New Jersey Native Rejoins Trenton

The Trenton Devils announced yesterday they they have agreed to terms with center Jim Henkel. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Hailing from Hazlet, NJ, the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder returns for his third season with Trenton.

Henkel, 28, tallied 21 goals, 29 assists and 52 penalties in minutes last season, while tying a team season-high with 69 games played.
During his first year with Trenton in 2004-05, Henkel ranked second on the team in goals (22) and points (47) and added 25 assists.

The sixth-year pro made a splash in his rookie season, posting career highs of 32 goals and 36 assists while helping to lead the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies to to the 2003 Kelly Cup and was named to the Northern Conference All-Star Team.

Originally selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the eighth round (#217 overall) of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, Henkel was a four-year letterman at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1998-2002).

Henkel is the sixth player to sign with the Trenton Devils for the 2007-08 season, joining forwards Andrew Leach and Tony Zancanaro and defensemen Matt Cohen, Ryan Gunderson and Stephen Wood.

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Fans to choose mascot name

The Devils are asking their fans for their help in naming their new logo.

Click here to make a suggestion

All fans can submit their suggestions. The Trenton Devils will be accepting submissions through Friday, September 28.

The top five names, as selected by the Devils, will then be posted on
www.trentondevils.com, and then fans can vote on their favorite.

The winner will be chosen just prior to the start of the season and will receive two
complimentary 12-game Trenton Devils ticket packages.

Devils vs. Flyers Tonight, 7:00 p.m.

The New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers will both open their preseason schedules tonight at the Soverign Bank Arena for a 7 o'clock start.

Brent Sutter will be making his coaching debut for the Devils, taking over for Lou Lamoriello, who fired Claude Julien with three games left in the 2006-07 regular season and coached the Devils in the playoffs.

Sutter, 45, resigned as coach and general manager of the Western Hockey League's Red Deer Rebels -- accepting the resignation himself since he owns the team -- to become the Devils man behind the bench.

While the Devils have not yet announced a lineup for tonight, the Flyers did release a list of players who will be participating. Surprisingly, a good amount of regulars will take the ice including newly acquired, $10 million man, Danny Briere, who will most likely see time centering a line between Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble. Scottie Upshall, who was brought over in exchange for Peter Forsberg and his many pairs of skates last season, is also expected to lace 'em up, along with blue liner Kimo Timonnen, who signed as a free agent from the Nashville Predators over the summer.

With the complete roster overhaul the Flyers have gone through since last season's abysmal nightmare, finishing last in points in the entire NHL, Philadelphia can ill afford another sluggish start. Finding the right combination of line-sets and defensive pairings will be crucial in the preseason, instead of mixing and matching for the first month of the regular season when the games actually count.

The Devils -- who lost first-line center Scott Gomez via free agency to division-rival New York Rangers -- were busy in the offseason, but did not land any "big name" free agents. They did; however, get a pair of defensemen that will sure up the blue line in Karel Rachunek and Vitaly Vishnevski.

Rachunek spent last season playing for the Rangers and recorded six goals and 20 assists, while Vishnevski tallied three goals and 10 assists splitting time with Nashville and the Atlanta Thrashers.

To counter the loss of Gomez, the Devils went after former Flyer, Dainius Zubrus, and signed him to a six-year contract worth $20.4 million. Zubrus, 29, recorded 52 points (20g, 32a) with the Washington Capitals and Buffalo Sabres in 2006-07.

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For ticket availability for tonight's game, contact (609) 599-9500.

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Come out and support the team like this guy!

T-DEVILS TICKETS ON SALE!

The Trenton Devils announced that individual game tickets for the 2007-08 regular season will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. this Saturday, Sept. 15. Tickets can be purchased at the Sovereign Bank Arena Box Office or by calling (888) 298-4200.

T-Devils’ season ticket holders will have the first chance to purchase individual tickets for this season’s game during a special pre-sale by calling the font office at (609) 599-9500.

The T-Devils will open the upcoming season against the Reading Royals at Sovereign Bank Arena on Friday, October 19 at 7:30 p.m. Full and partial season ticket plans for 2007-08 are available by calling the box office at the number above.

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ECHL to Introduce Hall of Fame
The ECHL proudly announces that, as part of the 20th Anniversary celebration in 2007-08, it will introduce the ECHL Hall of Fame.

The first induction class will be announced in October and will be honored at the 2008 ECHL All-Star Game hosted by the Stockton Thunder at Stockton Arena on Jan. 23, 2008.

ECHL fans will be able to visit the Hall of Fame around the clock as it will be housed online, opening as part of the ECHL Network in conjunction with the ceremonies in January. The inductees will also be recognized at both the ECHL office in Princeton and in the ECHL section at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario.
Hall of Fame members will be selected in four categories: Player, Developmental Player, Builder, and Referee/Linesman. Players must have concluded their careers as an active player for a minimum of five seasons; though not continuous seasons. Development Players must have begun their careers in the SCHL and went on to a distinguished career in the NHL, playing a minimum of 260 regular season games in the NHL, American Hockey League, and ECHL. Builders may be active or inactive whereas Referee/Linesman must have concluded their active officiating career for at least three seasons.

No more than five candidates may be elected to the ECHL Hall of Fame each year with no more than three Players, one Developmental Player, two Builders and one Referee/Linesman.

The nomination and/or selection of candidates will be determined by the ECHL Hall of Fame Selection Committee which will be appointed by the ECHL.