Toms River Teen Reilly Hoagland's Devils Dream Becomes a Reality

NEWARK, NJ – It was a dream come true for 16-year-old cystic fibrosis patient Reilly Hoagland, who had his wish of becoming a New Jersey Devil fulfilled on Tuesday evening at the Prudential Center before the team’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Reilly’s big day at the arena was three years in the making after he was named the team’s honorary draft pick for the 2020 NHL Draft.

He had a hard time containing his excitement when he was greeted by Devils Assistant General Manager Kate Madigan inside the arena and couldn’t wait to put on the Devils sweater that had his nameplate stitched across the back of his jersey.

Reilly greeted the Devils players by giving them fist bumps after they exited the ice during pre-game warmups.

“It definitely makes me feel like I’m part of the team,” Reilly said with a million-dollar smile on his face. “This is just so awesome. Make-A-Wish fulfilled my dream and maybe even overfilled it.”

After the game, he had the opportunity to meet the Devils team, including his favorite player Dawson Mercer, who signed his jersey.

Despite being diagnosed with the life-threatening condition at just four years old, Reilly has led a fulfilling life and continues to prevail as a talented athlete while playing right wing for the Toms River Black Hawks ice hockey team.

“I’ve always been fortunate enough to be able to play ice hockey and live a normal childhood like everybody else,” he said.

The Toms River native has been continuously playing hockey for a decade. However, Reilly had an unfortunate end to his season with a dislocated knee and torn ligaments, which he is scheduled to have repaired in surgery on Wednesday morning. The injury is unrelated to his health condition.

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited genetic condition that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system and other organs in the body.

“There’s always moments of every game health wise where it affects me, but I don’t let it control me,” Reilly admitted. “I just play the game, and do the best that I can.”

“My family have always been there by my side and that’s been a huge help through all of this.”

Three years ago, The Hoagland Family credited Dr. Robert Zanni in the Pediatric Pulmonology Department and Cystic Fibrosis Center at Monmouth Medical Center for putting together a game plan for a ‘smart way to play hockey.’

Reilly started taking Trikafta, a new breakthrough triple combination therapy drug in January 2020 that has made a positive improvement and a ‘world of a difference’ in his quality of life.

“I’m so excited for him,” his mother Laurie Hoagland said. “He’s just such a fan of hockey. He eats, sleeps, and breaths hockey.”

“He’ll play with his friends after school then he will come home and watch the Devils.

Laurie was so impressed with the progress and development that her son continues to make.

“He is doing awesome,” she said. “He was on the second line and it was a whole new level of what he’s ever played at. He definitely felt it, but he hung in there strong.”

As Reilly continues to resiliently defy the odds, he deceptively hides the fact that he is battling a life-threatening condition.

“Everybody is always shocked when they find out he has something like that because he hides it so well,” Laurie added. “If you look at him he looks healthy. He never complains and just goes out and gets it done.”

Reilly’s contract will allow him to join the team next season for a practice session on Devils ice. He still has ambitions to one day take the ice with the Devils at the Prudential Center in front of thousands of passionate hockey fans.

If the professional hockey dream doesn’t work out for him, he plans to pursue a career as a police officer.