Blake Speers fulfilled the dream held by many prospects when he made his NHL debut on Oct. 13, 2016, stepping onto the ice with the Devils as a 19-year-old, less than 16 months after being drafted.
The 2015 third-round pick's first NHL stint was short-lived before he returned to junior hockey, but the three games pointed to a bright future.
That future just hasn't come as quickly as Speers once expected.
He turned pro in 2017-18, when he was eligible to play in the NHL or AHL full time. Speers ultimately fell short of making the Devils' roster out of training camp in September of 2017, and he spent the entire season in the AHL with the Binghamton Devils.