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BRATT DOESN’T WASTE a move—on the ice or off. When he’s not on the road, he and his fiancée Nicole Laud are local regulars—The Millburn Standard, Liv Breads, and Willow & Whisk are in rotation—and they love the vibe of downtown.

“We met through mutual friends at a restaurant in my second season playing for the Devils,” Bratt says. “We clicked right away and talked all night. For a couple of years, we stayed friends—seeing each other when we could around my travel schedule and summers in Sweden. We both knew it was more but didn’t want to risk the friendship. Eventually I sharpened up. Luckily, she felt the same.”

ICE AGE

Long before Bratt’s fateful encounter with his future fiancée, the blueprint for a hockey career was set early, and his parents backed it all the way. “If you love something, don’t waste anyone’s time by doing it halfway,” they’d tell him. “If we’re driving you to practice, give it your best.” Family time doubled as training time. He and his younger brother—four years apart—never shared teams, but they shared summers, workouts, and ice.

“We’ve always had a great relationship,” Bratt says. “I remember winning my first tournament, sitting in the car with my dad in full gear. I can’t remember a day in my life when I didn’t think about being a hockey player.” 

Bratt cut a straight line into the league. He left Sweden in 2017, barely 16, and stepped into the NHL without blinking. “I moved in 2017 for the first time,” he says. “I’d lived at my parents’ place in Sweden until then. “The NHL is the best of the best—you take the top players from everywhere and put them in one league,” Bratt says. “Sweden’s development is great, and the national team is strong for a small country, but here, every night is the highest standard.” The league runs at a different frequency. “It’s fast, it’s physical, and there aren’t many breaks,” he continues. “The rink is smaller, everything happens at once, and the athletes are stronger and quicker than people realize. Big hits get the attention, but it’s a fast-paced game.” 

POWER PLAY

Consistency isn’t accidental. “I wake up with a purpose every day,” Bratt says. “I love the process—finding one more percent. Stronger, faster, shooting better, recovering better so I can work harder. I like doing things right; I don’t see a reason to just glide through the day. Sometimes I wish I could lie on the couch and watch a show the day before a game or eat something I shouldn’t. But I follow a plan I know works for me.”

Watch Bratt closely on the ice and you see why coaches trust him. With precise edges and consistent timing, he fine-tunes; when the game speeds up, he stays laser focused. Now nine seasons into his Devils career, he’s part of the team’s backbone—initially arriving with Nico Hischier and growing alongside Jack Hughes.

The classic hockey question: losing teeth? Bratt and Laud knock on wood. “Not yet,” he says. “I’m not one of the guys who’s in there fighting all the time; the game’s changed a bit. People debate it, but sometimes it protects players. It can stop guys from running around and throwing dangerous hits. It can tone things down.”

NUMBERS GAME

New players arrive at the deadline, familiar faces get moved, and the room has to reset chemistry on the fly. “Everyone knows the rules,” Bratt says. “By the deadline you might send guys out, you might add. It’s the business. It’s tough when a close friend leaves, but a lot of times they’re going to a great situation and you’re happy for them. You can’t take it personally. There are a hundred reasons a trade happens.” 

Bratt’s edge comes from both the work and the study. As a kid, it was Peter Forsberg, then Patrick Kane as his game matured. Now he watches the pacesetters: “A lot of Connor McDavid, a lot of Nathan MacKinnon,” he says. “When we go on the road and I see that they’re playing, I usually try to watch their game to be influenced by certain things. It could be what they do on special teams, or just the speed they’re playing with.” 

Direct by nature, Bratt keeps it simple—right down to the digits on his back. At his core, he’s still the kid in the backseat—skates tied, mind on hockey—but now he grounds the Devils with clean reads and a steady rhythm. And No. G3 isn’t merely a number; it’s the cue New Jersey is in control.

BY EVE GOLDEN