New Jersey Devils' Draft Target Profile: Conrad Fondrk
The fourth part of a series deep-diving potential second-round targets for the New Jersey Devils.
A week ago, I started my many-part series deep-diving potential draft day fits for the Devils at all rounds of the draft — from the Devils’ two second-rounders (~50th and ~64th) to their sixth-rounders, I’m compiling a list of players I’d be pounding the table for on draft day should they be available. Naturally, I’m focusing more on the earlier stages of the draft, as that is where there is the most talent and intrigue. However, I do have my list of scouting reports and notes for players I think will be available come the end of the draft, too, which I am excited to share with you.
Targets so far:
~50th Overall (Rd. 2): Adam Benák, Alexander Zharovsky, Ethan Czata
~64th Overall (Rd. 2):
~94th Overall (Rd. 3):
~114th Overall (Rd. 4):
~161st Overall (Rd. 6):
~178th Overall (Rd. 6):
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Today’s draft target is Conrad Fondrk, a product of my favorite prospect development route, the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP).
Fondrk’s season is admittedly a bit tougher to evaluate, as he fell victim to a freak lower-body injury in March that saw him get stretchered off the ice. As a result, the Boston University commit will likely fall farther than he should on draft day, which, had he not been injured, probably would have been somewhere in the 30s.
Regardless, Fondrk has been ranked in the late 40s by most pundits and reputable draft outlets, with some ranking him as late as 60th overall, meaning that he should be available for selection for the Devils with their first second-round pick, especially if his injury spooks other teams.
The 6’0, 195-pound center would be a pretty good target, too. Let’s talk about why:
Statistical Profile
Fondrk is a bit of a mismatch for my personal taste in terms of my value on production in minor leagues, but I’m putting that aside because his game by the eye-test is strong, and I feel as though he’d have produced with more confidence down the stretch of the NTDP season.
Still, though, the 27 points in 40 NTDP games while playing top-six, top power-play minutes is a genuine concern.
Other NTDP products with much later draft projections have outscored Fondrk — players like Richard Gallant and Jacob Kvasnicka (fifth-round projections) and LJ Mooney (late second-round) have all outproduced Fondrk, which is a testament to the gap between the eye test and production he has.
Skating
Fondrk’s skating isn’t high-end, but it is average-to-above-average. His top speed, in particular, is a strength, being faster than his peers with solid, long strides which, when operating at high speeds, prove to be an effortless way to maintain that momentum.
His agility is also pretty solid, with a good understanding of when to use soft drags and anchors1 to change direction at different speeds, using head fakes while doing so in order to bait the defender into a specific direction.
The best part of his skating, in my opinion, is how quickly he reaches that top speed. Fondrk is quick to accelerate, taking just a few powerful strides to reach a tempo faster than his associates. This comes in particularly handy when there is a loose puck in the offensive zone — Fondrk has a solid understanding of when to break for the puck, which, when combined with his strong acceleration, usually means he’s the first one to the puck.
Shooting
To me, Fondrk’s shooting ability is his best asset. He can beat goaltenders from short range as well as mid-range, showcasing a compact and quick release with deceptive angle changes on wrist shots. His shots, when things are rolling for him, are pinpoint accurate and lightning-fast.
His one-timer is absolutely electric, and is how he scored the majority of his 13 goals in 2024-25. Fondrk keeps his mechanics compact, not telegraphing the shot as much as a viewer would expect to see, making him more dangerous in the process. His release is extremely tidy and quick, and he has excellent accuracy on one-timers, particularly when operating on the flank on the man advantage.
Puck Skills
I don’t really have much to say in regards to Fondrk’s puck skills. His game is relatively simple and not overwhelmingly creative, but he has solid hands in-tight to the goal and can use simple dekes to get around defensemen in a one-on-one scenario. Many have touted him as an excellent puckhandler, but I didn’t really see much of that this season from him, generally relying more on positioning and IQ than pure skill.
I will say, in flashes, Fondrk possessed that high level of puck skill that so many have drooled over, but the consistency in that regard was far too low for me to be fully sold. Perhaps it’s just an immaturity thing or confidence thing, but the inconsistencies on a game-to-game basis for him were wild.
Playmaking & Hockey IQ
Fondrk is a strong playmaker as well, with a high offensive IQ and wherewithal of where his teammates are in relation to himself and opponents at all times. He occasionally flashes moments of unreal vision, finding unobvious plays to generate high-danger chances in the slot or by the goalmouth, but those moments can seem few and far between.
Fondrk’s passing is NHL-level, though, when things are clicking for him. He doesn’t project plays to the opposition and has zippy releases on said passes. Passes through traffic, around stick checks, from the corners and behind the net, and without looking are commonplace in Fondrk’s game.
Off the puck, Fondrk has strong positioning most of the time, at least in the offensive zone. He generally gets himself into open space regardless of how tight the coverage is, opening himself up for shooting opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t be there. Occasionally, Fondrk can get caught being detached from the play, being content to puck-watch instead of putting himself in a position to succeed. Most of the time, though, he is aware of his surroundings and wants to make the most of any given situation with his positioning.
Defensive Awareness
I would regard Fondrk’s defensive play as just okay.
He plays a relatively mature game when things are clicking, but can get caught puck-watching. Fondrk’s stick is active for the most part, and he is solid at breaking up passing plays with either his stick or good positioning. The NTDP used him in a penalty killing role, which signifies a solid level of confidence in his defensive game from the organization.
Again, it depends on what Fondrk is playing — the engaged, ready-to-play-at-all-times Fondrk or the disengaged, puck-watching Fondrk. He’s good when good and lazy when bad, making the whole evaluation a wash.
Physicality & Size
Fondrk became more comfortable using physicality and his size as an advantage over the lighter competition he was facing as the NTDP season grew (until he got injured). At the beginning of the season, he tended to shy away from contact and would rather rely on his pure skill to outmatch the opposition, but he leaned more into using his body to win battles more often with time. By the end of February, he was one of the more active NTDPers in terms of engaging in board battles, winning them, and outmuscling his opponents on top of out-skilling them.
At higher levels, he’s going to need to continue that momentum. Fondrk is strong and stocky, and he should be playing that type of hockey rather than getting pushed aside and outworked along the boards.
A concern I do have is the pace at which he plays at times. He can seem lazy and unengaged on both ends, and there are stretches where he can become invisible mid-game. Blending in with the background is never a good sign for a prospect, though it isn’t out of the ordinary for many highly skilled players to have this mentality. Players with this label often get it coached out of them at higher levels (Cole Eiserman is a great example from last season’s draft), but there is always the worry that it won’t.
With Fondrk, it all boils down to consistency. He very clearly has the raw tools to make things work at higher levels if he finds that level of regularity that he should be portraying. When he’s on, he’s on, but when he isn’t, he can very easily slip into the background and is a complete passenger. He was finding more consistency toward the end of his NTDP run, but the injury nipped that progression in the bud, and it’s now extremely difficult to project the path he has forward.
At ~50th overall, though, it’s likely worth a gamble. Fondrk has the tools; he just needs to change his mentality to activate that consistent level of high-quality play that scouts know he’s more than capable of. At his best, he can be a game changer. 2
“Soft drags” are a technique in which you use your toe edge to dig into the ice, giving a gradual, slower turn without sacrificing momentum. “Anchoring,” meanwhile, is digging your heel edge into the ice to make a sudden but slight turn. If you see a player lift their toe while skating to turn, that’s an anchor. If you see a player lift their heel to turn, that’s a soft drag.
Videos were sourced from the USNTDP.
Is it known what his injury is?
Semi-unrelated question, did you ever go by "thethinglonger" on reddit?