me.”

Kinkaid isn’t the only player in the tournament with ties to the Devils.

Jeremy Brodeur, son of Devils legend Martin Brodeur, also competed. The Brodeur name is synonymous with New Jersey hockey. Martin leads the NHL in both games played and shutouts and now serves as the Devils’ executive vice president of hockey operations.

Jeremy has spent the past decade playing in the AHL, ECHL, and international leagues. Most recently, he split time last season between the Devils’ AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, and their ECHL affiliate, the Adirondack Thunder. In Utica, he appeared in five games, and with Adirondack, he played 24 games, posting a .905 save percentage.

Brodeur suited up for the Buffalo 3ICE squad, and while his team was eliminated, the 28-year-old left a strong impression.

“I definitely get a couple more eyeballs on me when they see my last name,” Brodeur told NHL.com. “But I’m just trying to do my thing—work on my game and improve every day.”

Both goaltenders are looking to make a push for a Devils roster spot, though openings are unlikely with Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen currently locked in.

The Devils’ presence at the tournament didn’t stop there. The NY/NJ 3ICE team was coached by Ken Daneyko, former Devils broadcaster and three-time Stanley Cup champion.

From the bench to the crease, the organization was well represented at the 3ICE Tournament, with former, current, and hopeful Devils all sharing the ice.

Image Credit: © Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Former Detroit Red Wings forward Brett Hull, who joined the team ahead of the legendary Stanley Cup-winning 2001-02 NHL season, turns 61 years old today. 

His place in the Hockey Hall of Fame upon his retirement in 2005 was assured, as he was a first-ballot inductee after scoring 741 goals as well as being named a three-time first-team NHL All-Star and a two-time Olympian.

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Hull, who won the Stanley Cup twice (1999, 2002), is regarded as arguably the greatest NHL player from the United States (Hull was born in Canada but played for the United States internationally throughout his entire career). 

While other players (like future Red Wings Mike Modano and Patrick Kane) could legitimately stake their claim to that title, do Hull's career accomplishments stand out from theirs? 

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There really isn't a whole lot in recent NHL history that could top the summer of 2001 for the Detroit Red Wings, which ultimately set the stage for what would be the 10th Stanley Cup in franchise history. 

Following their shocking loss in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Red Wings decided to re-tool rather than rebuild, and they signaled that they weren't going anywhere when they acquired Dominik Hasek from the Buffalo Sabres. 

One day later, the Red Wings snagged Luc Robitaille, who had just helped the Kings beat them in the postseason. Right away, the Red Wings were once again the prohibitive favorites to be the last NHL team standing the following June.

Just when it appeared that the Red Wings were set with the roster as it was, an opportunity arose to acquire yet another future Hall of Famer - Brett Hull, who turns 61 years old today. 

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The Red Wings made Hull's signing possible by asking players like Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahn, Nicklas Lidstrom and Chris Chelios to defer some of their salary to accommodate Hull on the books, a request they all immediately replied in the affirmative. 

While many expected Hull to play on a line with Yzerman or Shanahan or perhaps Sergei Fedorov or Igor Larionov, he was instead assigned to play with a young and shy Russian rookie who didn't speak English yet by the name of Pavel Datsyuk.

Years later, Hull would describe Datsyuk as "the sickest player I've ever seen". 

“Going out to dinner, it’s Yzerman, Shanahan, Fedorov, Larionov… this is a Hall of Fame table,” Hull explained looking back on the legendary 2001-02 Red Wings roster. “And lo and behold, this kid shows up at training camp. Pavel Datsyuk. They put me with him.“He doesn’t speak English, but he is the sickest player I’ve ever seen in my life." 

Datsyuk’s creativity and agility thrilled hockey fans in Detroit for more than a decade, ultimately earning him a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame and making him the 10th Hall of Famer from the Red Wings’ 2001–02 team. 

Datsyuk played with Hull and fellow youngster Boyd Devereaux, forming what Hull famously referred to as the "Two Kids and a Goat" line. The following season, Devereaux was replaced on the line by another highly-touted rookie, future Red Wings team captain Henrik Zetterberg. 

After playing against Detroit for years with the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars, Hull proved to be the final piece of the puzzle that resulted in the Stanley Cup being skated on Joe Louis Arena ice on June 13, 2002. 

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The Buffalo Sabres should be in the market for an impact top-six forward after dealing winger JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth for defenseman Michael Kesselring and winger Josh Doan, but the opening weeks of free agency did not provide GM Kevyn Adams with an opportunity to replace Peterka’s production, and with the two-year deal signed earlier this month with defenseman Bowen Byram, Adams will have to try to acquire a scoring forward with younger players, prospects, and/or draft picks. 

Colorado forward Martin Necas is someone the Sabres were rumored to have interest in last summer, before he signed a two-year bridge deal with Carolina before he was traded mid-season to the Avalanche in the Mikko Rantanen deal. The 26-year-old ended up fitting in nicely in place of Rantanen, and ended last season with a career-high 83 points (27 goals, 56 assists). 

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The issue for both the Avs and a team potentially trading for Necas is his willingness to sign a contract extension a year out from unrestricted free agency. For Colorado, it looks to be playing out like Rantanen 2.0, since they have to reserve room to extend Cale Makar next summer, and likely would not be able to afford to re-sign Necas and the reigning Norris Trophy winner. The other dilemma for the Avs is trading a key cog in their Stanley Cup aspirations for the usual return of a rental. 

For Buffalo, would they be willing to trade significant assets for Necas if there was no guarantee that he would re-sign there? 

What Would It Cost?

GM Kevyn Adams would only trade for Necas as a pure rental if the Sabres were in the race for a playoff spot and had a good chance to snap their 14-year drought. The cost at that point would be a first-round pick (top-10 protected), a prospect with promise like Noah Ostlund or Devon Levi, and another piece (an additional draft pick, a secondary prospect, or NHL depth forward). 

If the Sabres had confidence that they could extend Necas or if they could sign him outright, than the prospect would have to be converted into a young NHL forward with promise (Zach Benson or Jiri Kulich) along with the first and another piece. 

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The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the best deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, but the organization’s developmental model has not yielded enough results. 

Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. All are 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals and have played less than 40 NHL games. 

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#34 - Riley Fiddler-Schultz - Forward (Rochester - AHL) 

 With Buffalo stacked with their own drafted prospects, the chances of an undrafted free agent making it to the NHL are slim, but the Sabres gave forward Riley Fiddler-Schultz a chance and thus far, he is taking advantage of it.

The 23-year-old has NHL bloodlines (his uncle Vern Fiddler played 877 games with Nashville, Phoenix, Dallas, and New Jersey), and Riley grew into a leadership role in junior with the WHL’s Calgary Hitman, becoming team captain in 2022 and leading the club with 75 points (31 goals, 44 assists).

The Sabres signed Fiddler-Schultz to a two-year AHL deal in 2023, and in his first professional season, he finished second in goals (23) for the ECHL’s Jacksonville Iceman and played six games for the Rochester Americans. Last season, he played exclusively for the Amerks and posted 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) in 51 games, which earned him a two-year, entry-level contract.

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Is it October yet? 

Unfortunately, no, but we're here to help pass the time. From Aug. 8 to Sept. 1, The Hockey News Nashville Predators will be counting down 24 players in 24 days, profiling every current or potentially rostered player. 

Today's player profile is defenseman Jordan Oesterle. 

As an NHL prospect 

Oesterle played his first year of juniors with the Sioux Falls Stampede during the 2010-11 season, scoring 15 points in 54 games. Going underrated, Oesterle committed to Western Michigan University and played there for three seasons. 

He attracted the attention of NHL teams following his junior season after 17 points in 34 games. Oesterle would then sign a two-year entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers, splitting time between Edmonton and Oklahoma City. 

Professional career 

Over three seasons in the Oilers organization, Oesterle played just 25 games with the Oilers before he signed as a free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks to start the 2017-18 season. He'd eventually find a rhythm on Chicago's third pairing, scoring 15 points in 55 games 

In the 2018 offseason, Oesterle was traded to the Arizona Coyotes, where he had the most successful stretch of his career. He played 172 games over a three-season stretch, scoring 44 points. 

He'd then sign with the Detroit Red Wings in the 2021 offseason, scoring 19 points in 97 games. 

Oesterle then made the move to Calgary, signing a one-year deal with the Flames and splitting time between the NHL and AHL for the first time since the 2016-17 season. He played 30 games with the Wranglers, scoring 19 points, and 22 games with the Flames, scoring two points.

Oesterle moved again, signing with the Boston Bruins on a two-year contract. He'd split time between Boston and Providence during the 2024-25 season, scoring six points in 22 games in Boston.

He was eventually waived by the Bruins and claimed by the Predators in March. Oesterle played 15 games in Nashville last season, scoring four points. 

Nashville took on a $775,000 hit in picking Oesterle up off of waivers. 

What role will he play this season? 

The Predators were in need of a defenseman last season due to injuries, so it makes sense that they scooped up Oesterle. 

Considering he is a veteran and was able to score in his short time with the Predators last season, he could be a good piece for the third pairing. Having Nick Perbix and Nic Hague now in the rotation makes it hard for Oesterle to move up, so he'll have to prove it in camp. 

They are going to need a lot more out of him in order for him to stay in Nashville the full season. He hasn't scored more than 10 points since the 2020-21 season and hasn't played more than half a season since the 2022-23 season. 

Oesterle needs to find a little bit more consistency and figure out if he wants to take an active role in scoring or supplement other players. 

How much Oesterle has moved over his career his also a bit alarming. Either the teams don't want to resign him, or he doesn't want to stay. He's been traded once and waived once, so only two moves were out of his control. 

If he gets bumped down to Milwaukee, who's to say the Predators won't waive him or if he'll try to leave. His contract does expire at the end of this season.