3 Things to Know About Devils Brett Pesce

The New Jersey Devils have agreed to terms with free agent defenseman Brett Pesce, signing the 29-year-old native of Tarrytown, New York, to a six-year deal worth $5.5 million annually.

Pesce was the Carolina Hurricanes' third-round pick (66th overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, and he played his entire nine-year career with the franchise.

In 627 games, the right-handed defender has 39 goals, 159 assists, and 198 points.

Pesce Played Minor and Junior Hockey In New Jersey

Pesce grew up in Tarrytown, New York, about 55 minutes northeast of the Prudential Center.

At 14, he joined the North Jersey Avalanche AAA program. He skated for three seasons with the organization, scoring 55 points in 78 games from 2008 to 2011.

Before joining the U.S. National U18 Team, Pesce played 17 games in the EJHL with the New Jersey Hitmen, collecting six points.

After those years in New Jersey, he played college hockey with the University of New Hampshire, where he had 43 points in 110 games with the Wildcats before joining the Hurricanes organization.

Has Scored Points Against 31 NHL Teams

Pesce is a veteran of 627 games, all with the Hurricanes, giving him a chance to play each franchise at least five times.

After picking up an assist against the Seattle Kraken, he's earned at least one point against the 31 other teams besides Carolina.

Interestingly, Pesce has been called for a penalty against 30 teams, with the Colorado Avalanche being the only other team he's never had an infraction against.

Meanwhile, with a career plus/minus rating of plus-92, Pesce is surprisingly a worst minus-12 against the New York Rangers, his new Hudson River rival.

In 27 games against New Jersey, he scored two goals with eight assists for 10 points, one of six teams with double-digit point totals against Columbus, Montreal, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh.

A Hidden Gem From 2013 Entry Draft

The top pick from the 2013 NHL Entry Draft is Hart Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon. Some other big names include Aleksander Barkov, Jake Guentzel, and Juuse Saros.

With 198 points, Pesce does not rank high among his draft mates in points production, but with a career plus-92 rating, he's fifth behind MacKinnon, Barkov, MacKenzie Weegar, and Ryan Graves.

Despite missing some time due to shoulder and leg injuries, Pesce skated in 627 regular season games, which is 13th in his class.

Considering the talented prospects who came out of the 2013 Entry Draft, Pesce's Point Share number on Hockey Reference is 46.3, good enough to rank 12th overall.

With a solid career in the NHL, there's a good chance that Pesce would move up and out of the third round in a re-draft of the 2013 class.