Ranking the Entire Devils' Pipeline: No. 9 - No. 7
Part six of my comprehensive Devils' pipeline ranking.
The time has come — my comprehensive rankings of the entire Devils’ pipeline. Most minor league and European leagues have already finished or are wrapping up their seasons shortly, so I figured now would be as good a time as any.
For this ranking, I’m taking into account every player in the Devils’ system 25 years old and younger, much like I do with the biweekly prospect updates.
In this, I will be rating players’ individual skills on a 1-10 scale, with skaters being judged on their skating, hockey sense, puck skills, shot, defensive awareness, and physicality/size. Goaltenders will be judged on their athleticism, mobility, positioning, and puck tracking. I’ll also have film examples on occasion to illustrate my points/the prospects’ skillsets.
I’ll also be including NHL comparables, though it’s very important to note that the players I list there are simply stylistically similar — the caliber of skill is obviously not synonymous here, especially at the lower parts of the ranking.
With all that in mind, let’s get into it!
For part one (No. 34 - No. 30), click here.
For part two (No. 29 - No. 25), click here.
For part three (No. 24 - No. 20), click here.
For part four (No. 19 - No. 15), click here.
For part five (No. 14 - No. 10), click here.
No. 9: Shane Lachance (LW)
6th Round, 2021 (186th Overall) — 36 Games Played | 11 Goals | 17 Assists | 28 Total Points — Boston University (NCAA)
One of my favorite moves from the Devils’ trade deadline was acquiring 22-year-old Shane Lachance from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for taking on 25% of Trent Frederic’s contract in a three-team deal with the Bruins. Getting a near-surefire NHLer who could be a long-term contributor on a fourth line for one season of $575,000 is legitimately tidy work by GM Tom Fitzgerald, even if the rest of the deadline was disappointing.
Before I jump into his skill set, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Lachance’s character. He’s a locker-room glue guy, being a natural and charismatic leader. Every one of his teammates likes him, and he’s a pioneer of culture for his teams. He’s been made captain everywhere he goes. He’s a great, great kid.
Skating: 3/10
Lachance’s skating, however, is not so great. This is to be expected from a 6’5, 218-pound winger, though. His center of gravity is naturally higher than his competition, and his upright skating stride doesn’t do him any favors, either. This directly results in a general lack of power generated to his legs, regardless of how strong he is. He accelerates poorly as a result, and his top speed is nothing to write home about, either. His edgework is similarly lacking, with the mobility one would expect from a player of his size. He is strong on his skates, though — his balance is unparalleled, and he is rarely knocked over — with a wide stance once he parks himself that is seldom broken.
Hockey Sense: 4.5/10
Lachance isn’t the playmaking type, but that doesn’t mean his hockey sense is lacking. He has a good feel for where to position himself in the zone, particularly when it comes to parking himself in front of the net. After retrieving a puck from a board battle, he has decent full-zone vision and can make plays happen that some others cannot.
Puck Skills: 6/10
For a big man, Lachance has excellent hands, particularly from in-tight. He can make moves in tight spaces and often makes netfront defenders look lazier than they are because he can move around them without moving his body.
Shot: 5/10
Lachance’s wrister is just about average, with a quick enough release when it matters. I have scarcely seen him with a need to drop a one-time shot, so I don’t have much to say about that either.
What he does have, though, is excellent hand-eye coordination. Lachance’s ability to tip and redirect pucks is superb, making something out of nothing on would-be wildly wide chances, Joe Pavelski style.
Defensive Awareness: 8/10
Lachance is an extremely responsible defender. When he’s on the ice, the opposition largely struggles to generate much of anything, and a lot of that has to do with his positioning in the zone and ability to pressure attackers without expending a whole lot of energy just because of how long his stick is. He gets in passing and shooting lanes well, with a high defensive IQ that allows him to read the flow of play well and get himself in position accordingly. His poke checks are usually effective and, at the very least, push the attacker to the perimeter. Very rarely does Lachance allow someone to get to the middle of the ice.
Physicality/Size: 8/10
As you would expect from a 6’5, 220-pound winger who excels at the netfront, Lachance is extremely physical. He’ll rarely lose a board battle he’s involved in, relying on his size and strength there rather than his stick and positioning. He makes contact whenever he can with the puck on his stick, throwing reverse checks, using power moves, and pushing off his opponents well en route to generating chances for himself. Once he establishes himself in front of the net, it’s nigh-impossible to move him.
He’s also just an extremely hard worker on the ice, in both zones. Lachance never gives up on a play, and even if he somehow gets pushed off of the netfront, he has the grit and grind mentality to keep the play going:
NHL Comparable: Nathan Bastian
NHL Ceiling: Fourth Liner, PP2 Specialist
NHL Likelihood: Very Likely
Lachance is just a sophomore in the NCAA but has a pro-level mentality and, in my opinion, will take Bastian’s spot eventually. His locker room presence, work ethic, defense-first mentality, physical nature, NHL size, and hand-eye coordination will bring him into the big leagues at some point. If I were a betting man, I’d assume he spends at least one more year in college but eventually jumps ship to Utica (or the NHL, depending on how big a step he takes). I ranked him so highly on this list simply because I think he’s a near-sure shot to make the NHL, even if his ceiling is more limited than some of those behind him.
No. 8: Matyas Melovský (C/LW/RW)
6th Round, 2024 (171st Overall) — 57 Games Played | 26 Goals | 57 Assists | 83 Total Points — Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)
With the last pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, the Devils smartly drafted double-overager Matyas Melovský out of the QMJHL. At the time of the draft, he was considered a good bet in the later rounds despite his nature as an older prospect — something teams generally steer clear of. Since then, though, Melovský has proved worthy of the selection and genuinely looks like a could-be steal. He ended the QMJHL season eighth in the league in scoring and had multiple five-plus point nights, which really showed off his skillset and stature as the Devils’ top center prospect.
Skating: 5/10
While his skating is better than average for the QMJHL, I wouldn’t say that Melovský is a burner. He’s speedy enough to get around larger defensemen, though, and has solid acceleration that allows him to get to top speed quicker than the average player. His edges are average as well, but he does use them particularly well when executing power moves in close proximity to the goaltender, driving his feet into the ice to move laterally quite quickly:
Hockey Sense: 6.5/10
Melovský has great vision in the offensive zone, both with and without the puck on his stick. He is able to identify high-danger passing targets and get zippy passes through the defenders’ legs, in tight coverage, from along the boards, etc. The sequence below is an example of that:
Melovský has a solid understanding of time and space and uses that to his advantage when he doesn’t have the puck on his stick. He regularly puts himself in a position to take a pass in open space before almost immediately doling it to someone else because he is steps ahead of his competition in pertinence to understanding plays. He is an adaptable forward, too, being able to mold his game to who he’s playing with without sacrificing his ability to move the play up-ice and keep it there.
Puck Skills: 5.5/10
While I wouldn’t say they jump out at you, Melovský’s hands are solid enough to make it work in professional leagues. He has decently quick side-to-side movements, which allow him to out-wait goaltenders around the net. He can occasionally beat defenders one-on-one in transition with a small but effective collection of dekes. Melovský isn’t overwhelmingly creative, but he can make plays happen every now and then by drawing defenders out of position with his hands.
Shot: 5.5/10
More than anything, I want to see Melovský shoot the puck more because I think there’s more to his game than just the raw playmaking chops he’s shown in the Q. To be fair, he was also playing alongside Justin Poirier, one of the QMJHL’s top snipers, so it’s entirely possible (if not probable) that Melovský molded his game to that — yet another testament to his brain.
The point stands, though, that he should probably shoot more. I think his wrist shot is underratedly strong, particularly while he is in stride. His release is deceptive and he’s quick-triggered, being able to catch goalies off-guard more often than you’d expect. I haven’t seen much of his one-timer, but his snap shots and backhands are average at worst, too.
Defensive Awareness: 6.5/10
Melovský played in all situations for Baie-Comeau, regularly playing for 24 minutes a night as a forward. He was trusted on the top penalty killing unit and in must-win defensive starts and played admirably in that role. His defensive positioning is strong, regularly putting himself in the way of passing and shooting lanes and forcing play to the outside. His poke checking is noticeably good, and he’s occasionally able to generate breakaway opportunities for himself because of his quick-thinking, opportunistic nature.
He was also one of the QMJHL’s top faceoff men, winning nearly 60% of the draws he took this season.
Physicality/Size: 5.5/10
Melovský thrives in play creation after taking the body, using his strength and power moves to generate space for his teammates. He absorbs checks along the boards without losing possession of the puck, drawing multiple defenders to his position and getting the puck to his teammates anyway. He isn’t particularly aggressive in forechecking, nor will he throw open ice hits, but he is strong enough to be an asset along the walls and while making power moves around defenders.
NHL Comparable: Casey Mittelstadt
NHL Ceiling: Physical, Playdriving Third Line Center
NHL Likelihood: Somewhat Likely
Melovský has made it known that, as he is ineligible to return to the CHL by proxy of his age, he will be transitioning to the AHL with the Utica Comets next season. There, he should immediately slot in as a top-six center and make his name known to those in the fanbase who aren’t already aware of him. From there, I see him making a legitimate impact with what should be a stronger, younger AHL group than there is this season. Melovský has no real weaknesses, and in my head, I see him as the Devils’ 4C of the future — and one who will see time centering the third line when injuries call for it.
No. 7: Nolan Foote (LW/RW)
1st Round, 2019 (27th Overall) — 53 Games Played | 18 Goals | 21 Assists | 39 Total Points — Utica Comets (AHL)
Nolan Foote was brought into the Devils’ system at the age of 19 in the trade that sent Blake Coleman to Tampa Bay with the understanding that he was one of their top prospects — if not their top prospect — at the time. Flash forward five seasons later, and, while Foote is still a good prospect, expectations have tempered out a bit. Still, he has probably earned a spot as an NHLer, especially considering the Devils’ general lack of depth this season.
Skating: 4/10
Foote, as you’d expect from a 6’3, 200-plus-pound power winger, is relatively slow. He generates a good amount of power with each stride, which means that when he’s working, he can get to his top speed quickly. The caveat to that, though, is that his top speed is certainly below average. I’m not particularly impressed by his edges, either, not being able to pivot as fast as he wants to
Hockey Sense: 4.5/10
More so off the puck than with it, Foote is a heady player from an offensive standpoint. He has an innate understanding of where to be to get a good chance for himself, sneaking into open ice more often than his size would lead you to believe. With the puck on his stick, though, he can struggle with decision-making, and I have a sneaking suspicion that he is unable to really slow the game down for the benefit of himself and his team.
At times, he opts to shoot when he should pass (which can also be attributed to how good his shot is), even prioritizing low-danger opportunities for himself rather than extending plays with a pass back to the point. This will all conglomerate to stymy him from becoming a true playdriver, profiling more as a passenger power winger than one who will be able to do any sort of heavy-lifting for his team.
Puck Skills: 5/10
In a vacuum, Foote has solid hands, especially for a big man. What I want to see, though, is him process the game a bit slower in order for him to be able to actually use those hands. He boasts a good amount of unique dekes that he can pull out creatively, but only when he has enough time and space. When pressured, things get a little dicier in that regard. When everything is clicking for him, or when he has time, though, he can do things like this:
Shot: 7/10
Without a doubt, the best part of Foote’s game is his shot. He has a quick and deceptive release on his wrist shot, being able to change the angle of the shot to fool goaltenders at will. He can beat goaltenders at a distance and has good enough accuracy to shoot through even the heaviest of screens.
His one-timer is electric, too, which leads me to believe he’ll carve himself a role as a second power-play unit triggerman down the line. It’s blisteringly fast, heavy, and extremely accurate.
Defensive Awareness: 3.5/10
Foote does have some work to do on the defensive side of things, sometimes finding himself out of position or mentally behind the flow of play. This is where his decision-making inabilities come to bite him, too, as he can get caught in no man’s land when the pace quickens up a bit. I’d like to see him with a more active stick and a more aggressive nature in pressuring the puck carrier.
Physicality/Size: 6.5/10
A power winger should have some level of physicality, and Foote is no exception to this rule. He will deliver big hits along the walls on occasion to free up the puck and gain possession. When engaged in board battles, he works hard and will seldom lose the puck. He generally works hard enough to make an impression in every game.
NHL Comparable: Lawson Crouse
NHL Ceiling: Third Line Power Winger, PP2 Triggerman
NHL Likelihood: Very Likely
Foote has already had NHL stints in each of the last five seasons. He has the tools to succeed and, in this season in particular, played pretty well (but couldn’t bury his chances). With several members of the Devils’ bottom six on expiring contracts, I hope Tom Fitzgerald makes the decision to re-up Foote and make him a permanent member of the Devils’ bottom six. They sure could use an offensive spark there, and it’s not like they would be sacrificing any grit or physicality. I have high hopes for the now-24-year-old.
I hope you enjoyed part six of the Devils’ pipeline breakdown. Stay tuned for the next edition, covering prospects No. 6 through No. 4.
Just for comparison, what would you rate Bastian's skating?