Hämeenaho dishes three assists as Comets beat Bruins, stay alive in playoff race

Lenni Hämeenaho did more than fill the scoresheet Saturday. His three primary assists powered the Utica Comets to a 4-1 win over the Providence Bruins, and his four points in two games gave New Jersey another encouraging data point on a prospect whose game is starting to look like it can travel.

For Devils watchers, the detail that matters most is not just that Hämeenaho produced offense, but how he produced it. Primary assists are the clearest sign that a winger is starting the attack, seeing the next play and creating chances before the finish. In two games back with Utica, Hämeenaho has stacked up four points, a sharp reminder that his value is not limited to the goal total he posted earlier in the season. He was reassigned to the Comets on Feb. 5 during the NHL’s Olympic break after putting up 21 points, nine goals and 12 assists, in 33 AHL games and four points in 10 NHL games with New Jersey.

That is exactly the kind of progression the Devils want from the next wave. Hämeenaho, a second-round pick at No. 58 overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, signed a three-year entry-level contract starting in 2025-26 and earned his first NHL recall on Jan. 17. The path has already included time in both leagues, and the response back in the AHL suggests he is learning how to turn touches into impact rather than simply surviving the jump. A prospect who can create rather than chase the game is a much better bet for a team trying to build around speed, support and puck movement.

The result also mattered for Utica, even if the playoff math remains brutal. The Comets needed to sweep their home-and-home with Providence and still needed Rochester to lose points in its remaining games to qualify for the Calder Cup Playoffs. Utica entered the final weekend sixth in the North Division with 65 points in 69 games, while Providence led the Atlantic with 110 points in 70. The Bruins had already clinched a postseason berth on March 7 and carried the AHL’s longest active playoff streak at 12 straight appearances, which made this a useful measuring stick for Utica’s young core as much as a must-win game.

Hämeenaho’s return has given Utica a pulse at the exact moment it needed one, and for New Jersey it has offered a cleaner glimpse of a winger who is beginning to drive play instead of merely fitting into it.