As a result of players on two players on an indefinite leave of absence, the New Jersey Devils made two recalls on Thursday morning.
The Devils recalled forward Justin Dowling and defenseman Daniil Misyul to the NHL roster.
For Dowling, it’s his second recall to the varsity club this season. As for Misyul, it’s his first career NHL callup.
The Devils recalled Dowling earlier this season when Nico Hischier was sidelined with an injury. At the time, Utica Comets head coach Kevin Dineen referred to Dowling as Utica’s best player.
The circumstances are certainly different in his second Devils stint.
Although Dowling was recalled and took warmups with the Devils, he did not draw into the lineup before he was returned on loan. In 30 AHL games so far this season, Dowling’s accrued eight goals and 19 points for Utica.
The Devils drafted Misyul in the third round of the 2019 NHL draft, 70th overall. The Minsk, Belarus native was drafted out of the KHL known as “an excellent skater and a gifted puck rusher.”
However, Misyul also established himself as a dominant physical presence at both the KHL and AHL levels, something the New Jersey can certainly use in their lineup. One of Misyul’s strengths is his ability to clear his goaltenders’ crease to allow them to cleanly track pucks and negate rebound chances.
That’s certainly something New Jersey currently lacks. The Devils are hoping the 6’3, 196 lb defenseman can bring that presence to the NHL level.
In 30 games in the NHL this season, Misyul has collected three goals and 11 points. He’s also accrued 33 penalty minutes.
Both Dowling and Misyul were on the ice with the Devils in Raliegh, North Carolina for morning skate Thursday morning.
More must-reads: