James Nichols
With one game remaining in the 2025-26 regular season, the New Jersey Devils have reassigned one of their most promising young forwards.
On Monday, the Devils announced Lenni Hameenaho was reassigned to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Utica Comets.
Brian Halonen was also placed on waivers with the purpose of reassigning him to the Comets.
During Sunday night’s 4-3 overtime win over the Ottawa Senators, Hameenaho took two penalites, one double minor for drawing blood with a high stick on Shane Pinto.
However, Hameenaho’s six penalty minutes this weekend are not why he’s been sent down to the American Hockey League.
A team source tells New Jersey Hockey now that Hameenaho’s reassignment is purely to aid the Comets in their pursuit for the playoffs.
“It’s a must-win game [for Utica] on Wednesday,” the source said to NJHN. Utica plays the Beleville Senators at 7 P.M. Wednesday night.
The Comets haven’t made the AHL Playoffs since 2023. They have three games remaining on the schedule, with two tilts against the Providence Bruins followoing Wednesday’s game with Belleville.
Hameenaho made a name for himself with his NHL recall. He scored two goals and eight points, establishing himself as a staple on New Jersey’s third line in his 33-game stint alongside Arseny Gritsyuk and Cody Glass.
Prior to Hamennaho’s recall in January, the 21-year-old Finnish forward led the Comets in points with with nine goals and 22 points in 34 games.
The Comets currently sit sixth in the AHL’s North Division. They MUST finish fifth or higher in the final North Division standings. Thus, Hameenaho and Halonen—who is ranks fourth among Comets in points— are vital adds in Utica’s final three games to move ahead of (or tie and win the tiebreaker against) the current fifth-place team—the Rochester Americans—while accounting for Rochester’s own remaining results.
