TAKEAWAYS:

• Devils goaltending prospect Tyler Brennan continues to develop his game, especially after his first professional season in the ECHL with the Adirondack Thunder.
• Brennan has looked up to Jacob Markstrom in recent years especially when it comes to Markstrom’s strong play and positioning.

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As goaltending prospect Tyler Brennan continues to study and learn from NHL veteran goaltenders, newly acquired Devils netminder Jacob Markstrom remains at the top of the list for players to watch.

“In the last few years I’ve been watching him,” Brennan shared during the Devils development camp. “I like how he plays the game and I was trying to pick a few things out of his game and trying to implement them into mine. Obviously he’s had a lot of success in the past so I’m just trying to look at him and try to be like him and have success.

“How he plays positionally and how competitive he is I think is a big one,” Brennan also explained about Markstrom. “Going back to getting more pace in my game, I think the competitive side is really important. Just trying to get there and get better at that.”

After spending the five seasons in the WHL (Western Hockey League), Brennan recently wrapped up his first season of professional hockey playing for the Adirondack Thunder in the ECHL. One of his most significant areas of growth was off the ice, learning about the intricacies of becoming a professional hockey player.

“I think the big thing I took away was just the habits you need to be a professional athlete,” Brennan explained. “I think that was a big learning step for me, figuring out how to eat right, how to do it all yourself.

“I asked some of the coaches, some of my friends that I know are professional athletes, professional hockey players,” Brennan continued. “They helped me out a lot. At the end of the season when Isaac Poulter came down he lived with me and he showed me some of his pro habits and I picked up on those and I think that was a good thing for me.”

When it comes to what’s next to improve, Brennan will channel what he’s observed from Markstrom’s competitiveness and work on adjusting to the speed of the professional game.

“I think the big thing for me is pacing, pacing my game,” Brennan shared. “Every level you move up, it gets faster and you need to be stronger and quicker. So I think I’m just going to focus on getting my pace up.”

Brennan is one of several talented goaltenders in the organization’s depth chart; however, he’s not focused on where he’s playing, instead, how he is performing.

“I want to play the best I can, wherever I am, and for whatever team,” Brennan explained. “If I ever get the chance to be called up anywhere then I want to ready to go for that. Just playing the best for the team I’m with and then I’ll hopefully move up the ladder.”