UTICA – The start of the 2024-25 season hasn’t exactly been easy for Mike Hardman.

Take last Saturday, as an example, for the new Utica Comets winger.

Less than two minutes into the eventual 5-1 win at Rochester, the 25-year-old Hardman – playing in his first season with the Comets after signing with the parent New Jersey Devils in the offseason – got bumped by Brendan Warren into a stanchion near the Amerks’ bench. His face took the brunt of the collision with the glass.

“My tooth went up into my lip. I got six stitches,” Hardman said with a slight chuckle. “So that’s kind of how it is going right now. I was lucky to not lose any teeth. … I would have been pretty upset if lost a couple teeth. My mom was pretty happy about (me not losing any teeth).”

He missed about nine minutes of game time in the first period to get stitched up – there was “a lot of blood,” he noted – and later scored the eventual game-winner in the second period. That was his 50th career AHL goal.

It was part of a four-point weekend for Hardman, a central figure in helping the Comets secure their first win of the season Friday in Syracuse with a game-winning goal with 73 seconds remaining in regulation. For his contributions in the two wins, Hardman was named the AHL’s Player of the Week for the first time in his career.

“I feel like my linemates, Adam Beckman and X (Xavier Parent), they were awesome this weekend. I think we were all playing pretty similar. We were playing pretty well in the (offensive zone) there,” Hardman said. “I feel like it is a huge credit to them. We were just talking to each other on the bench and trying to help each out. (The Player of the Week honor) is nice to have. But, I feel like they helped me out a lot. We’re just trying to build off that into (Wednesday) and the weekend.”

It was also a nice feeling, Hardman said, after dealing with a hip flexor injury in October and then an issue with his his shoulder acromioclavicular (AC) joint. He missed eight of the team’s 15 games between the two injuries. Hardman said he feels 100% now.

“I feel like it was definitely frustrating coming to a new team and getting a couple injuries right off the bat. But, you know, the medical staff here was great and they really helped me out,” he said. “Coming back getting those two wins, it was an awesome feeling. We’re trying to build off of that.”

Hardman is among the players trying to make an impression with Utica while also trying to get an opportunity at the NHL level with the Devils. Hardman played 164 games with AHL Rockford and 37 contests with its NHL affiliate, Chicago, before joining the organization.

Comets interim head coach Ryan Parent referred to Hardman as “a really strong player.”

“He does a lot of things well away from the puck,” Ryan Parent said. “When I watch him, he’s a great linemate because you know he’s going to be there. If you’re working with him, he does a good job of managing the game, delivering the puck and making it easy for the rest of his linemates and for the team when he’s on the ice.”

He’s got a chance to make an impression with the home crowd at 7 p.m. Wednesday when the Comets play their final home game of November against the Providence Bruins. It is the first of two visits to Utica for Boston’s AHL affiliate this season.

“Hopefully, the guys will have energy and continue to build on what we have going,” said Parent, who noted the team’s better game management, special teams play and generating more offense by getting pucks to the net.

Utica (2-10-1-2 overall, 7 points) continues to face an arduous uphill climb to get back into the conversation with some of the other North Division teams. The team enters this week 11 points out of fifth place, which is the eventual playoff cutoff line in the North Division.

Ryan Parent has stated the team’s game is trending in the right direction. On Tuesday, the players continued to have jovial vibe during practice.

“I think the biggest thing for our group is we’re not satisfied with two wins,” Hardman said. “We’re definitely a long way out of a playoff spot right now. But, we want to just keep climbing up the standings. Obviously a lot of games left in the year.”

The Comets will try to end another extended winless streak, having gone 0-6-0-2 in downtown Utica this season tying the team record for longest winless stretch in a season. And, dating back to the 2023-24 season, Utica is 0-8-0-2 at home. The last victory was March 30 vs. Springfield.

After Wednesday, Utica heads to Springfield for a 4:05 p.m. game Friday in Massachusetts. Then, Utica meets Providence again at 7 p.m. Saturday in Rhode Island to close November.

While Hardman has gotten the chance to play close to home in previous seasons, this is the closest he’s consistently played near his parents and family in his pro career. He’s excited to have family at the two games this weekend in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

“My parents are pretty pumped to come to the games,” said Hardman, who played two seasons at Boston College. “I think I’ll have a good amount of family and friends at the game on Saturday. I’m really excited to see all of them and play in front of them since I haven’t really done that in the past couple of years.”