Utica Comets’ front-office reset under Devils GM Sunny Mehta, as AHL rebuild accelerates

The Utica Comets entered this offseason with a familiar AHL storyline: a rapidly evolving roster. But behind the bench, the organization is also changing how it operates, with New Jersey Devils general manager Sunny Mehta making Utica a stated organizational priority and prompting a front-office transition there in the process. According to the Comets offseason tracker published July 7, Mehta’s early move as Devils GM included deciding not to renew Dan MacKinnon’s contract as Comets general manager, paving the way for Braden Birch to assume the role just days later.

Mehta’s emphasis, as reported during his July 2 media availability, was not simply on winning and losses in Utica. He described a broader objective of using the AHL as a development engine that can be viewed alongside the NHL roster, with decisions at both levels treated as part of one connected strategy. “When I got here and talked it through, even with ownership, David Blitzer and I talked about what are some of the things we really want to focus on,” Mehta said, adding that Utica needed to be made “more of a priority” with an eye on player development as well as performance.

The tracker frames the Comets’ personnel turnover as part of that same philosophy. Over “the past several days,” it reports the 2025-26 Utica roster has been reshaped dramatically, with multiple contract signings and additions changing the mix of players expected to compete for ice time in the coming campaign.

Among the specific transactions cited in the offseason roundup, Colton White signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets, a move that reflects the Comets’ continued role as a landing spot for prospects within NHL ecosystems. The tracker also lists a group of players reportedly joining the Comets organization during this stretch, including Josh Filmon, Lenni Hameenaho, Shane Lachance, Matyas Melovsky, Seamus Casey, Mikael Diotte, and Ethan Edwards.

While the headline for fans will be the new faces on the ice, the practical stake is how the Devils system gets executed at the AHL level. Mehta’s comments suggest the organization is trying to align personnel planning in Utica with the realities of the NHL roster, essentially treating the AHL roster as an extension of the same planning process rather than a separate afterthought.

The timeframe is part of the story as well. With Birch arriving after MacKinnon’s contract ended, the Comets are operating with new leadership during an unusually busy personnel window, and Mehta’s public focus on player development indicates that the front office expects these changes to pay dividends beyond immediate results. That said, the tracker’s function is to catalog reported moves, and not every detail is necessarily finalized as teams continue to adjust to training-camp conditions.

Looking ahead, the immediate next question is how quickly the Comets can convert an influx of new contracts into a working lineup and development plan, especially with the reported home opener for the 2026-27 season scheduled for Oct. 10 at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. For the Devils, Utica’s responsiveness to the Mehta-era approach will be a key indicator of whether the AHL becomes a more direct pipeline to New Jersey’s NHL decision-making.

For AHL followers, the most important thing to watch next is whether the reported roster turnover produces stability in roles, not just volume in transactions. If the Devils’ connected-roster strategy holds true, Utica’s offseason churn should show up as clearer paths for players to advance their development and fit into a system that can ultimately be scaled up to the NHL.