Amadeus Lombardi couldn’t hold back a smile when he heard that New Jersey Devils general manager Sunny Mehta uttered the words, “Don’t sleep on Lombardi.”
“That’s a pretty cool thing to hear,” he told The Hockey News on Friday. “Just knowing that someone believes in you that much and is going to give you that opportunity, it is just so fulfilling.”
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On June 25, 2026, Mehta acquired the 23-year-old from the Detroit Red Wings for a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. For the last four seasons, Lombardi spent time with the organization’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Entering the offseason, the winger didn’t expect to be traded to another organization.
“I was actually fighting with my brother; we were just like wrestling around,” Lombardi shared. “I had three missed calls from my general manager, and I picked up the phone pretty out of breath. I didn’t know what to say. It shocked me. My family was all around, and it was a shock, a lot of emotions at first.
“Obviously, I had a really good, tight group of guys in Grand Rapids that I am going to miss quite a bit,” he continued. “Some emotional phone calls, but after I talked to [Mehta], talked to the staff here, and got going with the process, I was so excited to get down here and just looking forward to it all summer.”
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The day before the team opened training camp, Lombardi met first with Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe, followed by Mehta. They told the youngster he would start camp alongside NHLers Cody Glass and Connor Brown.
“My linemates have been unreal with me,” he shared. “I really like playing with those guys. I know it’s only been two days of practice, but I think they are really good guys off the ice. They have been easing me into it really, really well.”
During his time with Detroit, Lombardi never made his NHL debut. He didn’t receive a single call-up, not even to join the team for a practice.
“I have had nothing,” he said. “I felt like it was interesting. I was kind of an inbetweener the last couple of years in Detroit to get the nod. Obviously, some timely injuries held me back. I think there were a lot of different factors that kept me out of the NHL. Maybe fit in the organization as well. Just with their style of play and what they were trying to achieve is maybe a little different from how I play. It is unfortunate it didn’t work out. Obviously, you want to play for the team that drafted you when you are there”
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Lombardi’s offensive strengths are clear. He scored twice in the team’s scrimmage Friday afternoon and has tools that immediately caught Brown’s attention, including his speed, smarts, and the way he plays with his head up.
Seeing his skill with the puck led The Hockey News to ask Lombardi about his defensive-zone play.
“I think that was something that honestly probably kept me from getting a call up,” Lombardi shared. “Detroit is very defensively focused, like every team is, and I was really trying to work on it the last two years. I think I have really put a lot of thought and effort into my defensive game. I think it has really come a long way. I feel defensively sound. It is hard to work on it during the summer, but I found ways to do it. I think it has grown quite a bit. I am a young, offensive guy, but I am committed to it.
“I know it is going to help me stay in the NHL and hopefully get to the NHL,” he continued. “I am going to continue to work on it, and it is going to be something that I’m going to continue to develop over the years.”
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Keefe understands that Lombardi is a guy who hasn’t been relied on much in that regard throughout his career.
“He has been more of an offensive player,” Keefe explained. “He doesn’t have a whole lot of history of being a penalty killer or anything like that. I think that is an area of development for him.
“If he is going to transition to the NHL, he is going to have to find some minutes that way. The reality is, if you are going to play in the NHL on a team like this, it is hard to look at it and say, you know what, I am going to be a power play guy. There is more to it than just the skill part, and he is going to keep working at it.”
Lombardi is up for the task and said he worked hard this summer to make sure everyone knows Mehta made the right decision in acquiring him.
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“He is a very willing listener, learner, and worker,” Keefe continued. “I think he is eager to do whatever he needs to do to be able to get his opportunity in the NHL, and then he will grow within that. That is how we see it playing out.”
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