Former Colgate men’s ice hockey alternate captain David Conte ’71 has been hired by the National Hockey League’s expansion franchise in Las Vegas as a Special Advisor to Hockey OperationsConte is set to join the expansion franchise after spending 31 seasons with the New Jersey Devils, leaving following the 2015 season. He spent 22 seasons with the Devils as their Director of Scouting, including his final nine seasons as the Vice President of Hockey Operations.
Conte played an integral in the drafting of the New Jersey Devils key players during their Stanley Cup runs, including Martin Brodeur, who is the only goaltender to win over 600 games with 691 career wins. He also set NHL records with 125 regular season shutouts, 28,508 saves, 1,259 games played, the most 40-win season with eight and many more.
At Colgate, Conte played three seasons from 1968-69 through 1970-71. As a rookie in 1968-69, Conte set the program record for most points by a rookie in a single season with 56. During that season, Conte also set the program record for most assists in a game with six and most points in a game with seven in a 9-0 win vs. Pennsylvania on March 1, 1969.