Andrew Kitchenman`s is the Statehouse correspondent for NJBIZ, which he joined in May 2009. He previously worked as a reporter at The Times of Trenton and the Journal Inquirer of Manchester, Conn., and as an editor for Sun Newspapers (now Sun-Gazette) in Northern Virginia. He has a master`s degree in journalism from Columbia University and a bachelor`s degree from St. Mary`s College of Maryland. He grew up in Willingboro and in Bucks County, Pa. 
The New Jersey Devils on Tuesday formally announced the re-signing of a prime offseason target, Ilya Kovalchuk, positioning the team to attempt to expand the success it is having in the Prudential Center.
The signing of Kovalchuk — a Russian left wing who came to the team in February from Atlanta — could be good news for the both the team and its arena, which had its own good news to celebrate this week: The Newark arena has surged in a worldwide ranking of attendance at concert venues.
Worldwide, the Prudential Center ranks 33rd in attendance of concerts and events, according to a recent ranking by Pollstar magazine. That was 22 spots higher than the previous year. The arena was ranked 15th in the United States.
Kovalchuk has signed a 17-year, $102 million contract with the team, which operates the arena.
“The Pollstar number validates what we’ve known for a long time, which is that The Rock is a major player and on its way toward being a consistent top-10 building in the United States,” said Jeff Vanderbeek, chairman and managing partner of the New Jersey Devils, in a June 16 statement about the ranking.
The Izod Center, in East Rutherford, ranked 42nd in the magazine’s worldwide rankings, a drop of 17 spots.
E-mail Andrew Kitchenman at akitchenman@njbiz.com
