All of my three children have gone through a train-loving phase around 2 years old, and while we are lucky enough to live on a train line where we can watch the trains zoom by all day long, I've been known to go out of my way to feed our kids’ love of choo-choos. From local train rides to seasonal Polar Express train rides, train museums, and model train displays, families in the tri-state area have plenty of options to entertain pint-sized train lovers. Read on for our top picks for train-inspired day trips, including all the best things to do with train-obsessed kids in NYC and beyond. Read more.

One of the few late round Devils selections to pan out. | Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images Both the New Jersey Devils and Utica Comets have concluded unsuccessful seasons having missed the playoffs. This has made me wonder if the team has a player development problem. The New Jersey Devils spent the 2023-24 season navigating a variety of issues, eventually leading to them being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs earlier this month. Just a few days ago, their AHL club, the Utica Comets, suffered the same fate. Seeing both an NHL team and their top affiliate miss the playoffs in the same season typically means the organization is in need of an infusion of talented youth...except in this case it shouldn’t. The Devils just spent most of the last decade drafting high and stocking up on players who could one day (or immediately) make an impact at the highest level. So what gives? Being fair here, the Devils weren’t expected to miss the playoffs this season; quite the opposite in fact, and not just according to Devils fans. Maybe that means that I’m looking just a bit too deeply into what I’m about to discuss today; maybe it means that I’m looking at this from a flawed perspective. From watching over all these years, and looking at roster construction, however, it seems as though the Devils Organization has problems with developing players. I’m not talking about the guys who appear to be sure things either, like Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier, I’m talking about players selected in later parts of the drafts, or even the ones who go undrafted (or stay in college long enough to go to free agency) that the team signs. Looking at the Devils’ current roster via CapFriendly, just eight of the 24 players listed between position players and the injured reserve sections are Devils draftees, and that’s with me including Nathan Bastian, who was left unprotected and snatched up by Seattle in an expansion draft. Now out of those eight, a mere three of them have spent any amount of time in the AHL, those being Alex Holtz, Simon Nemec and the aforementioned Bastian. I would argue three more (the Hughes brothers and Nico) were never going to spend time in the AHL, while Jesper Bratt spent and Dawson Mercer both kind of broke the mold as surprises making the team in the seasons that they each did. Outside of this though...where’s the development? The Devils have drafted way more than eight players since Bastian, the oldest draftee on this list, was selected. While there’s a few more floating around in Utica, few, if any of them are looking to be players that will make any sort of impact in the NHL. For a team that has drafted highly for many years, the Devils cupboards might not be fully stocked due to graduating prospects, but they shouldn’t be completely bereft of talent. We’ve spoken this season about coaches and how they have had an adverse impact on some players and/or positions on the team. What of the coaching and staff in the minors? Should they not be subject to the same scrutiny with players at that level not evolving to a point where they become NHL material? I know there is some onus on the players as well to get themselves to that point, but when a limited number of players are graduating to the big club, shouldn’t that be a point to focus on as well? Again, if the Devils were successful this season, maybe I’m not sitting here writing this today; maybe I’m scrutinizing the process less as a small part of a “Thursday Thoughts” article, if at all. I think, however, the Devils, and Tom Fitzgerald in particular, may need to be looking at the structures at all levels this offseason. The goal for Jersey’s Team is to be a long term success, not just a “small contention window then rebuild” team. If the systems and structures can be improved to strengthen every player who is willing to come in and do the work to try to become an NHLer, then maybe we won’t have to sit here and have another offseason like this one for a long time. I’m aware that this is more of a commentary today rather than the deep dive that some had hoped it would be. Perhaps in the next few weeks, if fans would like to see it, I’ll revisit this topic and dive into each Devils’ draft class (and possibly also their undrafted player signings if that data is readily available) to look over the exact statistics of what I wrote about today. What are your thoughts on the Devils and their development of players; do you think the situation is as dreary as I painted it to be? Are there examples of good player development from the team over the last decade that are still paying dividends that I missed? What would be your solution to this issue? Leave any and all comments below and thanks as always for reading!

Sunday, May 5, 2024 - 11:00am to 7:00pmhttp://www.justjerseyfest.comCost: $5, under 5 freeThe Food Trucks are rollin' into West Milford at Wallisch Homestead Field for a culinary wonderland, featuring 19 gourmet food trucks, music, beer, margarita & sangria bar, pony rides, petting zoo, bungee trampoline, rock wall, knockerball, bounce house, face painting, sand art and vendors. Bring your appetite, lawn chairs, friends and family. *Attendees are asked to bring a non-perishable canned or boxed item to help support the food pantry. See website for food and music lineup. Recommended Age: AllNew JerseyNorthernEvents Wallisch Homestead 65 Lincoln Ave 07480 West Milford , NJ 41° 8' 17.4264" N, 74° 21' 25.7436" W New Jersey Ticketed: Activity Category: Fairs & FestivalsFood & CookingMusicShows & ConcertsAdmission Services