Devils recall Dylan Wendt, assign Jakub Malek to Utica amid Olympics

The New Jersey Devils recalled 25-year-old forward Dylan Wendt from the Utica Comets and reassigned goaltender Jakub Malek to Utica on Feb. 20, 2026, in short-term, Olympic-driven roster moves to cover practice and depth needs. The shifts arrive as the club manages staggered returns from the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics and prepares for a Feb. 25 matchup against the Buffalo Sabres.

Wendt will join Devils practices this weekend as a practice player while Olympians filter back to New Jersey. The Devils signed Wendt as an undrafted free agent on April 4, 2024, to a two-year entry-level contract after his third season at Western Michigan University, SportsForecaster’s transaction log shows. This season he has 12 games with the Utica Comets and two assists in the AHL, plus 16 games with the Adirondack Thunder in the ECHL where he has four goals and 13 points, Yardbarker reported; Wendt has not yet made his NHL debut.

Jakub Malek, who had been brought up earlier in the week as a practice goaltender, was returned to Utica after two practices with New Jersey. The Hockey News noted Malek’s brief stint followed league Olympic guidelines for practice players and that Jacob Markstrom remained in Milan with Team Sweden while these practice arrangements were in place. Malek’s reassignment restores the Devils’ AHL depth after the temporary practice call-up.

The Olympic timeline shaped both moves. The Hockey News reported that six of seven Devils Olympians were already eliminated and headed back, Simon Nemec, Jesper Bratt, Jacob Markstrom, Jonas Siegenthaler, Nico Hischier, and Timo Meier, while Jack Hughes was the final Devils player in the tournament and won the gold medal game against Team Canada. Yardbarker captured an earlier snapshot of the tournament, noting New Jersey briefly had two players still in medal contention, Jack Hughes and Simon Nemec. Those differing snapshots reflect reporting at different moments as the Milano-Cortina tournament concluded.

New Jersey returned to practice mid-week, and Yardbarker said Wendt will skate with the team while they await the return of players from Italy. The transaction table on SportsForecaster confirms the Feb. 20 recall and the April 4, 2024 signing; a Devils fan Instagram post on Feb. 21 carried the recall notice and registered 286 likes. Yardbarker added a practical evaluation: "If he makes a good impression, he could eventually become a player they can recall in the event of injury," underscoring that Wendt’s immediate role is practice support with an eye toward future opportunity.