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Sunny Mehta can get a quick win for the New Jersey Devils, but it will take some convincing
When a new leader takes the reins, they will always look for easy wins to win the team over. Maybe they make changes to the coffee machine, upgrading your caffeine intake. They might take a few meetings off your plate or give you more facetime with leadership. There are simple wins that help people get on your side and feel good about the company’s direction.
New Jersey Devils GM Sunny Mehta is trying to do the same thing, but it’s different for a hockey leader. He can’t upgrade the coffee maker for million-dollar athletes. He has to upgrade the facilities. And oftentimes, that’s beyond his control.
What he can do is get the players and the fanbase to trust him by making moves that build excitement. The most obvious move to make that happen is to agree to a new contract with Nico Hischier. The Devils’ captain is up for an extension, but he’s not eligible to do that until July 1st.
Mehta has a chance to make something happen even before that.
He can sign Mikhail Yegorov to an entry-level contract. The Devils’ 2024 second-round pick has been one of their top prospects for two seasons. He was incredible, lifting Boston University to the Frozen Four and NCAA Championship Game in 2025. Last season, BU lost too much in front of Yegorov, and the replacements, which include the Devils’ second-round pick Conrad Fondrk, didn’t play well enough to make up for lost talent.
Signing Mikhail Yegorov would be a huge win for the New Jersey Devils and would build good will for Sunny Mehta
Despite his numbers dropping across the board, anyone who actually watched Yegorov play would know he’s destined for the NHL. The excitement for him shouldn’t waver because of an average season on a mediocre team. Jay Pandolfo’s squad will likely be better next season, which might make this move harder than expected.
Yegorov played a season and a half of college hockey. Most goalies grow during these years, and then they need about two years of AHL play before they are NHL-ready. That’s probably why Tom Fitzgerald re-signed Jacob Markstrom. The idea was to lay the groundwork for Yegorov to take over. Then, Jake Allen could be his backup.
If Mehta can get Yegorov to sign now, it would be a big win for the Devils. And it would be an even bigger win for the Mehta regime.
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The forecast calls for widespread rain for most of New Jersey this Wednesday, April 29 and Thursday, April 30.
A cold front will approach the region and will bring some showers with it, according to the National Weather Service.
Up to an inch of rain is expected in most of the state. Some areas might get 1.5 inches of rain. Dry air in North East New Jersey is expected to prevent precipitation in Passaic, Bergen, Hudson, Essex and Union counties.
The Jersey Shore might get thunderstorms after 8 p.m. Wednesday which might increase rainfall totals. Rain should taper off Thursday afternoon.
Here’s what the National Weather Service predicts for the next several days.
Sussex County weather forecast
Wednesday– A chance of showers, mainly after 5 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Wednesday Night– Showers and thunderstorms likely before 8 p.m., then showers and possibly a thunderstorm between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m., then showers likely after that. Low around 44. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Thursday– Showers likely, mainly before 8 a.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 60. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday Night– Mostly clear, with a low around 37.
Asbury Park weather forecast
Wednesday– Partly sunny, with a high near 54.
Wednesday night– A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 8 p.m. Low around 49. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Thursday– A chance of showers before 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday night– Mostly clear, with a low around 46.
Toms River weather forecast
Wednesday– Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61. Light southeast wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night– A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 p.m., then showers and possibly a thunderstorm between 8 p.m., and 2 a.m., then showers after that. Low around 48. Southeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Thursday– A chance of showers before 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday night– Mostly clear, with a low around 42.
Juan Carlos Castillo is a New Jersey-based trending reporter for the USA Today network. He covers weather, FIFA World Cup, and national events focusing on how they affect New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Every now and then on The Judi and EJ Show a topic comes up that reminds you why radio is still the best medium on earth.
Ice cream will do that.
It started a couple of weeks ago when we spent an hour on products that nobody makes anymore — the ones you miss so much that you find yourself doing late night internet searches hoping to find a closeout website or a forgotten store somewhere that still has a few left. Kyle Forcini — our on-air partner and producer — brought up Turkey Hill Graham Slam Ice Cream. A Turkey Hill partnership with the Phillies a few years back that landed at Acme Markets across New Jersey. Then the partnership ended. And the Graham Slam disappeared.
Kyle had not had it in almost a decade.
I had some extra time that day. So I drove over to Pennsylvania, found a Giant grocery store — the only place the research said still carried it — and came back with a carton of Kyle’s all-time favorite ice cream.
I texted him when I got it. His response was one word.
WOW.
Later that day he sent me a photo of himself eating it. That made my whole day. Sometimes the smallest gestures land the hardest.
So today I went back to that same Pennsylvania Giant store to get him another carton.
Turkey Hill Graham Slam sold out in PA | photo by EJ
Sold out!
Turns out Kyle is not the only one who remembers Graham Slam. That ice cream has a following — and right now they are all showing up at the same Giant store in Pennsylvania.
The phones lit up
We opened up the lines today and asked listeners to share their favorite New Jersey ice cream shops. The response was immediate and enthusiastic — which should surprise nobody because New Jersey takes its ice cream seriously.
Brenden from Delran pointed us to the Ice Cream Bar in Delanco, Burlington County. John in Helmetta had strong feelings about Causeway Ice Cream in South River, Middlesex County — his order is always soft serve with sprinkles. Christine over in Bensalem called in to represent Ice Cream on 9 in Howell, Monmouth County and specifically said get the pistachio. Dot in Nutley told us about Graham Central Station — found at Applegate Farm in Upper Montclair, Essex County. Fitting that a Graham-related ice cream came up given where the whole conversation started.
But the place that generated the most conversation was Halo Farm on Spruce Street in Lawrence Township — right around the corner from the station. There was some friendly confusion between Halo Farm and Halo Pubs until Susan from Trenton set everyone straight. Halo Farm is a longtime Mercer County institution — a micro-dairy that processes its own milk on site and produces dozens of super-premium flavors from simple ingredients. Founded in the 1970s. Old school dairy store feel — milk, juices, baked goods and ice cream all under one roof. The related Halo Pub locations throughout Mercer County serve the same ice cream in a more traditional scoop shop setting. If you are anywhere near Trenton and have not been, go.
SEE ALSO: Mr. Softee New Jersey history and the song you can’t forget
Mr. Softee stopped by my nieces wedding a few weeks ago | photo by EJ
Three on my personal list this season
There are countless great ice cream shops across New Jersey — more than any single article could cover. But here are three that are on the personal radar for the season ahead.
Thomas Sweet in Princeton — a legendary Princeton institution that has been scooping since 1979. On the list and long overdue for a visit.
Evergreen Dairy Bar on Route 70 in Southampton — right on the edge of the Pine Barrens in Burlington County. A regular stop on Pine Barrens day trips and one of those places that feels like it belongs exactly where it is. Old school roadside dairy bar, the kind that reminds you what summer in South Jersey is supposed to taste like. Learn more about Evergreen in the gallery below.
Jersey Freeze in Freehold — a Monmouth County institution and a name that comes up every time this conversation happens in New Jersey. Our thanks to Matt and Katie there who recently sent a box of creamy treats over to the NJ 101.5 crew through Kylie Moore. Jersey Freeze has clearly earned its reputation.
One more stop to add
Just up Route 31 in Pennington sits the Cream King. Drove past it back in January when New Jersey was locked in a deep freeze — the parking lot buried in snow, the picnic tables stacked and covered, the place completely shut down and surrounded by the kind of cold that makes an ice cream stand look almost poetic.
Well. Spring is here. The only freezing happening at Cream King now is inside their freezers. And soon enough — melting in our bellies.
Kyle — consider this your advance notice. We are going.
Awesome one-of-a-kind old school eatery in South Jersey
Gallery Credit: Dennis Malloy
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