Devils Hire Braden Birch As Assistant General Manager

The New Jersey Devils have made their first front office hire under new General Manager Sunny Mehta. According to a team announcement, the Devils have hired Braden Birch to serve as the team’s Assistant General Manager and General Manager of the AHL’s Utica Comets.

Like Mehta, Birch is departing from the Florida Panthers organization to work in New Jersey. The Panthers hired the 36-year-old ahead of the 2016-17 season as a special assistant to General Manager Bill Zito. After his lone season as a special assistant, he was promoted to the team’s Director of Hockey Operations with a specialization in salary cap management.

Aside from that, the only connection he has to the Devils organization is through Mehta. Given that Mehta had been Florida’s Assistant General Manager for the last several years, it’s more than likely that the two worked closely together in their roles and have a good working relationship.

In the announcement, Mehta said, “Braden will be an extremely valuable addition to our senior hockey operations group. His blend of on-ice experience, management background, and intellect will serve him well in his new role. Braden will work to bolster all areas of our operation, and I look forward to him joining our existing front office, where his personality and work ethic will fit in excellently.”

Regarding Utica, Birch will have his work cut out for him. The Comets haven’t qualified for the Calder Cup playoffs since the 2022-23 season, losing on the last day of the regular season to the Rochester Americans this year. The team did a quality job on defense, but Utica was one of only six teams to not register 200 or more goals throughout the regular season. Birch will likely target offense this offseason on the free agent market to ensure that the Comets find their way back to the postseason in 2026-27.