Ranking the Entire Devils' Pipeline: No. 14 - No. 10
Part five 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.
No. 14: Santeri Hatakka (LHD)
6th Round, 2019 (184th Overall) — 15 Games Played | 1 Goal | 1 Assist | 2 Total Points — Utica Comets (AHL)
Santeri Hatakka was brought over as a part of the trade that brought Timo Meier over to New Jersey, and he’s quietly become one of the better and more polished defensive prospects in the system. He missed the vast, vast majority of the season with a significant injury — one that he still has yet to fully recover from — but prior to this season he was the Devils’ primary defensive injury call-up, and for good reason. He performed admirably when called upon, too, being a bit of an under-the-radar analytical darling in his stint with the team in 2023-24.
Skating: 6/10
Hatakka is pretty mobile defenseman with strong, long strides for a 6’1 player. He reaches top speed quickly relative to the average defenseman, too. In 2023-24, the NHL average for speed bursts of 20+ mph league-wide for defensemen was 30.3, and Hatakka reached that threshold 10 times in just 12 games, an 82-game pace of 68 times, much higher than average.
His edges are solid enough to keep up with plays that develop for the opposition from the rush, too. I wouldn’t say he transitions from forward to backward skating particularly well, but it hasn’t burned him too much at the AHL level. The NHL is a different beast, though, and I do have a feeling he’ll need to improve in that facet of his game if he wants to become a permanence in a big-league roster.
Hockey Sense: 6/10
I think Hatakka possesses an underrated offensive hockey IQ relative to the numbers he’s put up in his AHL career. I’m not saying that 20 points in 48 games last season is bad, but it doesn’t reflect the chops I believe he has. He does the small things the right way, with subtle puck touches that result in the puck moving up-ice with efficiency. He can be deceptive to pressuring forecheckers at times, faking one thing while moving the puck in the opposite direction to throw them off the trail.
Hatakka also possesses some underrated puck-moving abilities, too. I think his breakout passing is somewhat strong, though I haven’t seen him pull off a stretch pass leading to a breakaway very often. He prefers shorter, more secure passing plays from his own end, which is how current Devils’ head coach Sheldon Keefe likes it anyway, leading me to believe that he could be a long-term 6/7D for the team if he wants to stay.
Puck Skills: 3/10
There is nothing special about Hatakka’s hands. He rarely pulls out any sort of deke, simply because it doesn’t need to be a part of his game. He prefers simplicity.
Shot: 4/10
Hatakka’s shot is unimpressive to me, though not completely unserviceable. He doesn’t generate a ton of power on his slapshot from the blue line — I think he could use to drive his back leg more into the shot most of the time — but it’s fairly accurate and he generates a good amount of rebounds with it. His wrister is scarcely used, but it’s decent enough to the point where I’d like to see it in action a bit more often. He should have the offensive instinct to shoot through screens more than he does, preferring to facilitate play with passes rather than take his own chances regardless of whether or not there are bodies in front.
Defensive Awareness: 6.5/10
As with many of the Devils’ depth defense prospects, Hatakka’s defensive game is his strong suit. He clears the crease particularly well, being morally opposed to letting pucks get to the netfront if he can help it. He is an active puck retriever, not letting others bully him away from board battles and coming up with the puck at a higher-than-average rate in those situations. He is effective at getting into shooting lanes, particularly on the penalty kill, where he has always been an asset. Hatakka keeps play to the outside and generally prevents passes from reaching the slot, being one of the better prospects I’ve seen at dropping his stick to the ice to break up passes.
Physicality/Size: 5/10
I wouldn’t call Hatakka a physicality-first defenseman by any means, but he isn’t afraid of contact or sacrificing the body to make a play. He seldom throws open-ice hits but will separate the puck carrier from the puck at the blue line with a check if he determines that it’s the right play to make. He isn’t particularly big (6’1, 192), but is strong on the puck and won’t get outmuscled or out-efforted.
NHL Comparable: Kyle Burroughs
NHL Ceiling: 6th Defenseman
NHL Likelihood: Likely
Hatakka has already earned himself two stints of NHL time, once with the Sharks in 2021-22 and once with the Devils in 2023-24. He wasn’t ready for his first call-up but proved himself to be a useful tool last season in New Jersey in his 12 games. I would imagine that he spends next season as an injury call-up, too, barring an unforeseen change in the hierarchy or a breakout campaign from one of the other prospects on this list (perhaps the player below, for example).
No. 13: Ethan Edwards (LHD)
4th Round, 2020 (120th Overall) — 36 Games Played | 5 Goals | 16 Assists | 21 Total Points — Univ. of Michigan (NCAA)
The Devils have now had three consecutive #1 defensemen from the University of Michigan — Luke Hughes, Seamus Casey, and now Ethan Edwards, who stepped into and thrived in a workhorse defenseman role this season. Averaging roughly 24 minutes a night, he played in all situations and put up some eye-popping microstatistical numbers despite the scoresheet not necessarily matching.
He is expected to sign with the Utica Comets shortly, as his collegiate career has come to an end, and I, for one, could not be more thrilled about it.
Skating: 8/10
What immediately stands out about Edwards is his smooth skating ability, and in particular, his edgework. His speed in a straight line is above-average and he possesses the strong acceleration one would expect from a 6’0 defenseman, as shown below.
The way he walks the blue line is simply amazing. His feet are uber-active, allowing him to change direction at will while roving the blue line with the puck on his stick, performing his best Quinn Hughes impression whenever he gets the chance. He’s shifty, controlled, and deliberate in his movements in those scenarios, and it’s a ton of fun to watch.
His edges allow him to play an extremely tight defensive game, going step-for-step with attacking forwards regardless of whether or not they change direction. His skating ability also directly translates to his aptitude in transition, being an asset to his team in both exiting and entering the zone with the puck on his stick.
Hockey Sense: 5/10
Edwards has an innate ability to draw coverage and create space for his teammates that way, which is undoubtedly impressive, but I’d like to see that translate a bit more to the scoresheet and feel as though his puck distribution once he does create that space can stand to improve a bit. I’m not saying it’s bad — far from it — but I have such high standards for the kid because of how smooth a skater he is and how excellent he is at creating space with the puck on his stick.
While he is best in transition with possession of the puck himself, he has good North-South vision and can find breakout forwards with a strong first pass as well. He has a good sense of when to rely on his own skillset in transition and when to utilize his teammates.
The moral of the story here is that, despite how consistently phenomenal he looks on the ice, the results aren’t necessarily always there and he should be making more plays than he is. That’s probably coachable to some extent, too — you can tell he’s confident in his tools, he just needs to put it all together more consistently.
Puck Skills: 5/10
In combination with his exceptional skating, Edwards boasts decent enough hands to truly make him a transition threat and apt manipulator while walking the blue line. His stickhandling isn’t incredible, but he has relatively quick hands and is able to stave off prodding sticks with a handful of moves that he has at his disposal.
Shot: 4/10
For someone who creates so many shooting lanes for himself, I do want Edwards to work on his shot a bit. I feel like there isn’t as much power or accuracy as there can be with his wrister or slap shot, and while the latter of the two can be trained with a ton of reps, I have a feeling that as he fills out a bit more, the power will get there naturally. As I noted, he generates a whole lot of shooting lanes for himself when walking the blue line by proxy of how strong his edges are, and I’d like to see that translate a bit more to getting screened shots through to the net. His wrist shot is better than most give him credit for, but he doesn’t use it enough (particularly when the net is screened) for people to put that on their radar.
Defensive Awareness: 6/10
His generally solid hockey sense bleeds over into his defensive game, too. Edwards is generally in the right position to break plays up and is one of the better small-framed defensemen I’ve seen when it comes to regaining possession of the puck in the defensive zone either off the walls or behind the net. He is shockingly physical (more on that below) and is a pest to those carrying the puck. Edwards’ skating is so strong that he has no issue keeping up with forwards who are trying to dipsy-doodle their way out of his coverage and is able to defend the rush while skating backward and pivoting pretty well. He will occasionally get out-muscled, but that is to be expected from a defenseman of his stature.
Physicality/Size: 6.5/10
For his size, (195ish pounds), Edwards is a physically engaged defenseman, certainly playing beyond his frame in that regard. He’s annoying to play against in board battles, and while some defensemen his size overcompensate in these endeavors to prove they can “handle it,” Edwards has a good gauge of when to use the body and when to use his stick instead, and even if he makes the wrong decision, has the skating ability to recover quickly. Regardless, he’s not one to shy away from delivering hits along the walls, in front of the net, and at the blue line to get the puck away from an attacking player.
NHL Comparable: Gustav Forsling
NHL Ceiling: 4/5 Defenseman
NHL Likelihood: Likely
I’m very high on Edwards’ game. It’s rare that defenders who are as good at skating as he is don’t make the show, particularly when there are other appealing tools to boot. He’s a hard worker with excellent raw abilities, and though it might take him a year or two to really put it all together at the pro level, I think there’s absolutely reason to believe he’ll be a full-time NHLer at some point, with the Devils or otherwise.
No. 12: Nico Daws (G)
3rd Round, 2020 (84th Overall ) — 28 Games Played | .893 SV% | 3.19 GAA | 8-18-2 | 1 SHO — Utica Comets (AHL)
Nico Daws has had a bit of a rough go of it in Utica this season, but I’m going to do him the favor of blaming that mostly on the beginning of the season, when the Comets largely couldn’t defend or score — or do anything at all, really. When Jacob Markstrom went down with injury, Daws was offered the call-up and gave the Devils a short spell of unbelievable goaltending, making me eat my words in saying that Jake Allen should be handed a one-year deal after this season because New Jersey didn’t have any worthy backups for next season. I couldn’t be happier to be wrong, though, and although his counting stats with the Comets are still unimpressive from a season-long perspective, there is certainly reason to believe Daws is ready for a backup role in the NHL.
Athleticism: 5.5/10
It’s a bit tough to gauge Daws’ true athleticism because of how strong his positioning is in general (he doesn’t necessarily have to make as many desperation saves as one would expect).
He does have a strong glove hand, and will occasionally windmill to show off his chops. He can also occasionally make plays like this:
Mobility: 5/10
Daws is a bigger goaltender, at 6’4, so his quickness and agility are naturally lacking. I do think he generates a good amount of power from his wide butterfly, which allows him to really dig his edges into the ice to push off side-to-side with efficiency. He has solid up-and-down mobility, though, closing his five-hole quickly and getting down into the butterfly position faster than many of his peers. He’s certainly improved in the lateral aspect of his game over the seasons, but quick behind-the-net passing plays or cross-crease chances still beat him with semi-regularity.
Positioning: 8/10
The biggest strength of Daws’ game is without a doubt his positioning. He has a strong read of the play and puts himself in the right position to make a timely stop more often than not. This makes it so that high-danger opportunities for other teams look less dangerous simply because Daws swallows up the chances with his chest rather than being forced into a dramatic-looking save because he was out of position to begin with. He scarcely gets drawn into an overcommitment, so he is almost never caught flailing to make a desperation save and is much more content being patient and letting his body do the majority of the work. Take a look at how little he moves during this sequence:
Puck Tracking: 7/10
Daws sees the puck well, particularly through screens. He is able to move his head without moving his body to get around players in front of him, tracking the puck from the point. Even though he can get beat at times, when behind-the-net or side-to-side plays quickly develop, he generally hugs the posts well.
If he can see the shot, chances are that he’s going to save it.
NHL Comparable: Robin Lehner
NHL Ceiling: 1B
NHL Likelihood: Likely
Daws has already earned NHL time in his career, serving as the primary injury call-up this season and starting 20+ games in both the 2021-22 and 2023-24 seasons. He was stellar in his five appearances this season, playing to the tune of a .966 SV% and a +6.9 GSAx. I would assume that, with Jake Allen’s contract coming to an end after this season, Daws will step into a solidified backup role next season.
No. 11: Jakub Málek (G)
4th Round, 2021 (100th Overall) — 33 Games Played | .910 SV% | 2.09 GAA | 15-11-6 | 4 SHO — Ilves (Liiga)
Before Mikhail Yegorov took the NCAA by storm, I went on record as saying Málek was the best goaltending prospect in the system. I’ve since rescinded that sentiment but still believe he’s a solid second choice. He’s posted strong back-to-back campaigns in the top Finnish league (Liiga) and certainly looks the part of a future NHLer. His .910 SV% is a step down from last season’s .915, but that’s a direct result of his team, Ilves, turning into the top shot-suppression team in the league. You can tell that that’s the case by his GAA, too, considering it’s down from 2.32 to 2.09.
Athleticism: 6/10
Bigger goaltenders often are harder to read from an athleticism standpoint because they (usually) are more reliant on their positioning than anything else, and Málek is no exception. Like Daws, Málek is 6’4, and he has the athleticism you’d expect from a goalie that size — occasional flashes of brilliance that don’t come that often because they don’t need to move all that much to make saves. He’s very athletic don’t get me wrong, but I haven’t seen him with a need to make that many athletic saves.
Mobility: 6.5/10
For his size, Málek’s lateral movement is actually quite solid. He has a very wide butterfly, allowing him to push off from left to right or vice versa with a lot of power. He can get over relatively quickly and doesn’t get beat as often as you usually see from bigger goalies on cross-crease passes that usually give them trouble. His vertical mobility is above average as well, getting into that wide butterfly quickly to seal off five-hole opportunities.
Positioning: 7/10
Málek has solid positioning in net, with the understanding that he can let his body to the majority of the work. He’s particularly strong against breakaways, not biting on fakes and dekes and letting the forward come to him instead. If there are breakaways, penalty shots, or shootout attempts, this inherently gives Málek the advantage over the shooter.
Puck Tracking: 7/10
As you’d expect from a strong goalie prospect, Málek tracks the puck well. He mostly fights through screens, anticipates play, and seldom gets beaten on pucks he can see.
NHL Comparable: Darcy Kuemper
NHL Ceiling: 1B
NHL Likelihood: Likely
Málek already has a two-way contract with the Devils, so I assume he will transition to Utica next season and then vie for a more permanent role with the team from there. He certainly has the chops and has already proven to be a top goaltender in a tough Liiga league. His career path is closely following that of Lukáš Dostál, and while I’m not saying they’re going to be the same caliber of goaltender, the writing is on the wall for Málek to make a legitimate run to the NHL. He’s been an under-the-radar prospect for far too long, and deserves more attention to his name.
No. 10: Cam Squires (RW)
4th Round, 2023 (122nd Overall) — 58 Games Played | 24 Goals | 51 Assists | 75 Total Points — Cape Breton Eagles (QMJHL)
Cam Squires was a solid pick at the time and has quietly blossomed into a could-be steal at 122nd overall. He’s built a solid QMJHL career for himself, playing well beyond a point-per-game level this season and gradually increasing his production year-over-year, as he should considering his age. Still, he’s bloomed into a could-be NHLer who can (and hopefully will) provide an offensive boost.
Skating: 3.5/10
Squires’ skating is pretty rough. His speed and acceleration are relatively atrocious, and, though his edges are decent enough, is largely unable to do much in transition as a result. If/when he makes it to the show, it’ll be as a passenger player who makes his money being the second man in a rush play simply because his feet can’t do the legwork (pun intended) in transition to get around defenders or make things happen without getting caught up to. He should be able to generate a bit more power with his lower body and increase his speed and acceleration when he bulks up from his lanky 176-pound body.
Hockey Sense: 7/10
Squires is an incredibly savvy hockey player. He knows where to be and when, and will never be caught in a bad position in the offensive zone. His understanding of space and time is probably the second-best in the Devils’ prospect pool (next to someone who we have not yet gotten to), and he boasts a sort of Tyler Toffoli, Jason Robertson-esque ability to sneak into open space unnoticed while being in prime position for a pass. His vision is solid, too, being able to spot plays ahead of time and execute unexpected passing plays out of thin air. Squires is better with the puck on his stick as opposed to playing off-puck, but that doesn’t mean that he struggles when without possession. While his skating stymies his playdriving abilities off the rush, his facilitation in the offensive zone and intelligence can make him effective at driving the play off the cycle.
Puck Skills: 6/10
While it isn’t his calling card, Squires has solid enough hands to make it work at the NHL level. Particularly from down low and along the boards, he has a moderately wide array of dangles that he can choose from to lose tight coverage.
Oh, and he can do this:
Shot: 5.5/10
I actually like Squires’ shot more than the average scout. His release is zippy and deceptive, and his playmaking chops are strong enough that goalies are caught in a sort of indecision on whether he’s going to opt for a shot or pass, which makes his shot all the more threatening in odd-man situations.
Defensive Awareness: 5/10
Squires’ defensive game is better than he gets credit for. His positioning and smarts in the defensive zone are almost as impressive as his smarts in the offensive zone, and he anticipates plays well on both sides of the ice — on defense, that looks like breaking up passes, getting in lanes to disturb play, etc. He has an active stick and, though he isn’t necessarily physically engaged along the walls, positions himself to take advantage of turnovers should they arise. He’s much better in zone exits than zone entries, which is a direct result of his skating ability and intelligence in realizing that he probably shouldn’t be the skater to cross the offensive blue line while understanding that the puck needs to exit the defensive zone.
Physicality/Size: 3.5/10
Squires isn’t overly big (6’1, 176) and doesn’t play big, either. He takes a more tactical approach to things in tight spaces, preferring to use his stick and positioning over using his body to get the puck back, especially in situations along the boards. He doesn’t throw many hits, but he has a good motor and work ethic and physicality might be added as he fills out a bit more.
NHL Comparable: Jason Robertson (Kind of)
By (kind of), I mean that Squires has a similar profile to Jason Robertson (poor skating, high IQ), but prefers to be on more of the playmaking side of things instead of being a sharpshooter. Of course, he almost certainly will not turn into Robertson — it’s just a stylistic comparison.
NHL Ceiling: Third Line Playmaking Winger
NHL Likelihood: Likely
There’s a lot to like about Squires’ game, and players who can’t skate well can get far with smarts and other tools (Robertson, Toffoli, D. Strome). I think he has a legitimate path to the league. He’s already garnered a two-way contract with the Devils, so I would anticipate him making a full-time commitment to Utica as soon as next season. I’m intrigued to see how he acclimates to pro-level hockey.
I hope you enjoyed part five of the Devils’ pipeline breakdown. Stay tuned for the next edition, covering prospects No. 9 through No. 7.