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Cam Janssen says his fighting wasn't good last season.

(Saed Hindash/The Star-Ledger)

There will be no personal scoring competition between Devils tough guy Cam Janssen and goalie Martin Brodeur this season.



Janssen needs to change his luck, and battling Brodeur for points and goals has created too much pressure.



"I'm done with that. Every year I do that I don't come through in the clutch," Janssen said today as rookies and AHL veterans reported for physicals. "So this time I'm not going to do it. If I do come through in the clutch I'm going to say we did have the wager. I'll scam him."



Of course Janssen, 29, has to make the NHL roster first. He, along with fellow veteran Rod Pelley, are looking to beat the odds and earn a spot with the Devils in training camp.

“I have a great mindset. I kind of have a nothing-to-lose attitude,” Janssen explained. “Don’t get me wrong, I have everything to lose, but I want to go out there and just play. I’ve been in Albany. I know the guys and the staff. I’m comfortable there, but I’m here to make this team. I know exactly what to do.”

Janssen played only four games for the Devils last season while playing 36 in Albany (AHL).



"I need to elevate my game," he said. "I need to be completely reliable on the ice. I know I can be. I'm not saying I need to score a bunch of goals. I need to produce offense on the forecheck. Get a turnover."

"And my fights weren't good last year. I know that. They're going to be good this year. That's a must for me. I need to get my reputation back."



Pelley and Janssen were both signed to minor league contracts on July 9. For Pelley, traded to the Ducks in December of 2011, it is a return to the organization that originally signed him as a free agent out of Ohio State in 2006.

He's played 211 career games for the Devils (7-19-26), who will give him another chance.



"I'm not quite sure how that worked out. I know my agent was here at the draft," Pelley said. "Directly after the draft he contacted me and told me the Devils had interest.



"Last year was a tougher year waiting around with the lockout. A lot of teams were, 'Hold on, hold on, we don't know what is going to happen.' I could have some patience. This year I did not want to get into that situation, especially with the cap. Prior to July 5 we took care of it right away. I was already a free agent."



The Ducks contacted him last summer and asked him to sit tight during the lockout. He eventually signed a professional tryout contract in December and played for Norfolk (AHL).



"It wasn't the easiest season for a lot of guys and I was in that group," he said.



So what can Pelley, 29, bring?



"Experience. A player that has been here, knows what is demanded of the players and knows what it takes to be in and out of the lineup to play five, six, seven minutes a night," he suggested. "A guy that knows what the traits and character of the team are.



"Every team in the NHL is getting younger. Sometimes those players are ready and sometimes they're not."



The British Columbia native is determined.

"I have a mindset of being on the roster. I don't know how many guys would come to camp and not have that drive," Pelley said. "That's what keeps you working in the summer to keep your body in prime shape.



"But I also understand the situation. I'm coming in here to make a statement. To show what maybe a couple of years away from an organization can do. Maybe loosen you up a bit or make you appreciate where you started and what kind of people are surrounding you in this organization."



Janssen is a different type of player, but he will battle for a coveted roster spot.



"I know exactly what they want," Janssen said of the Devils. "I'm not going to be as tense on the ice with the puck. But I'm going to play hard core. I'm going to be a bulldog.



"Last year I didn't feel I had that bulldog in me as much. It's back."



So are two familiar faces, trying to get back to the NHL.

Follow Rich Chere on Twitter: @Ledger_NJDevils