Devils sign Jakub Malek, Ben Steeves to contracts

Some organizational depth has been ensured by the New Jersey Devils.

On Monday, general manager Sunny Mehta and assistant general manager Braden Birch announced that the team has signed goaltender Jakub Malek and forward Ben Steeves to contracts.

Malek’s new deal is a two-year, two-way contract. The contract has an NHL AAV of $875,000 for both years, with Malek making $175,000 at the minor-league level in Year 1, while he’s set to make $275,000 in the American Hockey League in 2027-28, with a guaranteed salary of $300,000.

The 24-year-old just finished up his first season in the North American pro ranks. After a trio of seasons playing in Liiga, the top division in Finland, Malek appeared in 31 games in 2025-26 with the Utica Comets, the Devils’ primary affiliate. He posted a record of 13-14-5, with a 2.75 goals-against average, a .895 save percentage and three shutouts. He also played a pair of games with New Jersey’s ECHL affiliate, the Adirondack Thunder, going 1-0-, with a 1.91 GAA and a .930 SV%.

Malek had a respectable European career. Along with helping Ilves win the bronze medal in Liiga, posting a league-best 2.09 GAA, he was also the top netminder for VHK Vsetin in Czechia’s second tier. He has also represented Czechia on the EuroHockeyTour, as well as the canceled attempt at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Steeves has signed a one-year, two-way contract with an NHL cap hit of $850,000 and a minor-league salary of $150,000. He is a new addition to the Devils. He was one of the return pieces, along with Jesper Boqvist and Evan Rodrigues, in the trade that sent Jacob Markstrom to the Florida Panthers. The Bedford, N.H. native has yet to play in the NHL, but has been a solid offensive threat in the minors. With the Panthers’ AHL club, the Charlotte Checkers, the Minnesota Duluth product set career highs in goals (23), assists (22) and points (45) in 72 regular-season games this past season. It came after a solid rookie season, where he played a role in helping the Checkers reach the Calder Cup Final.

In 140 regular-season games with Charlotte, the USHL Clark Cup winner has potted 34 goals and 41 assists for 75 points, with another eight points in 21 postseason affairs.