Albany Devils Today -- October 31, 2016

October 31, 2016 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany Devils News Release


* TODAY'S STORYLINES

Hanging With Stanley: Ben Sexton missed last Thursday's optional practice to spend the day with his father, Randy, and the Stanley Cup. The elder Sexton is the Director of Amateur Scouting for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ben made the trip home to be with hockey's Holy Grail.

"It was pretty special," Ben said. "I was very fortunate that Rick and management allowed me to go home for the day. You hope it's not an once-in-a-lifetime experience, but anytime a family member or someone close to you wins the Stanley Cup it's something special. I was very fortunate enough to go home and spend the day with some family and friends."

READ: Day with the cup VIDEO DOWNLOAD: Ben Sexton Interview

Blue Line Depth: The Albany Devils have eight extremely capable defensemen on its blue line, meaning Head Coach Rick Kowalsky has the benefit to rest his d-corps whether it be to recover from bumps and bruises or to reflect on its performance.

Fourth-year pro Seth Helgeson's absence from Saturday's 4-3 win against the Toronto Marlies was a coach's decision. An unexpected move that Kowalsky believes will pay off very soon.

"When we have seven to eight defensemen who can play and we want to give these young guys a look, there needs to be a reason for some of these guys to come out," the Devils' bench boss said after Monday's practice. "Helgeson has been through a lot the last couple of seasons with recalls. Sometimes if you just sit up top, watch a game and you look at it differently. Moving forward we are going to have to continue to rotate guys through here. He's got to be better and I think he certainly knows it. Hopefully this is all it takes."

READ: Devils are being smart with their blue line depth

Injury Update: Santini skated with the team Monday and is an option for Wednesday's game. After playing at Providence on Oct. 23 and at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Oct. 26, the Devils' rookie missed back-to-back games with an upper-body injury.

"We'll see how he feels today and tomorrow," Kowalsky said. "He's still sore today. He's with the last group going on so we'll see how he responds today. The next step is to get him into a full practice and go from there."

READ: Injury update

* UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Tuesday: Practice at Knickerbacker Ice Arena (10 am) Wednesday: Devils at Sound Tigers (11 am) Thursday: Practice at Knickerbacker Ice Arena (10 am) Friday: Practice at Knickerbacker Ice Arena (10 am) Saturday: Morning Skate at Giant center (11:15 am); Devils at Bears (7 pm)



American Hockey League Stories from October 31, 2016


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