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Rookie Eric Gelinas has helped turn the Devils' season around.

(Saed Hindash/The Star-Ledger)

SAN JOSE, Calif. – It is interesting that Devils coach Pete DeBoer was quick to say, "I want to be real careful anointing this guy the next Chris Pronger," when rookie defenseman Eric Gelinas first joined the team back in October.



Because Pronger was precisely the player who came to mind when Devils coaches first saw Gelinas in training camp a few years back.



"I liked Geli when I was there," former Devils assistant coach Larry Robinson said Saturday morning. "We said in training camp when we saw him he looked like Pronger out there on the ice the way he skates and everything else."



It would suit the Devils just fine if Gelinas became another Pronger. Those comparisons are certainly a bit premature, but there is no denying that Gelinas has made a significant impact on the Devils since he was recalled from the minors on Oct. 23.



When the 22-year-old blue liner was recalled from Albany (AHL) the Devils were 1-5-3. Since then, they are 8-3-2.



Gelinas, paired with Adam Larsson, has played with poise in his own end and added a new offensive dimension to the team with his big slap shot and ability to move the puck up ice. He has seven points (two goals, five assists) in 13 games.



"If I can bring something positive to the team, like scoring opportunities off shots, then good for me and good for the team," Gelinas said modestly. "Maybe I changed something. Or maybe the team was playing well and just wasn't getting the results they wanted."



As for the Pronger comparisons, Gelinas is 6-4, 210 pounds. Pronger, who hasn't played since November of 2011 because of post-concussion symptoms, is 6-6, 220.



"What I remember of Pronger is he was obviously a great player, but I think he was a little more mean than I am," Gelinas suggested. "We have some similar assets. He's got a really hard shot. He's a big guy. He knows how to skate with the puck, but he has a meaner edge to his game. That's maybe something I need to work on. Or just be more physical out there."



In Pronger's rookie season with the Hartford Whalers in 1993-94, he scored 30 points (five goals, 25 assists) with 113 penalty minutes. Gelinas is on pace to score 39 points (11 goals, 28 assists).



"I still have a lot to improve. I only have 13 or 14 games in the league," Gelinas said. "It's nice to hear. It's flattering, but I don't think I can let my head swell about that."



Robinson feels Gelinas, 22, can be even better offensively if he held onto the puck more.

"I think he probably just lacks some confidence. The more he plays the more confidence he's going to get," Robinson noted. "He could always pass and shoot the puck. He's got a rocket. That's kind of the way it is when you're a rookie. You don't always use all your tools."



Gelinas feels the need to pass the puck to veterans is diminishing.

"I don't think I felt uncomfortable when I first came up. Maybe I wanted to give the puck (to the Devils' veteran forwards) a little more than I should. But I don't think I changed much from how I was playing in Albany," Gelinas said.



"All the guys here are extremely nice people. If I do something wrong or if I should have done something different they always talk to me and try to help me out. They've helped a lot."



So how did Robinson help Gelinas when they spoke in training camp?



"He talked to me a lot about stick positioning stuff and using my body. I think that's what he really focused on when he was here," Gelinas recalled. "He's a great coach. He's been around forever. It's pretty much why we're a good defensive team. He's one of the best."



The arrival of Gelinas has also helped defense partner Adam Larsson.



"I love to play with him. He's good," Larsson said. "He has that shot and he's pretty mobile for his size. We're two young guys back there. We have to help each other. I think I've taken a little more responsibility defensively playing with him."



They just might be the future core of the Devils' defense.



"I'm happy with the way things are going. It helps, too, that the team has been winning some games lately," Gelinas said. "I'm just trying to do the little things that I can do best and trying to help the team that way. It's been going well so far."

* * *

DeBoer on the win in L.A. in which the Devils were outshot, 35-15: “The first two periods that was buckle your seat belts and hang on.”

Andrei Loktionov and Mattias Tedenby will be scratches Saturday night while Damien Brunner and Jacob Josefson will be in the lineup against the Sharks.