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Devils Sign Two to Entry-Level Contracts

The Devils signed two players to entry-level contracts over the last two days.

Forward Tyce Thompson signed on March 24. His contract will kick in this season and he will be reporting to the New Jersey Devils to start his quarantine.

He will wear number 12.

Thompson was the Devils’ sixth pick in the fourth round (96th overall) in 2019. Thompson is 21-years-old ad played three years at Providence College of Hockey East in the NCAA.

The press release notes that in his junior year, he was named the Friars’ captain. He had 11 goals/14 assists (25 points in 25 games played). That led the team in all categories.

His sophomore year, he was second in the Hockey East conference and third overall in the NCAA in scoring according to the press release. He had 19 goals/25 assists (44 points) over 34 games.

He also led that year tied for second in goals with 19 and power play points (eight goals, 13 assists for 21 points) in Hockey East.

He had 15 multiple point games which was tied for second in the nation. In addition, he had 27 games with at least one point which was tied for first as well.

Over his career with the Friars, he had 38 goals and 56 assists totaling 94 points to go with 65 PIM over 101 games. He also played with Devils’ prospect Patrick Moynihan while at Providence.

Thompson comes from an NHL family. His father Brent was a Los Angeles Kings pick in 1989 and his brother Tage was the 26th overall pick in 2016 by the St. Louis Blues. He was eventually traded, and plays for, the Buffalo Sabres.

He was a Hockey East Second All-Star Team member this past year and was selected to the NCAA (All-USCHO) Second Team member in 2019-20. That year, he was also named as a Hockey East Second Team All-Star.

Previous to Providence, Thompson played for the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL where he had 12 goals/20 assists totaling 32 points over 63 games. He also had a goal over seven USHL playoff games.

The other prospect signed was forward Aarne Talvitie. His contract will kick in in 2021-22. For the remainder of this season, he will play in the AHL with the Binghamton Devils.

Talvitie, is 22-years-old and spent three years with Penn State in the Big 10 (NCAA).

This season, he had 13 points, good for fifth on the Nittany Lions (seven goals/six assists), The press release notes that he was voted by his teammates to be an alternate captain this season.

He finished his NCAA career with 18 goals/30 assists totaling 48 points over 68 games.

The Espoo, Finland native also represented Finland at the 2019 IIHF World Junior U20 Championship and captained that team to winning a gold medal.

Talvitie was eighth overall in scoring in that tournament with four goals/three assists for seven points in seven games.

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Graeme Clarke Signs Entry Level Deal

Two days late on this one, the Devils announced it on March 6, but the team has signed forward Graeme Clarke.

The 19-year-old third round (80th overall) selection in the 2019 Draft by the Devils signed a three-year, entry-level contract that starts for the 2021-22 season according to the Devils’ Public Relations press release. He was the Devils’ fourth selection in that Draft.

He is currently with the Binghamton Devils where the presser mentions he has played in four games already. He played earlier this season for HC Nove Zamky of Slovakia. Prior to that, he played three seasons with the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario League.

The presser notes that from the 2017-18 season through 2019-20, “the right-shooting winger had 46 goals and 30 assists for 74 points in 134 career OHL games. In his last season, he averaged over one point per game, with nine goals and eight assists for 17 points in 16 games.”

In 23 OHL playoff games over his career, he had seven goals and seven assists (an even 14 points).

The press release notes that, with the 67’s, he played with two other Devils prospects: Kevin Bahl and Nikita Okhotiuk.

He has appeared in September 2019 with the Devils in the Buffalo Prospects Challenge where he had a goal and an assist over three games.

He s a 6-foot, 175-pounder who also represented Canada (he is a native of Ottawa) at the Under-18 team at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2019. That team won a gold medal at that tournament.