Ken Appleby may become very familiar with the Northway this season.

The 20-year-old rookie goalie attended development camp and training camp on a tryout basis and earned an entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils. He put ink to paper knowing he’d be the fifth guy on the depth chart, putting him in the ECHL for at least the majority of the season, if everyone stays healthy.

The thing is, invariably, everyone does not stay healthy. In the first two weeks of October, he made three trips either north or south between Albany — home of the Devils’ AHL affiliate — and Glens Falls — where the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL have a goalie spot reserved for the Devils. Down the road (pardon the pun), he may see quite a bit more of I-87.

“I knew I’d probably have to spend a year in the ECHL,” Appleby said, “but I thought this was a good step for me, to get my foot in the door in pro hockey, and it’d be good for my development.”

Albany coach Rick Kowalsky said after he’s got some game experience under his belt, Appleby could see an occasional call-up, or he may be needed in the case of an injury. Starting the season, Albany goalie Scott Wedgewood suffered a high ankle sprain. Appleby could have stayed in Albany, but the Devils’ October schedule was one they could get through playing just one goalie most of the time, so they sent him to Glens Falls, where he will get more playing time.

“This same situation potentially happens a month down the road, when Ken’s played 15 games down there and then has some pro experience, and then he would come in and play,” Albany coach Rick Kowalsky said. “That was the reasoning behind this. We wanted him to play, to get settled in and working on stuff.”

He’s 3-0-0 so far with a 2.32 goals-against average and .923 save percentage.

The convenience of the Glens Falls arrangement will suit the Devils well if and when they need or want to bring Appleby to Albany. It also suits New Jersey goaltending development coach and Saratoga Springs resident Scott Clemmensen.

Clemmensen spends time with the goalies in Albany, Appleby in Glens Falls and even has made a trip to Barrie, Ontario to see Mackenzie Blackwood play in the OHL. He tries to see and work with each of the pro goalies on his radar at least every few days.

“I think that goalies, and athletes in general, are kind of like balls of clay,” Clemmensen said. “You want to have your hands on them and work with them. Some need more working than others, and some are in different stages of their careers. I don’t want to put it down and walk away for too long, then come back and it’s cold and hard, and you have to work from the start again. I don’t want that to happen. I want to be current.”

Appleby is a big ball of clay. At 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, he’s the largest goalie in the Devils’ organization.

“I think my strengths are my size and rebound control,” Appleby said. “My positioning is getting better. Last year, I got a lot of playoff experience, a lot of big-game experience, and that helps as well.”

He’s been working on his skating, and Clemmensen marks his work ethic as one of his best traits, along with a desire to learn. One thing he’s been learning more about is his positioning.

“His size has benefitted him for so long, but he has a real understanding of positioning and how to use it, how to use it effectively and efficiently, but also when it’s necessary, as far as his positioning moving in and out of the crease, angles, depth within the crease,” Clemmensen said. “You can’t rely just on size to fill the net and they’re going to hit me with it.”

Appleby won the Memorial Cup last year with the Oshawa Generals of the OHL, going 38-7-4 with a 2.08 GAA and .924 save percentage. In the postseason, he was 16-5 with a 2.24 GAA, earning Memorial Cup Most Outstanding Goaltender and a spot on the Memorial Cup All-Star Team.

“He had a big year last year, winning the Memorial Cup, but only his first year as a No. 1, full-time starter,” Kowalsky said. “I think bringing him in as a fifth guy right now is a good fit for us and a good fit for him. We really want to focus on his development and get him playing time at the ECHL level. If he continues to improve, he’s certainly going to get games up here.”