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Young New Jersey Devils Defenseman Walks Away From the NHL to Sign New Deal Overseas

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated Aug 17, 2025 5:24 PM ET

We've seen plenty of players this off-season leave the NHL for overseas opportunities, and now Devil Reilly Walsh is among them after signing in the KHL.

This off-season has been a rather slow one for news around the National Hockey League, but one trend that we have seen is young players opting to head overseas to find more opportunity rather than fighting for a spot in the AHL or the NHL.

That has seen young, career AHLers and veteran NHLers alike head to Europe for new chances, and now, we've seen a former third-round pick of the New Jersey Devils follow suit.

Reilly Walsh joins the KHL after one game in the NHL

Back in 2017, the New Jersey Devils drafted defenseman Reilly Walsh out of the USHL with high hopes that he could be a solid depth piece for them in the coming years, but unfortunately, things just didn't work out.

After a stint in college, Walsh made his NHL debut back in 2021/22, playing exactly one game and putting up an assist in that game, but since then, he's not been able to make it past the AHL level, playing with Utica, Providence and Ontario since that point.

According to reports, Walsh is set to leave the AHL and join the KHL in Russia, with the 26-year old likely to receive much more consistent playing time there as he's shown that when given the chance, he can be a very effective player on the bottom two pairings.

Standing at 6-foot-0 and weighing 195 pounds, Walsh has the physical tools to be a very intriguing player, and with years ahead of him, if he can find his groove in the KHL, it's a chance to prove he deserves a spot in the NHL.

With 144 points in the AHL over the past four years, Walsh has already proven his consistency, but now is his chance to do it at a higher level, so while he may not be remembered by many Devils fans, this will give him an opportunity to work his way back to the NHL.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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