Šimon Nemec’s overtime heroics give him a moment he can cherish after up-and-down year

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NEWARK — Of all the players who could have scored in double overtime, perhaps none could have benefited from it more than defenseman Šimon Nemec.

“He’s going to be a better player tomorrow as a result of tonight’s game,” coach Sheldon Keefe said after the Devils’ 3-2 win.

The 21-year-old Nemec, whom the Devils selected No. 2 overall in 2022, described 2024-25 as a tough season for him. His goal in the second overtime period — in which he activated offensively, cut through two defenders and put a puck through Frederik Andersen — was the type of play that can change the way he will look back on this year.

With the Devils’ season on the line and their group of defensemen banged up, he was the one who stepped up.

“He took that moment,” Brian Dumoulin said. “He wasn’t scared of it.”

SIMON NEMEC WINS IT IN DOUBLE OT!! 😱

His first #StanleyCup Playoffs goal is the @Energizer overtime winner! pic.twitter.com/IcTUqDhTUE

— NHL (@NHL) April 26, 2025

Nemec had a lot to build off after his rookie year in 2023-24. Injuries to Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler thrust him into a bigger-than-expected role, and he averaged nearly 20 minutes of ice time a game. He appeared on Calder ballots.

But the downs of 2024-25 started before he even returned to North America for training camp. In August, Nemec suffered an upper-body injury playing for the Slovakian National Team in an Olympic qualifying match, putting him in a less-than-ideal position entering training camp. He was ready for the start of the season, but when the Devils’ group of defensemen — which added Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon and Johnathan Kovacevic over the offseason — got healthy, coach Sheldon Keefe started making Nemec a healthy scratch. The Devils eventually sent him to AHL Utica, where he played 34 games over the next three months.

“We have a good team,” said Devils forward Tomáš Tatar, Nemec’s countryman, when asked about the defenseman’s up-and-down year. “It’s not easy to just come in and play, especially when you’re that young. It takes time and experience.”

Nemec was the 11th-youngest defenseman to play an NHL game this year. Lian Bichsel, Denton Mateychuk, Isaiah George and Elias Pettersson were the only blueliners younger than Nemec who played more than his 27 games, and they all spent time in the AHL, too. Defensemen take time to develop, and The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, a prospect writer, is still confident he will develop into a top-four defenseman.

“In terms of a guy you’re going to bet on to be successful for a long period of time, he’s got the tools,” Scott Moser, who coached Nemec at world junior championships, said in an interview last year. “When you’re projecting over a long period of time, it’s really no surprise why New Jersey was so high on him.”

Corey Pronman, who also writes about prospects for The Athletic, believes Nemec can become a top-four defenseman, too, though he doesn’t see it as the same guarantee as a couple years ago. He noted he could struggle to get time on the power play since New Jersey has Luke Hughes and Hamilton.

Nemec was still in and out of the lineup when back with the NHL club full time starting in February, and Keefe made him a healthy scratch in Game 1 against Carolina. Hughes and Dillon both got hurt that game, though, so Nemec got his first chance at playoff action in Game 2. He said it wasn’t easy not having consistent playing time, but he felt ready.

Keefe liked the way the young defenseman played in Game 2. Then the coach had to rely on him even more in Game 3 after Kovacevic suffered an undisclosed injury, leaving the Devils with only five defensemen. Nemec played 22:39, more than he had in any NHL game this year. He nearly ended the game in the first overtime with an early shot, and the Devils had 63 percent of the expected goal share with him on the ice at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Overtime might’ve been the highlight, but he was having a strong game even before that.

“I feel like my confidence is back the last couple games,” he said after.

Nemec scored his first playoff goal the same night that his friend Juraj Slafkovský did the same for Montreal. The two grew up playing on Slovakian junior teams together and were the first two picks in the 2022 NHL draft, with Slafkovský going No. 1 overall to Montreal. Talking about Nemec last season, Slafkovský praised his hockey IQ and playmaking.

“(He’s) someone who can create and make the most offensive play,” Slafkovský said.

That was clear against Carolina. In overtime, Keefe caught himself thinking it would be special to see Siegenthaler, playing at less than 100 percent in his first game since Feb. 4, score the winning goal. After the game, the coach reflected more on that sentiment.

“If I was really thinking, I would have said, ‘Wouldn’t it be something if the young guy, Nemec — who has stepped up so big for us — ended it?’” Keefe said. “Just a great play by him.”

Tatar recognized that this year has been up-and-down for Nemec, but he believes Friday’s goal will help the defenseman’s confidence grow.

“Those,” Tatar said, “are the moments you cherish.”

(Photo: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)

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