“David and I have had numerous discussions regarding his future. Based on our conversations, I believe it is in the best interests of our organization for David to pursue other opportunities and to not renew his contract,” said Shero. “I would personally like to thank David Conte for his 31 years of service to the New Jersey Devils organization. His contributions to the success of the hockey operations department have been immense. The search for his successor will begin immediately.”

Conte, 66, served as the Devils’ director of scouting for 22 seasons. He was promoted to executive vice president of hockey operations in September 2006. Conte also spent eight years as assistant director of scouting. He originally joined New Jersey as a full-time scout in 1984-85.



Conte was a member of the organization for all three of New Jersey’s Stanley Cup Championships. His former draft picks include Brendan Shanahan, Bill Guerin, Martin Brodeur, Scott Niedermayer, Brian Rolston, Sergei Brylin, Patrik Elias, Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta. Additionally, Conte was influential in the signing of undrafted players such as John Madden and Brian Rafalski.