Mirco Mueller pointed to his play in the 2018 World Championships in May an important start to a big summer. So far, his play for Switzerland has spilled over into the start of his season with the Devils.
Through the Devils' first two regular-season games, Mueller has played on the team's top defensive pairing, along with Sami Vatanen. After dealing with injuries and inconsistencies during his first season with the Devils last winter, Mueller had to work to earn a role in training camp.
His play gave coach John Hynes enough incentive to pair him with Vatanen, and the two have handled some tough matchups, including Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers in the teams' season-opening win in Sweden.