Devils recall promising goaltender

The Devils recalled goaltender Nico Daws from the AHL’s Utica Comets Wednesday morning, a team announcement states.

Daws, 23, is with the Devils at their morning skate ahead of Wednesday's game against the Blue Jackets. There is currently no injury designation for projected starter Vítek Vaněček or backup Akira Schmid. However, Vaněček has been sidelined on a short-term basis with an undisclosed injury multiple times this season, which caused him to miss a December 17 contest against the Ducks. Per the Star-Ledger’s Ryan Novozinsky, both Schmid and Vaněček are present alongside Daws at today’s morning skate.

If either Vaněček or Schmid cannot play on Wednesday, Daws will dress as the backup. He has not made an NHL appearance since April 16, 2022, his last of 23 starts in the 2021-22 campaign.

Daws is still a promising young prospect, but Schmid lapped the German-born Canadian on the team’s depth chart last season. He was already pushed down further by the team’s acquisition of Vaněček in the summer of 2022. After recording a .904 SV% and 16-14-3 record in 33 games with Utica last season, Daws required offseason hip surgery that kept him out of action until early this month.

Once healthy, the Devils assigned Daws to Utica, where he’s since started three games. He’s received minimal goal support from the Comets offense, resulting in a 1-2-0 record, but he’s looked no worse for wear with a .929 SV%. Daws faced at least 30 starts in all three starts.

The Devils brought Daws back up from Utica on an emergency basis ahead of the contest against Anaheim, with Vaněček unable to dress. Daws sat on the bench as a backup to Schmid in that contest and was a healthy scratch for the team’s following game against the Flyers before being returned to the Comets last Wednesday.