DEVILS TO DROP THE PUCK

ALBANY -- Mike McKenna, a 27-year-old goaltender entering his sixth professional season, has worn enough hockey uniforms to outfit a team.

Even when he remains in the same organization, as he did this year with the New Jersey Devils, he find himself in a new hometown and with a new coach. The Devils moved their American Hockey League affiliate from Lowell, Mass., to Albany, and they promoted their ECHL coach, Rick Kowalsky, from Trenton, N.J., to here.

"It just never ends," McKenna, who has worn eight other pro uniforms, said with a laugh. "I'd like to think I'm pretty good at moving into areas. ... Buy a dozen bins from Target, learn how to arrange things like a jigsaw puzzle, rent a U-Haul and you're ready to go."

It's all new for Capital Region pro hockey fans, who for the first time in 17 years won't be seeing the River Rats. Affiliated with the Carolina Hurricanes the past four years, the Rats moved to North Carolina over the summer to become the Charlotte Checkers.

Whether the area's fans can adapt to new surroundings as quickly as McKenna may depend upon the on-ice product. In that respect, Kowalsky, who was elevated after former Lowell coach John MacLean took the top job in New Jersey, believes the Albany Devils are well-positioned.

"It's a name change," Kowalsky said. "I know people liked the Rats and the old logo, but with the changes -- a lot of young, top prospects -- there's no question we're going to play an exciting brand of hockey. People are going to be impressed and definitely are going to want to come and see what's going on."

All of it begins Saturday night when the Devils open an 80-game regular-season schedule against the Adirondack Phantoms at a renovated Times Union Center.

A combination of the first game, a Saturday night and the rival Phantoms in town should produce a strong turnout. New video boards and LED ribbon lighting have been added, and Lowell won't be a hard act to follow. The Devils had the AHL's lowest attendance each of the past four seasons.

"The crowds were a little tough in Lowell," said forward Stephen Gionta, who spent all four seasons in Lowell. "I know they have a good fan base here, and it will be exciting to get on the ice and play for them."

Lowell last season became the first Devils AHL affiliate to make the playoffs since 2000. That's when the Rats were in the middle of a 13-year relationship with New Jersey.

"We still have our main core intact from last year," said McKenna, who is part of a returning goalie tandem with Jeff Frazee. "We're always going to be a defensive-minded team first, because that wins hockey games. On top of that, we've added a lot of speed up front. These two Swedish kids we have can really fly and play the game."

McKenna was referring to center Jacob Josefson, 19, and right wing Mattias Tedenby, 20. Those two and rookie David McIntyre, who scored three goals in the Devils' two exhibition games, give Albany speed and depth up front.

The defense, Kowalsky admitted, is a bit young, although the late assignments of Rob Davison, 30, and Matt Taormini, 24, will help in that area.

"The biggest adjustment from a position standpoint is young D (defensemen) -- just the pace of the game and the intensity, dealing with the forecheck," Kowalsky said. "It's a lot more difficult for a young D than a young forward to play at the pro level."

When the AHL Devils were in Albany between 1993 and 2006, coaches often referred to the style of play as "River Rat hockey." It basically was an attitude in which players were expected to take care of their own end of the ice first.

The Rats may be gone, but the philosophy hasn't.

"It starts with being accountable defensively," Kowalski said. "It doesn't mean sitting back. It can be perceived as that, but it's just little things -- stick positioning, body positioning. At the end of the day, defense is just hard work. It's a commitment. Sometimes it's tough for young kids to do that because they're so worried about their numbers. We definitely are going to hold these guys accountable."

Pete Dougherty can be reached at 454-5416 or by e-mail at pdougherty@timesunion.com Visit the hockey blog at http://blog.timesunion.com/hockey.

Inside

B5 Complete schedule and team roster.

B5 A look at the Phantoms.