He also broke the all-time saves record (3,996) for the CCHA last season and won the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award.

The New Jersey Devils signed Lerg on July 31 despite a knee injury that kept him off the ice for five months during the summer.

The State News caught up with Lerg as he sat down for a round table interview with the media.

The State News: Have you had time to reflect on your time as a Spartan?

Jeff Lerg: There were times last year when I wanted the season to be done, with the losing and the bad feelings that we had. But I obviously didn’t want my career to end because it was such a great time. It’s been great being back here this week with all the guys. We were just sitting back and reminiscing stories for about two hours the other night and how we wanted to do it all over again.

SN: How did it feel signing your first professional contract?

JL: That was a great feeling. Obviously, it wasn’t a huge NHL, big-time contract. But it was my first step in the right direction for fulfilling my dreams. It was a really satisfying feeling to know that all my hard work had paid off and someone put some sort of confidence in me and they wanted me to be a part of their organization. I hope I can continue to do that here in the future and put a couple more zeros on the contract.

SN: Is the knee back to 100 percent?

JL: Yeah, it feels great this week. Last week was the first time I pushed it really hard. This week I was feeling really good on it and it’s the last thing I’m thinking about now. I’m really happy with the results.

SN: What are you expecting as you enter the Devils organization?

JL: I have my guard up right now. I’ve never had any pro experience. Last year I looked to get some games in, but the knee injury stopped me from doing that. I’ve never been to any rookie or prospect camps in the summer like a lot of these guys have with their drafted teams. I’ve never done that for four years, so I’m going in real fresh and looking forward to a new experience.

SN: Are you comfortable preparing for the NHL?

JL: The pro game isn’t a huge, huge step. I’ve skated with these guys for four years, but obviously when you get to full NHL tilt, that’s the step where every player on the ice is great. You can pull a back door slide but they don’t put it off your pad anymore, they put it off the bar and in the net. They don’t give you any gimmes in the NHL.

SN: Do you think skating with fellow pros during this week’s camp will help you make the transition?

JL: There’s no doubt about it. That’s the best thing about this camp is that you see all the NHL talent and the way that the game is played. In college there are only 40 games at the most, so guys go all-out every shift. But in the pros, it’s a little more setup kind of game where it’s more system-orientated and more positionally sound. When they do get a play they really take advantage of it and they can really finish.