New Jersey
New Jersey Devils Prospect Update: Where Are They Now? Defensemen Edition
Prospect analysis takes a bit of guesswork. So, sometimes to predict the future it’s helpful to reflect back on the past. Today we take a look at five former defensemen prospects for the Devils and what happened in their careers.
Adrian Foster
In short
Never made the NHL but did play for Grizzlys Wolfsburg in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, which is a fantastic name for a hockey club.
In long
Scott Cruikshank of the Calgary Herald sums up the problem with Adrian Foster’s career.
As a 16-year-old with the Calgary Canucks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, he collected 32 points in only 18 appearances. But slamming into an unforgiving post one night, the fearless forward cracked his right hip.
Mechanics thrown off, body out of whack, the other hip suffered. Then came abdominal troubles and subsequent operations — one side, then on the other.
Nevertheless, New Jersey was sold.
Sold they were. The Devils selected Foster in the first round (28th overall) selection in the 2001 NHL entry draft, a bit of a reach at the time, due to his injury history. Unfortunately, for Foster and the Devils, the defenseman’s injury woes did not end there. The article continues.
buoyed by a clean bill of health after a stretch in the American Hockey League — concussions spoiled more winters.
Then in a single 60-game stretch — spread over three hobble-filled seasons — Foster suffered two high-ankle sprains, a broken foot, a broken ankle.
Somewhere amidst all that hobbling, Foster skated in 205 AHL games before finishing his career in a two-game stint plus eight playoff contests in 2015-16 for the Stony Plain Eagles of the Chinook Hockey League.
Matthew Corrente
In short
Bad shoulder, but finished NHL career with exactly twice as many penalty minutes (68) as he had games played (34).
In long
Drafted by the Devils in the first round (30th overall) in 2006, there was considerable hype amongst Devils faithful in Corrente at the time. Development came slow, as it often does for physical defenders, but Corrente filled in with the big club in limited minutes during the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 seasons. Unable to stick in the Devils lineup, by the time Corrente was entering his prime, injuries proved to be the final nail in the coffin of his career, culminating with a season-ending shoulder injury in 2012. This was after missing much of the previous season with another shoulder injury in 2011. After the shoulder surgery in 2012, Corrente played two more seasons bouncing around the AHL before bowing out after a demotion to the Florida Everblades of the ECHL in 2015-2016.
Brandon Burlon
In short
Once put up 27 points in 30 games in one strong season for the Oilers, the Stavanger Oilers of Norway’s Fjordkraftligaen.
In long
The Devils 2nd round pick (52nd overall) in 2008, Brandon Burlon always seemed to be on the fringe of conversation, but always outshined by the next shiny new defensive prospect added to the system. Surpassed by players such as Reece Scarlett who once finished 11th on this site’s Top 25 Under 25, who like Burlon, never got the call, the 2nd rounder did give the Albany Devils five respectable seasons of defensive hockey, even breaking out with 36 points one year. Burlon would finish his playing career in 2019-20 after bouncing around Europe in Germany, Sweden, Norway and the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga. Per LinkedIn, Burlon is now a site operations manager for TMG Builders, a Canadian condominium building company.
Alexander Urbom
In short
Upset many Devils fans when the Washington Capitals claimed him off waivers. Was reclaimed by the Devils twenty games later. Never played in the NHL again.
In long
Urbom showed a lot of promise early on for a defenseman drafted in the third round, especially on a team that had few legit prospects in the early 2010s. (For example, Urbom finished 5th in the ILWT Top 25 Under 25 in 2012). Urbom earned cups of coffee with the Devils in three consecutive seasons starting in 2010-11 before he was claimed by the Washington Capitals at the beginning of the 2013-2014 season. This upset many Devils fans, who thought Urbom had a future. The large defender played 20 games for the Capitals that year, the most of his career, before being reclaimed by the Devils and stashed in Albany. That would be Urbom’s last stint of North American hockey, bouncing around the KHL, SHL and some lesser leagues later in his career, which ended in a short playoff run with EC Salzburg of the ICEHL in 2020-21.
Jeremy Davies
In short
A 7th round pick who after earning some hype with a stellar college career, became part of the P.K. Subban trade and played in 23 NHL games to date.
In long
The Nashville Predators actually got more usage out of Jeremy Davies than they did the more-established defender in the deal, Steven Santini. Davies suited up 22 games for the Predators over two seasons, while Santini only played two games in Nashville before signing with the St. Louis Blues. Davies’s career is still ongoing and overall, despite his limited call-ups, the 7th rounder must be considered a successful pick as most players drafted there do not make it to the NHL.
Final Thoughts
Now it is time to tell us what you think. Should I do more articles like this as summer rolls on? Give me your thoughts in the comments below.
New Jersey
N.J. Gov. Mikie Sherrill orders NJ Transit to improve rider experience
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is ordering big changes in transit, aiming to give commuters a cleaner, safer and more reliable ride.
On Tuesday at Secaucus Junction, she signed an executive order that pushes NJ Transit to improve the rider experience. That includes everything from station cleanliness to overhauling the app.
“And making sure that people have real-time data. You should be able to look at your app and know if your train’s running on time,” Sherrill said.
The order requires state transportation leaders to deliver a full improvement plan within 45 days.
NJ Transit will hold public listening sessions and launch a new rider survey.
The agency’s CEO, Kris Kolluri, said the order provides him with a clear roadmap.
“That basically will tell the commuters what we and the governor are going to do to implement some of these things that the commuters have been asking for,” Kolluri said. “I think that is the kind of road map that has not existed before.”
Once the plan is submitted, NJ Transit will have another 45 days to fast-track the top priorities.
New Jersey
New Jersey death investigator fired for sharing details of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau’s fatal bike crash
A New Jersey offficial upheld the firing of a death investigator who leaked details of the crash that killed NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau in 2024, according to court documents.
A court filing shows a Gloucester County death investigator shared details of the Aug. 29, 2024 crash with a group chat. Someone in that chat later posted information about the Gaudreau brothers’ deaths — and a New Jersey State Police trooper’s cell phone number — on social media, prior to the information being released to the public.
The Gaudreau brothers — Johnny, a Columbus Blue Jackets winger, and Matthew, a Gloucester Catholic High School hockey coach — were riding bicycles on County Route 551 in Oldmans Township when a driver, Sean Higgins, allegedly struck them while under the influence.
Defense attorneys have argued Higgins’ blood alcohol level was below the legal limit of .08 at the time of the crash, while prosecutors say he was intoxicated. The Gaudreaus were struck the night before their sister’s wedding.
The Gloucester County Medical Examiner’s office worker sent a picture of his notes to a text message group with members of his hockey team, after receiving news of the crash from a state trooper, documents filed with the New Jersey Civil Service Commission say.
The worker said he took the photo because he was emotional and knew the victims, and that it would also serve as a way of informing the team he could not make it to their scheduled game that night. Someone from that group chat posted the photo on Twitter, the documents say. The post at some point made it to Reddit.
Overnight, multiple articles were written based on the social media post that originated from the group chat. The trooper whose phone number was visible in the picture received about a dozen phone calls from the media trying to confirm details of the crash, documents say.
The worker was accused of failing to safeguard confidential patient information, conduct unbecoming of a public employee and other offenses.
An administrative law judge recommended the worker be suspended for six months before the Civil Service Commission ruled to fire him.
While the worker had no prior disciplinary record, the commission said that “some disciplinary actions are so serious that removal is appropriate notwithstanding a largely unblemished prior record … the [worker’s] offense … constituted a serious breach of the standard of conduct expected from all public employees who have access to confidential personal information.”
New Jersey
NJ sees largest increase in energy bill costs, according to new report
A new report showed how much more money Americans paid for energy in 2025 compared to the year before and New Jersey led the way with the largest increase.
All three states in the Philadelphia region showed increases in energy costs.
The report from the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee shows that residents in New Jersey paid about $260 more in utilities last year which is more than double the national average.
“Electricity increases are a big thing. Utility increases are a big thing,” Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. said. “It’s terrible and we have to put a stop to it.”
Pallone is the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
He says he supports a price cap for energy transmission PJM is recommending to federal energy regulators.
PJM is a member-run company that operates the mid-Atlantic electrical grid for 65 million people in 13 states, including Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey.
“You need to adopt the price cap, because if you don’t, we’re going to see a continuation of these price increases,” Rep. Pallone said.
NJ Gov. Mikie Sherrill declared a state of emergency on utility costs during her inauguration in January. She signed two executive orders to combat what she described as an affordability crisis.
“What I’ve heard from people in Camden County, I heard across the state, and that is around issues of affordability. That too many people are working too hard and not getting ahead,” Gov. Sherrill said.
Residents in Pennsylvania paid a 12.1% increase while Delaware residents had a 6.1% spike in energy bills.
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