Ranking the Entire Devils' Pipeline [Full Ranking]
Your comprehensive guide to the New Jersey Devils' prospect system.
Over the last week and change, I took on the challenge of ranking the entire New Jersey Devils’ prospect pool. Within each ranking, I broke down every aspect of their game — for skaters, that included skating, hockey sense, puck skills, shooting, defensive awareness, and physicality/size, and for goalies, that included athleticism, mobility, positioning, and puck tracking. On top of that, I have NHL comparables for each player, which, to be clear, doesn’t mean that the player will turn into the comp — far from it.
With that in mind, here is the full ranking of all 35 prospects.1
No. 35: Viktor Hurtig (RHD)
6th Round, 2021 (164th Overall) — 35 Games Played | 1 Goal | 4 Assists | 5 Total Points — Michigan Tech (NCAA)
Viktor Hurtig was selected as a re-entry in the 2021 draft, but there wasn’t much rhyme or reason to the pick outside of, in my opinion, his size. He’s a hulking 6’6 defender who, at the time of the draft, was able to push the puck up-ice occasionally against lesser competition. As always, though, his game was exposed at higher levels than the Allsvenskan.
Skating: 3/10
For being 6’6, I’m not disgusted at how he skates. His top speed isn’t quite league-average, and he accelerates slowly, but his edges are decent and he can maneuver in the neutral zone with his skating on very rare occasion. He stands up pretty straight when accelerating, so he doesn’t generate a whole lot of power from the individual strides, meaning that he has to do a lot more work to get to his top speed than he should have to.
Hockey Sense: 3/10
Hurtig struggles a lot with decision-making when zeroed in on or pressured in any way. He panics with the puck on his stick and it often results in turnovers on both ends of the ice. When cycling, he rarely passes the puck down low, opting to give it to his defense partner instead. While that is the safe play and doesn’t destroy possessions, I’d like to see him take even an iota of risk to get a higher-danger opportunity.
One time — literally once — I saw him join the rush, which was a pleasant sight to see. In fact, it turned into his only goal of the NCAA season.
Puck Skills: 1/10
As you would expect from a huge defenseman with five points in 35 games, Hurtig is largely unable to make moves around defenders to free up space for himself and his teammates. I’m not quite sure I’ve seen him make a single deke that wasn’t anything more than a head fake.
Shot: 3/10
His shot from the point is accurate but weak, especially for someone of his stature. I’ve noticed that he shies away from shooting altogether, and when he does shoot, it’s mostly wrist shots from the blue line rather than a powerful slapshot that one would hope for. He does not lift the puck very well.
Defensive Awareness: 4/10
With a general lack of offensive skill, one would hope that there is some defensive aptitude to negate that, but he generally struggles on that side of things too. Hurtig gets caught puck-watching a lot, letting skaters dance around him without much of a fight. When he does engage in a board battle, the results are usually positive, but it usually takes a eureka moment for him on the ice to get to that point. The decisionmaking is, and always has been, a major concern.
Physicality/Size: 6/10
As I’ve noted a few times, he does have NHL-plus-level size. That’s all fine and well, and he can use shoulder checks along the board to free up the puck, but if he is generally lacking in his offensive toolkit, I’d like to see him lean into that physical aspect of his game a bit more. He isn’t hard to play against, he doesn’t punish others physically, and he doesn’t stand attackers up at the blue line on zone entries. Even if there are mistakes made along the way, I want to see more of that from him specifically.
NHL Comparable: Cody Ceci
NHL Ceiling: Injury Call-Up
NHL Likelihood: Longshot
There is almost a 0% chance that Hurtig will ever play in the NHL, and I would honestly be shocked if he spent meaningful time in the AHL, either.
No. 34: Tyler Brennan (G)
4th Round, 2022 (102nd Overall) — 29 Games Played | .878 SV% | 3.48 GAA | 9-16-3 | 0 SHO — Adirondack Thunder (ECHL)
Tyler Brennan was a good bet at the time, as he was touted as one of the better prospects in net for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. He had played for a WHL team that had been one of the leakiest defenses in the league while posting a relatively impressive .899 SV% in a backup role. His calling card was positioning as opposed to raw athleticism, and while that’s still his strongest characteristic, it seems as though in retrospect the issues in his game that were previously attributed to his abysmal WHL defense may have just been flaws within his game.
Athleticism: 3/10
Very, very rarely, Brennan can pull out a desperation save that will draw some ooh’s and aah’s from the crowd. Those are few and far between, though, and for a goaltender of his size (6’4), you’d expect a bit more there. With that said, here’s an example of that desperation save:
Mobility: 3/10
Despite having a good 6’4 frame, Brennan’s lack of ability to cover both sides of the net when in a butterfly is a bit disappointing. His butterfly is a bit tight — in other words, he doesn’t have a near-straight line across when he drops down — and that results in him getting beat on chances he otherwise wouldn’t. His side-to-side movement is also a bit clunky as a result, not being able to generate a whole lot of power laterally.
Positioning: 5/10
As previously mentioned, positioning is generally his strong suit. Brennan does let his frame do the work when need be, not overcommitting in one direction or another. He hugs the post well when called upon to do so and, when screened, generally puts himself in a position to succeed even if he can’t see the puck.
Puck Tracking: 4/10
At times, Brennan can lose sight of the rubber. This means that, if he is caught out of position, pucks will often beat him clean. Because he doesn’t have the consistency you’d like to see from a fourth-round-selected goalie prospect, this happens pretty often. Low-grade chances that otherwise wouldn’t pose a threat can beat him from both the point and the walls, and that just shouldn’t happen.
NHL Comparable: Stuart Skinner
NHL Ceiling: Injury Call-Up
NHL Likelihood: Longshot
If you were to ask me in his draft year, I’d have said there was a legitimate chance that Brennan turned into a backup-caliber goalie at the NHL level. Three years later, though, he has shown practically no improvement in his game and, although goalies are voodoo and you never truly know when one will magically have their game click, it’s highly, highly unlikely that Brennan turns into more than an AHL backup.
No. 33: Charlie Leddy (RHD)
4th Round, 2022 (126th Overall) — 35 Games Played | 1 Goal | 8 Assists | 9 Total Points — Quinnipiac Univ. (NCAA)
Despite being projected to go around this part of the 2022 draft, I didn’t think there was all that much to like about his projectability then outside of being a physical defender who might have some shutdown capabilities. It seemed like a pretty good opportunity to draft a forward with good production — I liked Servác Petrovský at that time (who, to be clear, isn’t a good prospect by any means) — as it already felt like at this point the Devils had far too few forward prospects in the system. Flash forward to now, and Leddy is really struggling to even garner time in Quinnipiac despite their relatively weak blue line and his status as a junior.
Skating: 2/10
There’s not much to like about Leddy’s skating ability. His mechanics are a bit clunky and he doesn’t generate much speed or get to his top speed quickly. His edgework is equally as middling.
Hockey Sense: 2/10
In the offensive zone, Leddy struggles to make meaningful decisions. As with Hurtig, far too often, I see him opt to simply pass the puck to his partner rather than creatively move it down low. While it’s the safe play, I’d really prefer to see Leddy do something to generate higher-danger chances even if it comes at the cost of opportunities the other way.
Puck Skills: 1/10
I have legitimately no comments about his puck skills other than that they’re practically nonexistent.
Shot: 4/10
I actually like Leddy’s shot a bit and think that he should use it more. He has a good sense of timing when letting it rip from the blue line and can occasionally purposefully miss the net to generate a chance for his teammate. His slapshot is powerful but inaccurate, while his wrister is unimpressive.
Defensive Awareness: 5/10
I do like a lot of the things Leddy brings to the table defensively. In board battles, he is an effective tool for his team, either ensuring that the puck and puck carrier stay unmoving or getting the puck along the boards to an open teammate. He is an effective retriever as well, pouncing on loose pucks and getting them out of the zone with solid success rates. I would like to see him control that a bit more rather than just vying to dump it out as quickly as possible, but that is to be expected from a purely defense-first player.
Physicality/Size: 7/10
If there is one thing Leddy is confident in, it’s his ability to play physical hockey. He isn’t the biggest defender, at 6’2, 180-something, but he plays hard and mean. Early on in his NCAA career, he overdid it, leading to frequent visits to the penalty box (he had 47 PIM in his rookie season in just 35 games), but he has learned how to control that for the most part. Leddy seals off competition well, particularly along the boards, and is unafraid of contact and physical games.
NHL Comparable: Ilya Lyubushkin
NHL Ceiling: Injury Call-Up
NHL Likelihood: Longshot
It’s a far cry to imagine Leddy in an NHL uniform, but he may have a role as a depth AHL defender.
No. 32: Dylan Wendt (RW/C)
Undrafted — 40 Games Played | 8 Goals | 17 Assists | 25 Total Points — Adirondack Thunder (ECHL)
I’ll be the first to admit that when Dylan Wendt decided to sign with the Devils after a masterful NCAA season at Western Michigan University, I was ecstatic. I thought there were some excellent tools in there that were on full display in a difficult league and that they were getting someone with legitimate NHL upside.
Boy, was I wrong. He’s tempered out significantly, and in many ways, has actually seen his toolkit diminish with a lack of confidence. It’s such a shame, too, because I really liked his game before. He’s bounced back and forth between the AHL and ECHL this season but has spent the vast majority of his time in the latter league.
Skating: 4/10
I’m not in love with Wendt’s skating ability, but it isn’t necessarily a detriment to his game. His acceleration is solid, and while his top speed may not always match the level of his competition, I do think he can get to it faster than most. This allows him to beat defenders with bursts of speed on occasion. He also has the edges one would expect from a 6’1 forward, giving him the ability to lose coverage with a quick turn while in possession of the puck.
Hockey Sense: 5/10
Wendt has pretty good wherewithal in the offensive zone, finding himself in the right spot at the right time. He is effective at understanding when he can sneak into high-danger areas of the ice and has the shot to capitalize on those opportunities. At times he can be caught puck-watching and he can miss the occasional obvious play because he holds on to the puck for too long, but his knowledge of time and space relative to generating opportunities for himself makes up for those.
Shot: 5/10
I’m a fan of Wendt’s shot, and it’s something that his past teammates have cited as his best attribute. As Alex Bump put it, “Dylan only needs one chance to put the puck in the net.” His wrister is just as good as his snap shot, which can best goaltenders from a distance as well as from the inner slot. His one-timer is okay, but his other two shots make up for it. He also gets somewhat dangerous backhanded looks from time to time.
Defensive Awareness: 4/10
Some have touted Wendt’s defensive play as solid, but I disagree. He definitely tries and is a competitor in all zones, but the actual on-ice results tell a different story. He can get caught out of position and burned somewhat regularly, but as I said, the effort is never in question.
Physicality/Size: 3/10
Wendt is not overly big nor is he overly physical, but he has grit in the sense that you can tell he’s trying every single shift. He possesses an unquestionable motor and wants to succeed, results be damned.
NHL Comparable: Ryan Donato
NHL Ceiling: Injury Call-Up
NHL Likelihood: Longshot
It’s highly unlikely that Wendt makes it to the NHL, but I would be shocked if he wasn’t eventually an impact player for the AHL — perhaps he caps out as a second-liner there — because I really do like a lot of his tools in a vacuum. He just hasn’t figured out how to put it all together, which is a shame.
No. 31: Cole Brown (LW/RW)
6th Round, 2023 (164th Overall) — 64 Games Played | 33 Goals | 35 Assists | 68 Total Points — Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)
I was pretty happy when the Devils picked Cole Brown in the sixth round in 2023 — the best players picked in the latter stages of the draft always have one or two really solid tools while the rest of their game is raw, and at the time, Brown had appeal in his NHL-level shot and puck skills. Flash forward to today, and he’s plateaued quite a bit in the Canadian Juniors.
His microstatistical profile, tracked by Mitchell Brown, tells the story of a fairly good to great offensive player, but it’s important to note that (Cole) Brown is a 19-year-old playing amongst mostly children. He’s bigger, more mature, and should be better than everyone else. Given those circumstances, the fact that he’s getting outproduced by over 30 points by a linemate who is two years younger than him is concerning, so I’m not taking a whole lot of stock in the microstats that say “Well, there should be something here.”
Skating: 3/10
Brown has a clunky stride and struggles immensely to generate speed with and without the puck on his stick. Although somewhat powerful with the puck on his stick when performing power moves, his edgework also lacks in that he can struggle at times to maneuver away from defenders who are trying to get the puck away from him.
Hockey Sense: 3/10
At the time he was drafted, Brown’s hockey sense was touted as one of his better attributes, but I disagree. While I think he possesses some underrated passing abilities —
— his positioning when his team is cycling in the offensive zone leaves a lot to be desired. I find that he stagnates a lot in the zone, particularly when he’s set up in the slot and around the netfront. Brown’s lack of movement stymies his team from developing as many opportunities as they would be able to if he were active in trying to get away from defenders covering him. He watches the puck when it is on the stick of his teammates and is content to just sit there and hope for defenders to lose interest rather than proactively moving within the zone.
Puck Skills: 5/10
I am somewhat impressed with his puck skills, particularly from in-tight. When Brown does get the puck around the net, he is able to deke around the goaltender to make scoring opportunities for himself much easier. In stride, he possesses a somewhat wide array of dangles that he can use to get around defenders on occasion mano-a-mano, though the consistency there leaves a good bit to be desired. This makes him better suited for being a passenger player when on the rush, especially considering his general lack of foot speed.
Shot: 6/10
The best part of Brown’s game is unequivocally his shot. He has an NHL-level release that he can pull out in-stride to beat goaltenders clean with deception. His one-timer is also a great tool, generating a surprising amount of power for how little he moves in his wind-up. He is able to use his one-timer in stride as well.
Defensive Awareness: 2/10
Brown is generally uninterested in defensive endeavors. Much like he does in the offensive zone, he puck watches in his own end and it often leads to the opposing team generating high-danger chances with him on the ice.
Physicality/Size: 4/10
Brown is a bigger winger at 6’3 and 190ish pounds. He uses his size somewhat well, being able to fend off defenders with power moves on occasion. He doesn’t have a lot of bite or snarl to his game, though, which might do him some justice if his goal is to make The Show.
NHL Comparable: Morgan Geekie
NHL Ceiling: Shoot-first Passenger 3W or, much more likely, Injury Call-Up
If everything clicks for Brown — which I view as unlikely — he could tap out as a third-line scoring winger who would be best suited for playing alongside a playdriving center. I don’t think his skillset attributes very well to a fourth-line, grinder role, so it would have to be in a third-line capacity. In all honesty, though, that’s far from likely. His ceiling is likely capped out as an injury call-up, and even then, the odds are slim.
NHL Likelihood: Longshot
Brown has a lot to work on if he wants to make it to the NHL in any capacity. His skating is a huge issue, especially when paired with the fact that he doesn’t put himself in positions to succeed in the offensive zone while his teammates have the puck. There are players who can’t skate well and make it off their smarts — Jason Robertson, Dylan Strome, Jeff Skinner — but Brown doesn’t really have either of those things. The two most appealing assets to his game — his shot and his puck skills — mean nothing if he doesn’t really do anything else of note. He might be worth signing to an AHL deal just to see if there’s any growth in a year or two, with his rights expiring on July 1, but chances are slim of the Devils keeping him around in their system.
No. 30: Artyom Barabosha (RHD)
7th Round, 2022 (198th Overall) — 32 Games Played | 1 Goal | 4 Assists | 5 Total Points — Zvezda Moskva (VHL)
For a last-round selection, Barabosha was as good a pick as any at the time. His draft-year production left a bit to be desired, but as we all know GM Tom Fitzgerald will find any excuse to draft a physical defenseman with size, and at 198th overall, I can’t really complain. In fact, he dropped off significantly from the fourth-round consensus he was on draft day simply because of the Russia factor, though He’s bounced back and forth between the KHL and their second-tier league, the VHL, for the past two seasons.
Skating: 3/10
Skating forward, I have a limited number of qualms with Barabosha’s abilities. His acceleration is below average, as is his top speed, but his mechanics are fine and I suspect those can be changed if he lowers his center of gravity a bit while in stride. The issues really lie in when he’s skating backward, with his clunky and seemingly off-balance transitions between going forward and backward forcing him to bail on cycle situations for fear that he’s going to get beaten if he doesn’t proactively change direction.
Hockey Sense: 1/10
This is where Barabosha’s game lacks the most. With the puck, it feels like he truly doesn’t know what’s going on most of the time. He rarely scans the ice for developing plays and will shoot the puck into the corner with no rhyme or reason to it instead of taking the time to plan out a course of action or pass to an open teammate. As mentioned above, his skating is likely the culprit, but he really needs to slow the game down a bit when he’s in the offensive zone.
Puck Skills: 1/10
As you’d expect from a defense-first blueliner, Barabosha poses no threat with the puck.
Shot: 3/10
Barabosha’s shot is the best asset of his toolkit from an offensive perspective. He has a powerful slap shot which he uses to generate rebounds from the point, and will occasionally activate in anticipation of a one-timer from closer to the net. Those opportunities are few and far between, though, so it’s not like that’s a regular aspect of his game. His wrist shot is nothing to write home about, but it isn’t a detriment to his game.
Defensive Awareness: 5.5/10
Barabosha closes gaps well, being extremely quick to pounce on an opportunity to lay the body on a transitioning forward. His stickwork is fine, but he really just prefers to use physicality and shoulder checks to get the job done in that regard, especially one-on-one. In board battles, he’s generally unrelenting and doesn’t relent in abusing his target to free up the puck. He excels in systems where his defense partner can cover for him if things go awry on a mistimed body check.
Physicality/Size: 9/10
Though not necessarily the biggest defenseman stature-wise, at 6’2, 198, Barabosha definitely plays like he’s gigantic. No matter the circumstance, you can bet that he’s going to be a physical presence, making it known to opposing forwards that it’s his ice they’re skating on. In one-on-one situations, he makes risky plays with his body in an attempt to punish the attacking forward physically, which he can occasionally get caught on, but he generally has a good gauge of when to engage. He drops the mitts on occasion, too. Enjoy the two clips below of gigantic hits Barabosha has thrown:
The hit above is on former first-overall selection Juraj Slafkovský.
NHL Comparable: Anton Volchenkov
NHL Ceiling: Injury Call-Up
NHL Likelihood: Slim
It’s hard for me to envision a future in which Barabosha ever makes the jump overseas to North America. He hasn’t made an impact at the KHL level yet and has two more years on his contract over there, and I’d anticipate that his game will never be refined enough to play quickly. He’s fun to watch, though, by proxy of his unrelenting physicality. If he ever does make the jump, it’ll be years from now.
No. 29: Isaac Poulter (G)
Undrafted — 30 Games Played | .899 SV% | 2.87 GAA | 13-11-6 | 1 SHO — Utica Comets (AHL)
A fan favorite down in Utica, Isaac Poulter made a bit of a name for himself within the Devils organization last season with the Comets before falling off a good amount this season. Some of that is to blame on his team’s defensive woes, but there’s also just the fact that perhaps he isn’t quite as good as initially suspected.
Athleticism: 6.5/10
There’s one standout part of Poulter’s game, and that’s his athleticism. He’s a relatively small (for goaltenders) 6’2, but can compensate for that with desperation movement he needs when he can’t use his positioning to his advantage. He has an excellent glove and has shown on several occasions the ability to flash it in windmill situations.
Mobility: 3.5/10
I don’t think his side-to-side movement is a strength. Poulter can get beat on cross-crease passing plays, wrap-arounds, and in-tight plays along the posts. It’s definitely something he can work on, and I’d like to see him add a bit of width to his butterfly as well in order to better his ability to push off one leg to get across.
Positioning: 2.5/10
Poulter has a tendency to overcommit to plays once he sees them develop. This causes him to get pulled out of position more often than you’d like to see, and it’s a tough thing to teach out of a goalie — bad NHL goalies do this all the time. He has some level of athleticism to bail himself out at times, but he shouldn’t necessarily have to rely on that in the first place. It’s frustrating, because in isolation, his gloves and blocker are both somewhat strong, and he’d be able to show them off more if he positioned himself more reasonably.
Puck Tracking: 4.5/10
For a goalie his size, Poulter tracks the puck well enough. He can, on occasion, fight through screens and traffic in front to gain vision on the puck and he’ll almost never get beaten clean on low-danger opportunities. Where he struggles is in following passing plays — it takes him a second to realize where the puck is and position himself accordingly. This can lead to him getting beaten on set plays and passing chances.
NHL Comparable: Alexandar Georgiev
NHL Ceiling: NHL Backup
NHL Likelihood: Unlikely
He has seen brief call-up opportunities, but has never actually played an NHL game before, and I have no reason to believe that will be any different moving forward. It’s clear that the reason he was called up instead of Daws was to get Daws reps while Poulter rides pine. Unless he undergoes a magical transformation overnight (as some goalies do), my guess would be that he stays an AHL 1A/1B for his career.
No. 28: Mikaël Diotte (RHD)
Undrafted — 2 Games Played | 1 Goal | 1 Assist | 2 Total Points — Adirondack Thunder (ECHL)
Mikaël Diotte is admittedly a tough one to place within the Devils’ pipeline simply because he hasn’t seen ice since going down with an injury in early November (just after he’d scored his first professional goal). He was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract (ELC) in May, so the Devils have Diotte in their system for a further two years.
Skating: 4/10
Diotte’s skating is decent for what he brings to the table—solid defensive play and practically nothing on offense. He skates backward well, pivoting and changing direction quickly to react to developing plays. His acceleration is just alright, and he can occasionally get burned by quicker players off the rush, though that’s not usually an issue. Top speed-wise, there’s nothing to write home about, nor do his edges impress me, but he gets the job done when defending zone entries and tracking players in his own end.
Hockey Sense: 4/10
Offensively speaking, there isn’t a whole lot of substance to Diotte’s game, though he does possess some underrated puck-moving tendencies. I think he has a solid enough first pass to not be completely useless on the breakout and you’ll see him jump into a rush play from time to time. I don’t think his passing is all that impressive — he doesn’t have much zip when he gives the puck to his teammates, which will limit him in a cycle setting in tougher leagues.
Puck Skills: 2/10
There’s not much to say about his puck skills — Diotte is a defensive defenseman, so there’s really no need for him to show off his deking. He usually doesn’t have the puck on his stick enough to even warrant making moves, either, but when he does he is usually content to just dump it into the corner or pass it to his defense partner up top.
Shot: 2/10
I’m not impressed by Diotte’s shot whatsoever. Shooting isn’t his role, though, so his generally inaccurate slapshot and weak wrist shot don’t really matter all that much to me.
Defensive Awareness: 7/10
The calling card to Diotte’s game is his defensive play, which is legitimately good compared to his peers. He won the Kevin Lowe Trophy — awarded to the QMJHL’s best defensive defenseman — for good reason then and hasn’t faltered in that regard at the higher levels. He has a good stick, though from what I’ve seen he likes to play the body more when one-on-one.
Diotte’s strong suit, to me, is his positioning when the opposition is on the cycle. He takes away passing lanes well and is completely unafraid of sacrificing his body to block high-danger opportunities. I think he tracks the flow of play well and is able to correctly identify when to engage in a board battle and where to be in order to initiate one with a solid success rate. Once engaged in those board battles, he uses his size and motor to make sure his team comes out with the puck.
Physicality/Size: 6/10
Diotte is a big defenseman, at 6’3, 205ish pounds, and he uses his size to his advantage when defending, both on the rush and in board battles. He closes gaps with his body rather than using his stick to break plays up, separating his man from the puck when need be. I like his approach along the boards — Diotte rarely loses a puck battle, especially when the forward is smaller than him, as he knows he can just punish the forward in question to free it up. He does it rather disciplined, too, not being called for all that many penalties.
NHL Comparable: Olli Määttä
NHL Ceiling: Seventh Defenseman
NHL Likelihood: Hard to Tell
Again, it’s admittedly pretty difficult to project Diotte considering the very little time he’s spent actually playing hockey this season. I thought he looked okay in the Devils’ preseason this year, but I don’t really have much to say about his game other than that he’s solid defensively and won’t do much of anything on offense. He could be either a seventh defenseman, an injury call-up, or a career second-pairing AHLer. His defensive game is mature, to be sure, but he’s going to have to learn how to adapt to faster play from an offensive standpoint if he wants to make an impression. There’s a legit chance he could rise up these ranks next season.
No. 27: Veeti Louhivaara (G)
5th Round, 2024 (146th Overall) — 18 Games Played | .902 SV% | 2.94 GAA | 4-11-0 | 0 SHO — JYP U20 (U20 SM-sarja)
I’m definitely a bit more bullish on Veeti Louhivaara compared to most, and I attribute that to the belief that his drawbacks can be taught out of him. His strengths are truly excellent, and if he can tweak just a couple of things within his game, there’s some projectability at an NHL level. Until he proves otherwise, though, 26th is a fair ranking.
Athleticism: 4.5/10
I haven’t seen an overwhelming amount of athleticism within Louhivaara’s game, but I don’t necessarily believe it’s a problem, either. I never really saw him with a need to pull out a desperation save. For a 6’4 goalie, this is to be expected, as he doesn’t necessarily need to rely on athleticism as much. Still, his push-offs are excellent, and he can make cross-crease reaction saves when called upon to do so.
Mobility: 7/10
If ever there was a strength to Louhivaara’s game, it’s in his side-to-side mobility and butterfly. Starting with the latter, he possesses a very wide butterfly, meaning that he can reach both posts with minimal lateral movement needed when he’s playing deep in the crease by proxy of his ability to make a near-straight-line with his pads when dropping down.
This also gives him better push-off abilities from side to side, which allows him to react to quickly developing plays behind the net and across the crease. By all accounts, it’s the best part of his game.
Positioning: 3/10
The backside to Louhivaara’s wide butterfly and ability to cover the lower part of the net supremely well with his pads is that he tends to have an overreliance on doing so. He knows that it’s a strength of his game, and he positions himself accordingly, having a strange hunch when dropping into the butterfly that exposes him in the upper portions of the net. It’s by far the biggest knock on his game, in my opinion. He also stays in the butterfly for far too long at times, putting himself in a position to fail by doing so.
The other positional issue that he has is that he can be caught playing extremely deep in his crease, giving opposing shooters more angles to beat him. The great part about all of this is that it’s teachable, but for now, it’s a real detriment to his projectability.
Puck Tracking: 6/10
I do think he tracks the puck pretty well, being able to fight through screens when applicable and seldom losing sight of pucks he can see from the get go. He anticipates play somewhat well, even if his positioning might not tell that story.
NHL Comparable: Ville Husso
NHL Ceiling: NHL Backup
NHL Likelihood: Slim
As with every goalie picked in the later rounds, Louhivaara is very raw. What he does well, he does well, and what he lacks at, he really lacks at. It will certainly take some time for him to figure things out. We all know that goalies are impossible to project, but I can see an NHL backup role for him five or six years down the line if he adjusts his approach a bit from a positioning standpoint.
No. 26: Jonathan Gruden (LW/RW)
4th Round, 2018 (95th Overall) — 46 Games Played | 7 Goals | 6 Assists | 13 total Points — Utica Comets (AHL)
Jonathan Gruden was acquired at this year’s trade deadline in the trade that brought Cody Glass to the Devils. Once upon a time, Gruden was a decent prospect, but things have tempered out over the years and he no longer looks like the surefire fourth-liner he was projected to become.
Skating: 5.5/10
In a straight line, Gruden can outskate most of his peers. His acceleration is decent to above average, too, so he gets to that top speed relatively quickly. I don’t think his edgework and ability to pivot is all that impressive, though, which has probably held him back from furthering his career and offensive output. He relies much more on the straight-line speed to get around defenders in one-on-one situations.
Hockey Sense: 4.5/10
From my limited viewings, Gruden’s hockey sense is decent for what he provides. He has a general understanding of where his teammates will be and can execute nifty give-and-goes, like this:
Beyond that, he finds himself in good positioning when he doesn’t have the puck, either putting himself in areas of the ice to capitalize on passing opportunities or having the wherewithal to preemptively start skating back into the neutral zone in anticipation of a breakout the other way.
Puck Skills: 3/10
Gruden relies much more on hard work than individual skill to make things happen on the ice. I haven’t seen much of his stick skills, but he can occasionally deke out a goaltender from in-tight when called upon.
Shot: 4/10
Gruden has a bit of an underrated shot, though I don’t think there’s enough there to warrant a plus rating. He doesn’t shoot particularly often, and that is probably due to some level of a lack of confidence in the product. His wrist shot can beat goalies clean, though, and his release is pretty quick. His one-timer is also decent, but seeing it is a rarity which he only really pulls out in odd-man opportunities when they arise.
Defensive Awareness: 5/10
As with all hardworking energy-line-type players, his defensive work is rooted in his willingness to be a pest to puck carriers. He is an active puck pursuer in cycle situations and will absolutely annoy pointmen to the point where they will, on occasion, turn the puck over to him. Gruden also shows no fear in getting in shooting lanes when need be.
Physicality/Size: 6/10
Despite his 6’0, 172-pound stature, Gruden plays the body a lot, being a key member of AHL checking lines. He is aggressive on the forecheck and is a very hard worker, which has been the reason he’s seen NHL time in his career and was a fan-favorite with the Wilkes-Barre Penguins. His grit and work ethic are undeniable, which sometimes bites him in the form of taking needless penalties because he tries too hard to get the puck back.
NHL Comparable: Garnet Hathaway
NHL Ceiling: 4th Line Energy Forward
NHL Likelihood: Somewhat Likely
Gruden has already spent some time in the NHL in his career, having played 16 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. There’s a chance he has the same role in New Jersey as an energy-spark fourth-line injury call-up or carves out a niche role for himself down the line. Time is ticking, though, for the 24-year-old.
No. 25: Samu Salminen (C/LW)
3rd Round, 2021 (68th Overall) — 40 Games Played | 10 Goals | 15 Assists | 25 Total Points — Univ. of Denver (NCAA)
At the time of the draft back in 2021, Salminen was an excellent pick with a reasonably high ceiling. His smarts were among the best in the draft class and he’d been killing it in the U20 Sm-sarja. That continued for another year, where he was above a point-per-game player in that league, though it was a bit of a concern that he hadn’t made the move up to Liiga yet. Once he joined the NCAA, his production really took a dip, and he hasn’t quite reached that potential.
Skating: 3/10
Salminen has shown flashes of good speed and acceleration in a straight line, but his consistency is lacking and generally a concern. I also don’t think his lateral mobility is impressive. Weak edges prevent him from performing the movements he wants to perform. To me, it’s the weakest part of his offensive toolkit.
Hockey Sense: 6/10
Salminen has always been touted as a heady player, and though the point totals are pretty unimpressive, that does hold true. He has a general awareness of where his teammates are on the ice at all times and is able to find them with some nifty passing plays at times. He has good vision, scanning the ice well enough to find open teammates on nearly every extended possession. Salminen can anticipate the flow of play a step or two ahead, with and without the puck, and put himself in a good position accordingly. I’ve always been impressed by his IQ.
His hockey sense has particularly shown in the last couple of seasons as a power-play puck distributor, knowing how to draw in defenders in order to generate space for his teammates. When Salminen doesn’t have the puck on the man advantage, he puts himself in prime scoring areas without drawing attention from coverage.
Puck Skills: 3/10
Salminen entered his draft year with the ideology that he could do more with the puck than he really could, but that’s come down to Earth (and rightfully so) in his time in the NCAA. He’ll still occasionally try more than his hands can actually do, turning the puck over in the process, but he has come pretty far in this regard. The thought process behind the dekes is generally the right one, but the hands just don’t match.
The odd thing is that extremely rarely, everything seems to click for a moment in Salminen’s puck-skills game. 95% of the time his brain is operating at a level his hands can’t perform at, but 5% of the time, you get moments like this:
Shot: 5/10
Whereas his shot was a strength a few years ago and he was really dialed in as a dual threat offensively, Salminen’s shot hasn’t taken any steps forward and I don’t consider it quite as menacing anymore. I don’t think it’s bad by any means, but I’d have liked to see more growth over the seasons. His wrist shot is the best of the bunch, with a relatively quick and deceptive release that will, on occasion, beat goaltenders from distance as well as in the slot.
Salminen’s one-timer is rarely used, and I’ve only really seen him pull out a backhand on breakaways, to which he’s used it in an attempt to bury it in the five-hole. He’s going to need to develop a bigger arsenal to make it. His hand-eye coordination is a strength, though, being able to tip and deflect pucks accurately from both immediately in front of the net and in stride from distance.
Defensive Awareness: 6.5/10
Salminen has transformed his game into primarily being a defensively minded player. With the University of Denver, he has turned into a top penalty killer and player in defensive situations, and for good reason. He is one of the top faceoff guys in the league (nearly 58% in the dot) and positions himself quite well in the defensive zone. He is annoying and active in pursuit of puck carriers, occasionally generating turnovers for himself, and doesn't shy away from getting in shooting lanes or engaging in board battles.
Physicality/Size: 4/10
Salminen is not overly physical, relying more on his stickwork on the defensive side of things despite his sturdy 6’2, 205-pound stature. He doesn’t often use power moves to get around defensemen and isn’t as active on the forecheck as I’d like to see. He relies more on his off-puck instincts in this regard
NHL Comparable: Nico Sturm
NHL Ceiling: 4th Line Center
NHL Likelihood: Unlikely
He had an incredibly encouraging 2021-22 season in the U20 SM-sarja, but since his move to the NCAA, he has largely been unable to score points in a faster-paced environment. That would be more concerning if he weren’t an all-situations, defensively minded center who can win faceoffs in clutch situations, but it still makes me think he’s probably not going to make it to the NHL.
No. 24: Josh Filmon (LW/RW)
6th Round, 2022 (166th Overall) — 54 Games Played | 17 Goals | 12 Assists | 29 Total Points | Adirondack Thunder (ECHL)
Josh Filmon got Devils fans excited in his D+1 season, one in which he scored 47 goals in 65 WHL games and earned himself a spotlight from Amanda Stein talking about how much hype he’d been generating within the organization. He’s fallen off dramatically, though, and doesn’t look the part of the sixth-round steal he was making things out to be at first. He took a step backward in the WHL in 2023-24, scoring half the goals and fewer points, and hasn’t made things work at the AHL, either, leading him to be relegated to the ECHL (where he also hasn’t dominated).
Skating: 2.5/10
Filmon has ugly mechanics from a skating standpoint. He still has little ankle flexion when moving, preventing him from generating nearly as much power as you’d want to see from a player of his stature. As he fills out — which he still desperately needs to do — this should, in theory, become less of an issue. If he puts on 20-30 pounds, he’ll be able to generate power more naturally and completely change his skating game, but until then it’s a legitimate worry. His straight-line speed is lacking, as is his acceleration, because he doesn’t shift weight onto the ball of his foot while skating, preventing him from putting as much force into the ice as you’d want to see. His edgework is unimpressive as well.
Hockey Sense: 4/10
From an offensive standpoint, Filmon has a decently high hockey IQ from within the zone. His off-puck movements are strong — whereas some players are content to find their spots and stick to them, Filmon doesn’t stop moving in the offensive zone, deceiving defenders into thinking he’s in one spot while he sneaks to another. This is particularly useful in front of the net; whereas defenders expect him to be parked directly in front like the stereotypical netfront guy, Filmon will slink a bit to the side, putting himself in prime scoring position for easy tap-ins that appear with cross-crease puck movement.
Where Filmon lacks is in his transitional and rush hockey sense. He’s not much of a playmaker on the rush, looking off teammates who are in a much better position to score in favor of even low-danger chances for himself. He’ll do just about anything to not be the playdriver on his line, too, which is a concern. This causes him to disappear for much of the time, fading into the background of the game and leaving you guessing as to whether or not he even played.
Puck Skills: 5/10
While his shot is his best asset (more on that in a short while), Filmon does possess a decent collection of dekes that he can pull out to make things happen one-on-one. He does his best work off-puck but has flash-in-the-pan moments that make fans and scouts yearn for more. Filmon likes to fake moves with his head and eyes to push defenders in one direction before drawing the puck back and going the opposite way, which has worked wonders for him in both the CHL and ECHL. I hope that when he really fills out, which will drastically improve the power he’s able to generate skating-wise, he transforms his game into leaning more into being the puck carrier because he can do some exciting things at his full speed already.
Shot: 6/10
Filmon does have an excellent shot, and that has been clear throughout his career. He is an expert in using the momentum of a pass and very rarely needs to compose the puck on his stick before ripping it. His wrist shot is definitely already NHL-level — quickly released and accurate — and his one-timer is an asset to boot. He has okay hand-eye coordination, which is probably something he’s going to want to improve on considering his penchant for becoming the netfront presence, though if he continues to play the way he already does (sneaking into open ice on the side of the net for easy put-ins), this is less of an issue to me.
Defensive Awareness: 1/10
Filmon is completely unengaged from a defensive standpoint, wanting pretty much nothing to do with playing in his own end. He puck watches a lot and stands still a lot, and he has been exposed for doing so at the pro level.
Physicality/Size: 3/10
Filmon has decent height, at 6’3, but needs to put the work in to fill out at just 170 pounds. You can see that he wants to make an impact in forechecking but is literally too light to do so. He can perform power moves at times, but other times he’s checked off the puck while trying one by larger, stronger defensemen. Filling out has been touted as a necessity practically since his draft year, and it’s still the truth now.
NHL Comparable: Daniel Sprong (But Slow)
NHL Ceiling: 3rd Line Passenger Winger
NHL Likelihood: Longshot
At this point, it’s hard to project Filmon to play NHL games, even though I’d like to see it desperately. It’s extra difficult to project him simply because he doesn’t have a playstyle that would work for a fourth line or as a 13th forward — he’d need to play on the third line at minimum to be successful considering he isn’t much of a grinder or defensive specialist, and that adds an extra layer for the player who has struggled to do much of anything in even the ECHL.
No. 23: Artem Shlaine (C)
5th Round, 2020 (130th Overall) — 31 Games Played | 17 Goals | 21 Assists | 38 Total Points — Arizona State (NCAA)
I’ve been watching Artem Shlaine play this season pretty closely by proxy of moving into an NCAA scouting role with Dobber Prospects, and I can say, with confidence, that he’s having a truly odd season by most accounts. He has an uncanny ability to just… score points with Arizona State this season, which often leaves me wondering “How?” simply because, from the eye test, things aren’t all that impressive. He’d floated around the point-per-game mark in the previous two seasons with Northern Michigan University, totaling 55 points in 65 games, but has truly come into his own from a production standpoint this season.
His microstatistical profile tracks with what my personal eye test is telling me — things aren’t all that great, but he’s scoring anyway. It’s an impressive feat, to be sure.
Shlaine has dealt with some injuries this season, getting demolished in a scary hit that saw him stretchered off the ice a couple of months ago and missing a few games there. He also broke his foot just one day ago while blocking a shot, though he came back into that game and scored the game-tying goal, with a broken foot. That’s a hockey player mentality right there.
Skating: 4/10
I think Shlaine has good straight-line skating ability, with solid enough speed and acceleration to make it work at higher levels. His edgework is a bit janky, but it isn’t a true detriment to his game, either. I really don’t have that much to say about it. He uses his edgework on occasion off the rush to perform full-body direction fakes, which is fun, though I don’t think that shines through as much when his team is cycling in the zone.
Hockey Sense: 4/10
It might be a bit of a hot take around the community, but I’m not sure I like Shlaine’s hockey IQ in the offensive zone all that much. I feel as though he stands still at times, waiting for the play to come to him rather than performing proactive movement to get into a prime scoring position or supportive position for his teammates.
With the puck on his stick, he doesn't scan the ice super well, preferring to take on defenders with his skills rather than dole out nifty or difficult passes. I will say, though, that he certainly knows how to draw defenders toward him in order to create space for his teammates, even if he doesn’t necessarily always find them with a pass afterward.
Puck Skills: 6.5/10
The calling card to Shlaine’s game is his puck skills. He has a hoard of dangles to choose from when taking on defenders one-on-one or even two-on-one and can fake them out of their skates as well. This is largely where he gets his playmaking chops from, drawing defenders out of position by putting their teammates out of position with crafty dekes before sending the puck into now-open space.
Shot: 5.5/10
I really, really like Shlaine’s wrist shot, particularly from the inner slot. He can struggle with accuracy from the outer edges of the ice, but he has enough power on his shots to generate rebounds if he can keep the puck low. Again, though, from within 15 feet of the net, his wrister in particular is gorgeous, with a quick, deceptive release and blistering accuracy.
Defensive Awareness: 4/10
Despite his status as one of the top faceoff takers (and winners) in the NCAA this season, I’m not overwhelmingly impressed with Shlaine’s defensive play. You can see that he really does try and want to do well in this part of his game, but he can be caught overcommitting at times, which leaves his teammates in dire straights. He was an all-situations player this season for ASU, logging meaningful penalty-killing time, though I’m not necessarily convinced that that was the correct decision.
Physicality/Size: 3/10
Physicality is not a major part of Shlaine’s game, though he is a sturdy 6’1, 190. He can, very rarely, body a defender off of him, but he prefers operating in open space rather than getting into the dirty areas or engaging along the boards.
NHL Comparable: Morgan Frost
NHL Ceiling: 4th Line Center
NHL Likelihood: Unlikely
At this point, it’s hard to say that Shlaine will make it to The Show. He has some appealing tools — particularly his hands and wrister — but I don’t think he’s put everything together at a level high enough to warrant a pro contract. He can sign with any team now, though, so it’ll be interesting to see his next steps. I’m sure he believes in his own toolkit enough to pine for an entry-level deal.
No. 22: Chase Cheslock (RHD)
5th Round, 2023 (154th Overall) — 38 Games Played | 1 Goal | 13 Assists | 14 Total Points — Univ. of St. Thomas (NCAA)
I considered putting Cheslock lower on this list, but I like his defensive skills quite a bit. In his second season of college hockey, he has logged meaningful minutes with the University of St. Thomas and should be pushing for true 1D minutes next season with them.
Skating: 5/10
I’m actually a pretty big fan of Cheslock’s mobility. He has the straight-line ability to be active and successful in zone exits and can accelerate to his top speed pretty quickly. When operating as the puck carrier in the offensive zone, I generally like his ability to move laterally in order to put himself in areas of the zone to shoot with a screen, though when moving in transition I feel as though his edges could use some work. As a defenseman who excels in puck retrievals and crease-clearing, though, the fact that he can turn that into legitimate zone exits with the puck on his stick is encouraging.
Hockey Sense: 3/10
Cheslock’s in-zone offensive hockey sense is what you’d expect from a crease-clearing defenseman. His puck distribution generally involves giving the puck to his partner at the blue line and letting them do the heavy lifting from a playmaking standpoint, but he can, on occasion, contribute to that as well. His vision is limited, though, so at times that can look like just sending the puck down the boards and praying that one of his teammates finds it before the opposition does.
Puck Skills: 2/10
As with most defensive defensemen, Cheslock doesn’t really pose a threat when handling the puck.
Shot: 2/10
While he does get some legitimate power behind his slap shots from the point, Cheslock doesn’t use that tool very often so it’s admittedly difficult to gauge just how dangerous it can be. I would like to see him use it much, much more than he has (55 shots in 38 games). His wrist shot doesn’t move the needle at all, though I’ve liked what I’ve seen from an improvement standpoint there — he can get it through screens on occasion, which is how he scored his lone goal of the season:
Defensive Awareness: 7.5/10
The stereotypical crease-clearing defenseman practically no longer exists, but Cheslock is a testament to them still having use at high-level hockey. No Devils prospect is as apt at preventing chances around the netfront as he is, and I’m not sure there are any players on the main squad who are, either. You can tell in watching him that he has an intrinsic hatred for any opposing player who dares trespass on his net — cross-checking, stick-lifting, stick-chopping, and physical harassment are all staples within Cheslock’s game once the puck nears his goaltender.
When the play is not near to the goal, things get a bit dicier but he still finds himself at home getting in the way of shots and ensuring that no cross-crease passes go down. He can get beat off the rush but scarcely puts himself out of position when the opposition is in the cycle. When the flow of play calls for it, Cheslock is also an asset in puck retrievals, being annoying in board battles in order to get the puck back for his team.
Physicality/Size: 6.5/10
Cheslock is a pretty physical defender, particularly around the net as I said. He has a disdain for his opposition, and it shows in any sort of battle, be it in the front of the net or along the boards. He’s relatively huge, at 6’3, 205 pounds, and uses his size well to bully opponents off the puck when need be.
NHL Comparable: Ian Cole
NHL Ceiling: 3rd Pair Defensive Defenseman
NHL Likelihood: Unlikely
I do honestly quite like Cheslock’s defensive playstyle and think that it can translate well to the big leagues, but I do think he’s going to need an upgrade in the offensive skillset he has, particularly in his shot. Big, mobile, crease-clearers don’t come around too often though, so there could be something there down the line.
No. 21: Kasper Pikkarainen (RW)
3rd Round, 2024 (85th Overall) — 2 Games Played | 1 Goal | 0 Assists | 1 Total Point — TPS U20 (U20 Sm-sarja)
Kasper Pikkarainen is an incredibly difficult player to discuss, as he only very recently returned to play after an ugly preseason injury prevented him from logging a single minute to that point. He’s the stereotypical Tom Fitzgerald forward pick, generally lacking individual skill but with decent enough production and a bruising, physical playstyle. It didn’t feel right putting him any higher or lower than right here simply because I have only watched him play in the two games he’s logged in the U20 Sm-sarja.
Skating: 2/10
Pikkarainen is an ugly skater for the most part. His stride comes at an upright position, raising his center of gravity in the process, which limits his top speed in general. His tree-trunk legs are powerful enough to boast some level of explosion, though I do feel as though that would be even more of an asset if he were to hunch over in his stride a bit more to lower his center of gravity. His upright nature lets others walk around him pretty easily and he doesn’t have the edgework aptitude to keep up at all.
Hockey Sense: 4/10
I like Pikkarainen’s playmaking chops a bit more than most, particularly from the perimeter of the ice. He sees the ice relatively well when from a standstill, which only really occurs when he isn’t receiving pressure and he has time to think. In those rare times, though, he is able to find unexpected plays that catch defenders and goaltenders off guard. He does struggle with decision-making when the pace is higher, though, looking off opportunities to pass in favor of a low-danger shot more often than you’d like to see. I wish he’d be able to slow the game down a bit more with the puck on his stick while he’s moving.
Puck Skills: 2.5/10
Pikkarainen doesn’t boast an overwhelmingly strong puckhandling ability as many of the power forwards in the NHL possess. I think his hands are a bit clunky, nor does he have more than a couple of moves to pull from. He has strong puck-carrying ability, though, but that comes more from his size and strength than his hands themselves.
Shot: 4/10
I do think Pikkarainen’s shot is better than some give credit for, with the innate ability to get it off on the rush with power. As you’d expect from a player of his size (6’3, 200), his shot is heavy and can beat goaltenders clean with its speed alone. His wrister is okay, but he projects his target a bit with a semi-drawn-out release that gives goalies time to react accordingly. If he can quicken the release there and work on changing the angles of his shots, there is a legit goal-scoring threat there, in my opinion.
Defensive Awareness: 5.5/10
Pikkarainen’s defensive positioning is generally pretty strong, and he’s an incredibly active participant in board battles. Most of that stems from his want to punish his opponents physically, but he is generally successful in those endeavors.
Physicality/Size: 8/10
There isn’t an opportunity to play the body that Pikkarainen won’t lean into. If he has a chance to perform a power move to create contact, he’ll do it. If he has a chance to check someone hard en route to a board battle, he’ll do it. If he has a chance to perform a reverse hit, he’ll do it. If he has a chance for a big open-ice collision, he’ll do it. Pikkarainen is a hard-hitting, aggressive forechecker who creates time and space for himself and his teammates by dropping defenders and outmuscling them when necessary. Again, he’s the quintessential Tom Fitzgerald draft selection.
NHL Comparable: Tanner Jeannot
NHL Ceiling: 4th Line Winger
NHL Likelihood: Unlikely
As I mentioned in his introductory blurb, it’s really hard to gauge where his game is at simply because he has barely played at all this season. Pikkarainen does have the playstyle to jump into a fourth-line role down the line, but the rest of his kit, to me, is lacking enough that I don’t believe he’ll make it very far. He could have a strong pro career in Europe, though.
No. 20: Nathan Légaré (RW/LW)
3rd Round, 2019 (74th Overall) — 57 Games Played | 12 Goals | 6 Assists | 18 Total Points — Utica Comets (AHL)
Nathan Légaré makes his money with a supreme work ethic. He isn’t going to wow you with his offensive toolkit but has the drive and wants to make it to the big leagues. He was a part of a minor league trade that brought him to Utica and he earned an NHL contract from there. The point totals don’t jump off the page either, but he may end up as a fourth liner simply off of how hard he works.
Skating: 4/10
In a straight line, Légaré is a relatively strong skater with decent explosion and an above-average top speed. Going back to his draft year, his feet were a legitimate issue, so it’s encouraging to see the growth he’s had in the past two or three years in this regard. His edge work and pivoting abilities still need work, though, as he doesn’t skate particularly well when rotating and struggles to transition between forward and backward skating. I’m not sure that matters all that much or affects his ability to get to the NHL, but it would certainly be nice if he could turn himself into a threat off the cycle by improving his ability to change direction.
Hockey Sense: 3.5/10
I don’t see a whole lot of vision in Légaré’s game, opting more for using his work ethic to create plays off the forecheck than his smarts. His off-puck movement is pretty unimpressive but he will rarely have a light-bulb moment where he realizes where he needs to be. In those times, that usually ends up with him slipping the defense to put himself in a high-danger area of the ice, usually around the goal mouth. Most of the time, though, Légaré is more content to just park himself in one location until he sees the opportunity to jump into a board battle. I know that seems counterintuitive to my praise for his work ethic, but I believe it’s just because he doesn’t think the game at a high enough level, not because he doesn’t want to try.
Puck Skills: 3/10
Again, Légaré’s game is rooted in playing hard much more than soft skill and IQ. His hands are no exception to that rule — while he does possess somewhat quick lateral movement with his hands, most of that comes to use in entering the zone on the rare occasion he doesn’t dump and chase and I don’t think I’ve actually ever seen him pull off a deke or make a move in tight space.
Shot: 6/10
Without a doubt, Légaré’s best asset is his shot. It was true when he was drafted by the Penguins six years ago, and it’s still true now. He has an extremely heavy release, generating immense amounts of power from his back legs when in stride to get a hard shot off that can beat goaltenders outright. At times, he can also pull out a dangerous one-timer, though his wrist and snap shots are the better of the bunch in my opinion. I’d actually like to see him shoot quite a bit more than he does because I feel as though his release is that good.
Defensive Awareness: 5/10
Defensive play was always an issue for Légaré, but things have simmered down in that regard and he now looks generally poised in his own end. He positions himself well enough to take away shooting lanes and force his man to the outside or to annoy his man with an active poke check. He’s a true puck hound when the opposition is cycling.
Physicality/Size: 7/10
Légaré isn’t a gigantic player, height-wise, at 6’0, but he is an incredibly stocky 205 pounds and uses that heft to his advantage. He’s strong both on and off the puck, contributing heavily to hitting on the forecheck and using power moves to get to the net when the opportunity arises. His motor is incessant, too, and he uses that to annoy opponents along the board and grind away at retrieving the puck back. He won’t turn down an opportunity to lay the body, either, doling out 12 hits in his three games in the big leagues this season and generally being an extraordinarily active forechecker. Players with his frame and work ethic largely use physicality as an asset to their game, and Légaré is no different.
NHL Comparable: Kiefer Sherwood
NHL Ceiling: Fourth Line Energy Winger
NHL Likelihood: Likely
Beyond his skillset, Légaré’s work ethic will get him NHL reps. As head coach Sheldon Keefe said, “He [plays] like a guy that wants to be in the NHL and knows who he is.” For a head coach to note that about a player who has only played a few games in his career is an encouraging sign for the rest of Légaré’s path. It might just be in a 13th-forward capacity or he could see an extended look as a fourth-liner, but I’m fairly confident in saying he’ll play more at the NHL level.
No. 19: Marc McLaughlin (C/RW)
Undrafted — 40 Games Played | 5 Goals | 12 Assists | 17 Total Points — Utica Comets (AHL)
Marc McLaughlin was acquired from the Boston Bruins in exchange for prospect Daniil Misyul, who I’d probably have ranked a tad bit higher than 18th on this list. The undrafted 25-year-old signed right from the NCAA to the Bruins’ organization a few years ago, and though he has had stints in the big leagues, hasn’t really been able to make it work, particularly on a consistent basis. My understanding is that the organization wants to keep him around after this season, when his contract expires.
Skating: 3.5/10
McLaughlin stays upright when skating, raising his center of gravity and thus lowering the amount of power that he's able to generate with each stride. This stymies his top speed pretty heavily which gives the illusion that he isn’t trying as much as he is. I think his ultimate goal is to play with pace, but his lack of footspeed by proxy of his poor mechanics holds him back from doing so. His edgework is outright unremarkable as well.
Hockey Sense: 4/10
I get the feeling in watching McLaughlin that he really wants to do the right thing most of the time and has the brain capacity to understand what he’s supposed to do, though his offensive toolkit — or lack thereof — prevents him from executing at the NHL level.
When things are clicking, though, he can make some nice plays and jump into action pretty well. He is irregularly able to make plays like this, where he sneaks into open ice at a high-danger location and has the wherewithal to continue the play afterward:
Puck Skills: 2.5/10
This is where McLaughlin’s (lack of) skill really bites him more than anything else. Regardless of what his brain wants him to do, his hands simply can’t match. His stickwork is largely slow, clunky, and telegraphed, which allows defenders who are keeping pace with him in one-on-one situations to easily get the puck out of his possession.
Shot: 4/10
I’m not impressed by McLaughlin’s shot, either. I don’t think he generates much power from his wrister or snap shot, and neither is particularly accurate, either. His release, much like his hands, is telegraphed and gives goaltenders time to react and/or position themselves accordingly. The one part of his shooting game I do like is his one-timer, which is particularly lethal off the rush. He doesn’t need to corral the puck to get it off when this situation arises:
Defensive Awareness: 7/10
The best part of McLaughlin’s game, and what will make him an eventual NHLer, is his defensive work. He’s always in the right spot to disturb play for the opposition, turning his active poke checks into the occasional breakaway (which he then, more often than not, fumbles because of his generally lacking skill set). He has great reads and anticipation of play, making him all the more effective at annoying and disturbing his opponents. He’s a gamer in his own end.
Physicality/Size: 6/10
McLaughlin isn’t enormous, at 6’0, 198 pounds, but he doesn’t shy away from physical contact, either. He is hard on the forecheck, as you’d expect from a player with his archetype, and usually comes out with possession of the puck when he’s pinned along the boards. He will every so often drop the mitts, too, though it’s not like that’s an everyday happening for him. His power moves are few and far between but are usually effective at generating scoring chances for him or his teammates.
NHL Comparable: Scott Laughton
NHL Ceiling: 13th Forward
NHL Likelihood: Likely
McLaughlin has already garnered a few NHL looks as either a fourth-line center or 13th forward, but has yet to be able to get consistent playing time. I think this is probably where he’ll be for the rest of his professional career, too — there’s no doubt in my mind that he can make it in a very limited capacity, perhaps one in which he doesn’t have high expectations, but anything beyond that will be a question mark to me. His game just hasn’t improved enough over the years for me to believe that it will take a big enough step forward to make a permanent role for himself in an NHL lineup.
No. 18: Daniil Orlov (LHD)
4th Round, 2022 (110th Overall) — 52 Games Played | 5 Goals | 10 Assists | 15 Total Points — Spartak Moskva (KHL)
Daniil Orlov, at the time of the pick, was considered a bit of a reach, albeit one who could develop into a 6/7D with enough time, patience, and luck. Flash forward three years and things are a bit promising, though there’s still much work to do for the young left-handed blueliner.
Skating: 6/10
Orlov boasts some pretty great speed and acceleration when moving North-South. He generates a good amount of power from his legs in each stride, causing him to reach top speed faster than most of his peers. This is particularly useful off the rush, where he is a legitimate threat in transition and has gone coast-to-coast a handful of times. His edgework is worse than his speed and explosiveness, but I think it’s still a net positive to his game. Orlov has certainly put the work in there, as pre-draft, he was exposed in his respective league for his pivots and lack of lateral chops. Now, it’s no longer a detriment to his game, being able to keep up with attackers when rotating his body and using those edges to get around defenders in transition.
Hockey Sense: 4/10
In a cyclical setting, I like what Orlov brings to the table at times. He’ll jump into the play if he sees an opening, and is effective enough at doling the puck out in the zone to not be a complete liability on that end of things. You’ll notice I said “at times,” though, as he can struggle with consistency in this facet of the game. In other words, I like when he jumps into the play and activates, I’d just like to see it more. In terms of breakouts from his own end, Orlov prefers the puck on his stick, and I’d like to see a bit of development regarding his first pass and which targets to identify on those passes.
Puck Skills: 4/10
I haven’t seen much from Orlov in terms of dekes and dangles, but his puckhandling abilities are fine enough for a defenseman, especially one with skating as strong as his. In transition, he relies more on his legs to get around defenders than his hands, but he has solid enough quickness with his stick to make a spur-of-the-moment side-to-side movement with the puck. He is able to do this in-stride and at full speed, too, truly making him one of the more under-the-radar transition defenders in the Devils’ pipeline.
Shot: 5/10
Orlov possesses a hefty slap shot, which is particularly useful in one-time situations. When in conjunction with his generally strong wherewithal of when to jump into the play and sneak a bit closer to the net, this proves to be an asset, as illustrated below:
His wrist shot is decent, too, being able to get a quick shot off while in stride (as seen in the clip under the blurb about his skating).
I do want to see him use his shot a bit more, particularly when he’s stagnant on the blue line. The power he generates makes him a threat from the top of the zone, and, if anything, blasting a slapper into someone’s shins takes them out of the play for a moment. It sounds horrible, but I want to see more of that.
Defensive Awareness: 5.5/10
Orlov is no slouch in his own zone, either. He is particularly effective at exiting the zone with possession of the puck, which can be attributed to his skating ability more than anything else. Puck retrievals can be a bit of an issue for him at times, occasionally positioning himself poorly along the boards, but once he does gain possession of the puck, you can be sure that it will get out. Orlov also clears the crease pretty well for a defender his size and doesn’t shy away from netfront contact or puck blocking, either.
Physicality/Size: 6/10
As noted above, Orlov has no issue with physical contact, especially when it comes to defending a player who is sitting in front of the net. He engages well along the boards from a physical standpoint, relying more on laying the body than his stick in those situations. In open ice, he doesn’t use his body as much as you’d like to see, instead relying almost exclusively on his stick to force defenders to the outside rather than sealing them off physically. He’s strong, though, when he does play with an edge.
NHL Comparable: Adam Pelech
NHL Ceiling: 7th Defenseman
NHL Likelihood: Somewhat Likely
I really do like the steps forward that Orlov has taken since being drafted, and I’m happy to see that he has, in some regard, proven the haters wrong a bit. There are definitely tools that you’d like to see from a modern-day defenseman, particularly in his mobility, and that might earn him a spot on an NHL roster in a couple of seasons. I want him to succeed.
No. 17: Daniil Karpovich (LHD)
6th Round, 2023 (186th Overall) — 19 Games Played | 1 Goal | 3 Assists | 4 Total Points — Gornyak-UGMK (VHL)
Daniil Karpovich is an incredibly difficult prospect to get a gauge on — not because he hasn’t played, but because he took a one-year hiatus from the Russian pro leagues to play in the Belarusian league, a perplexing move that, in my opinion, certainly stymied his development. Karpovoch was one of my favorite picks from the 2023 draft, with production relative to his league and age being pretty astonishing, particularly for a sixth-round selection. He had/has legitimate tools in his arsenal (particularly a powerful, accurate shot) and the scouting team was correct in touting him as a prospect worth a flier on. As I said, though, the one-year stint in Belarus did not do him any wonders, and it saddens me to think about how many spots higher he’d be on this list if he spent that time developing in a better league.
Skating: 5/10
Karpovich is a bigger defenseman (6’3, 210), but moves particularly well for his size. He keeps up to pace with opposing attackers playing on the rush and skates backward extremely well. His edgework lacks a bit which directly correlates to his general struggles closing gaps on forwards trying to dance around him, but he’s taken some small strides (pun intended) in that facet of his game over time. His straight-line speed and acceleration are solid, though, and he can shift direction well enough with the puck on his stick now to make a dent in transitional work on rare occasions.
Hockey Sense: 5/10
I think Karpovich has some underrated offensive IQ in his toolkit, too. I don’t think he’s necessarily going to stand out but he largely does the little, subtle things right. This doesn’t necessarily result in him getting on the scoresheet, but he makes the small decisions with efficiency and pushes play forward in that regard. In the offensive zone, he will occasionally activate and join the cycle, as illustrated below:
Puck Skills: 2.5/10
Karpovich’s hands are relatively stone-like. He can, very rarely, transition into the zone with a couple of sneaky head fakes and left-right dekes, but that’s about it.
Shot: 6/10
If ever there were a prospect in the Devils’ system with a heavy shot, it’s Karpovich. He uses his back legs to generate loads of power into his slapshot, making it a legitimate threat from all areas of the offensive zone. He has some accuracy issues, as do most who boast a slapper with that much speed, but I assume that that can be fixed with some more reps. His wrister is just alright, though he can beat goalies with it when he’s given time and space, which is a rarity considering that he is a defenseman — that’s where his hockey sense comes in, as he can jump into the flow of play pretty well in order to generate that aforementioned time and space.
Defensive Awareness: 5/10
Karpovich positions himself well defensively, though I feel as though he lets plays develop around him at too high a clip for my liking. By that, I mean that he can appear unengaged at times, allowing his opponents to cycle around the perimeter of where he’s at without challenging them. This makes him look as though he is lazier than he is. What he does do is activate well below the goal line from a physical standpoint, preventing attacking forwards from making their way around the net without a fight.
Physicality/Size: 7/10
Karpovich is a very physical defenseman, crushing opposing forwards with hard shoulder checks, particularly when they are around the back of the net. He engages in fisticuffs more often than he probably wants to, simply because he delivers so many hard hits that can cause some retaliation.
NHL Comparable: Radko Gudas
NHL Ceiling: Third Pair Defenseman
NHL Likelihood: Unlikely
The question, in my opinion, won’t necessarily be “Can Karpovich handle NHL minutes?” but rather “Will Karpovich ever move overseas?”
I do think he’s going to have a skillset that would translate well to playing in a 6/7D capacity in a couple of years, once he irons things out a bit and puts them all together at the KHL level, but in my far-from-expert opinion, I’m not sure it’ll be enough to move the needle for the Devils to where they’re pining for him to come over.
No. 16: Xavier Parent (LW/C)
Undrafted — 49 Games Played | 12 Goals | 15 Assists | 27 Total Points — Utica Comets (AHL)
Xavier Parent wasn’t originally in my rankings simply because he doesn’t technically become a part of the Devils’ pipeline until next season. With that said, though, he’s been one of my favorite players to watch in Utica ever since I first watched him live at the 2022 Devils’ development camp.
Parent was one of the most productive players in the QMJHL before signing with the Comets, logging 51 goals and 106 total points in 65 games in the 2021-22 QMJHL regular season. The now-24-year-old has been one of Utica’s best forwards since, putting together a respectable 45-point campaign last season and ranking top-five on the team this campaign in points. He was rewarded for his efforts with a two-year deal with the Devils that starts next season.
Skating: 6.5/10
Parent is a relatively strong skater, which you would expect from a player listed at 5’8. His acceleration is explosive, but his top speed is average, meaning that he can initially create space against practically all defenders, but speedier ones can catch right back up. His edges are quite strong, though, so he is able to pivot and rotate around defenders at high speeds with the puck on his stick.
Hockey Sense: 5/10
Parent’s hockey sense is fine. He has decent enough vision to make plays happen, with the playmaking chops to follow suit. He can, at times, get tough passes through from difficult areas of the ice and can infrequently find high-IQ plays that others wouldn’t be able to. The consistency isn’t always there, but he has the raw chops to build on.
Parent is great at finding open space for his teammates to give him the puck, though. Once he gets the puck back off the forecheck and gives it to a teammate, he is always looking for open ice to capitalize on an opportunity.
Puck Skills: 4.5/10
For a player of his stature, his handles are admittedly a bit disappointing. Parent doesn’t have the lightning-fast hands I want to see, nor does he have a ton of moves to pull from. He settled into more of an energy role once he turned pro, but in going through his QMJHL highlights, I want to see him revert a bit more to the player who was able to outwork and outskill his opponents en route to 100+ points.
Shot: 6.5/10
What Parent does have, though, is a wonderful shot. His wrister is quick-triggered and deceptive, pulling the puck into his body to change the angle of his release when warranted. His one-timer is middling, but his snap shots and backhands are strong as well. He has good accuracy, and I’d honestly like to see him shoot a lot more.
Defensive Awareness: 3/10
As much as he wants to do well defensively, I’m always left with the feeling that he perhaps did too much. By that, I mean that smaller players always have a penchant for overdoing it and overinvolving themselves to the point that they get caught overcommitting, and Parent is no exception to that. I find that he gets a bit excited when pursuing the puck, getting drawn out of position and allowing the opposition to execute a pass into open ice. At times, this excitement can be a boon, turning an opposing possession into a chance the other way, but it burns him too often for that to cancel out the deficiencies.
Physicality/Size: 4/10
Despite his stature (5’8, 170), Parent engages himself physically whenever he can. He’s hard on the forecheck and involved in board battles in the defensive zone. His motor is incessant, and he is always — and I really mean always — jumping off the page in terms of the energy that he puts out there every shift. He’ll never go unnoticed for a stretch, and it has nothing to do with anything but his gritty, grindey, motory nature.
NHL Comparable: Logan Stankoven
NHL Ceiling: Bottom-Six Energy Winger
NHL Likelihood: 50/50
I’m a huge believer in what Parent brings to the table. If nothing else, players make the NHL for the energy they provide alone, and Parent is an exemplary prospect in that regard. Shift in and shift out, he is noticeable and relentless. I’m not sure if he’ll ever make it out of being a top-six player for Utica, but I’d really like the Devils to give him a shot at some point next season — he’s such a fun player to watch and I want to see just how much he can up his energy game if given the opportunity to play in the big leagues.
No. 15: Topias Vilén (LHD)
5th Round, 2021 (129th Overall) — 47 Games Played | 1 Goal | 18 Assists | 19 Total Points — Utica Comets (AHL)
15th on the list and the third straight left-handed defenseman, some tout Topias Vilén as an already-NHL-ready defenseman, though I heartily disagree. He is a balanced player, to be sure, and will have an NHL career in all likelihood, but I encourage everyone on that train to take a step back. He’s still just 21 and needs a good bit more time to marinate.
Skating: 5/10
I don’t think his skating is particularly impressive, nor do I believe that it holds him back in any way at all. His top speed and acceleration are average, as is his ability to use his edges in transition to get around defenders. I do like the activity of his feet when roving along the blue line, even if he doesn’t necessarily generate anything offensively from those movements.
Hockey Sense: 6/10
Vilén is a tale of two players when it comes to his hockey sense. On the one hand, he is always smartly positioned in both zones, particularly defensively, and has a small turnover rate because he executes high-probability plays at a high level. On the other hand, he’s too safe with the puck, and it will prevent him from reaching his ceiling more than anything else. Vilén is outright afraid to make risky plays with the puck, which, sure, will secure an extended possession but will also prevent his team from generating high-end chances. The one exception to that rule is his aptitude at making plays happen from along the boards, which is somewhat often, considering that he is an effective player at pinching when his team is on the cycle. He can also facilitate nifty passing plays when the stars align and he believes that it’s a surefire endeavor, like the sequence below — one in which he got the secondary assist:
Puck Skills: 3/10
As mentioned above in a different light, Vilén struggles with the puck on his stick, and deking is no exception to that rule for him. He rarely pulls out any sort of move to beat a defender or goalie one-on-one, relying mostly on head fakes and the occasional back-and-forth movement but largely ignoring any sort of creativity.
Shot: 4/10
I want Vilén to shoot a hell of a lot more than he does — I actually like the mechanics of his wrister a good amount, and yet he is shooting at a fewer-than-once-per-game rate. His release is quick and somewhat deceptive, being able to change the angle to deceive goaltenders when applicable. His slapshot is pretty unremarkable, though, and not a threat to do any damage when there isn’t an open net he’s shooting at. I would also like to see him utilize screens more from the point with his wrist shot, because, as I said, I think that tool is pretty solid.
Defensive Awareness: 6.5/10
Vilén’s defensive abilities, though, have never been in question. He’s most often in the right spot at the right time to make the right play, positioning himself smartly to break up plays with an active stick or put his body in the way just enough to disturb a passing play or shot path. He clears the crease pretty well for a defender his size, too. When exiting the zone is when I think Vilén is at his best though, as he has a strong first pass to breakout forwards and can take the puck past his own blue line himself at times when that is a warranted path to take.
Physicality/Size: 4.5/10
Vilén isn’t overly physical, but he doesn’t shy away from necessary contact, either. As noted above, he is active in clearing the crease, which requires some level of strength and physicality. He is also active enough in board battles and doesn't shy away from using his body to separate the puck carrier from the puck. He isn’t overwhelmingly big (6’1, 195), but has the strength of the stockier player he is. On occasion, Vilén will lay a meaningful hit in the corner that leaves his opponent on the ground for a few seconds, but that is a rarity and he only pulls it out when he gauges that it’s the absolute best play to make.
NHL Comparable: Sean Walker
NHL Ceiling: Third Pair Defenseman
NHL Likelihood: Likely
Again, I do think he’ll have an NHL career, it might just take some more time. He’s upped his playing time in Utica this year, though the results haven’t quite been as good. For a player who fans would have you believe is a surefire NHLer, taking a step backward in the minor leagues isn’t a great start, and, while I understand that development is less than linear, it’s still a discouraging sign. He’s going to need a significant step forward for me to believe he’ll truly make it in a third-pair capacity like many believe he will.
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. 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 an 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 wrist 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’s 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 outmuscled, 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 whom 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.
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.
No. 6: Lenni Hämeenaho (RW)
2nd Round, 2023 (58th Overall) — 58 Games Played | 20 Goals | 31 Assists | 51 Total Points — Ässät (Liiga)
The Devils selected Lenni Hämeenaho with their first selection of the 2023 NHL Draft, and for good reason. He was one of the smartest draft-eligible players despite significantly mechanical deficiencies in his skating. Flash forward a couple of seasons, and he’s established himself as the premier U21 talent in Liiga and one of Ässät’s best players. On top of that, he’s ironed out the negative bits of his game and looks the part of a well-balanced complementary winger.
Skating: 5.5/10
Over the years, I’ve been openly pretty critical of Hämeenaho’s skating ability. When he was drafted, he had a hitch in his stride and severely, severely struggled to generate any sort of acceleration or impressive top speed. He’s put the work in, though, and that hitch is somewhat gone, and with it, my worries about his skating abilities holding him back from NHL action.
Hämeenaho’s top speed has already improved to above-NHL-average; according to tracked data from Liiga, his top speed this season was 22.6 mph — NHL average is 22.1. He’s improved his top speed by about 0.3 mph every season, so it’s crystal clear that he has been putting in the work to fix his skating issues. The acceleration hasn’t drastically improved, though, so it still takes him a second to truly get going.
His edgework has always been the best part of his skating, and I think that still holds true, though Hämeenaho certainly boasts a more balanced skating repertoire now that he has improved his top-end speed and acceleration. He is able to use nifty cutbacks to get past defenders, particularly in one-on-one situations, in order to get to the middle of the ice and develop high-danger plays from there.
Hockey Sense: 8/10
Undoubtedly, Hämeenaho’s best attribute is his offensive awareness and smarts, which has been the case since his draft year. He always knows where to be and when, finding open space to capitalize on like nobody’s business. He has a good feel for playing around the net, with constant movement instead of stagnancy there and an understanding that he can do more damage from the sides of the crease rather than directly in the middle. He truly excels at finding space, though, and profiles as more of a passenger, complementary winger than a true driver.
Hämeenaho has good vision, too, particularly in finding high-danger opportunities. Along the boards, he is able to make tough plays to the middle of the ice — the same goes for when he’s behind the net or in tight coverage, too. His playmaking chops are solid, and he has the ability to slow the game down and really evaluate the best next steps, regardless of how much pressure is applied to him.
Puck Skills: 5.5/10
I’m not of the opinion that Hämeenaho is overwhelmingly skilled, per se, but he does have some one-on-one chops that allow him to dance around defenders at times. His hands are relatively quick from a lateral standpoint, and he has one or two dekes that he relies on to get around stick checks and body checks, but he’s otherwise reliant on his smarts and shot to make plays happen. From in-tight, he boasts patience more than soft skill, out-waiting goaltenders rather than faking them out of their skates most of the time. The point stands, though — Hämeenaho’s hands aren’t his bread and butter.
Shot: 7/10
Many seem to think that Hämeenaho is a playmaking-type, but he really isn’t. He’s a shoot-first winger who excels in open space. His wrist shot is his best asset, with a wicked and quick release that can beat goaltenders from both in-tight and at a distance:
His one-timer is also pretty electric. He generates an astounding amount of power without the need to draw his stick all the way back, making his one-time opportunities less telegraphed and more threatening as a result. Him on the flank on the second power-play unit will be a boon.
Not many people know this, either, but Hämeenaho is the definition of a volume shooter. If he can get a shot off, he will do so. On his team, he was handily first in shots, logging 293 during the regular season — second place was 217. This put Hämeenaho at seventh across the entire Liiga for shots.
Defensive Awareness: 7.5/10
Hämeenaho’s two-way play has been appealing since before he was drafted. His hockey sense applies to his defensive play, too, excelling at putting himself in the right spot to disturb play for the other team. He’s very rarely caught out of position, staying in passing and shooting lanes and forcing play away from the slot. He has an extremely active stick and anticipates play well, leading to odd-man rush generation the other way at a much higher than average clip.
Physicality/Size: 3.5/10
Hämeenaho’s physicality and grit pretty much only apply to board battles. I wouldn’t say he’s an avid forechecker, nor would I say he is one for physical contact, but he is a solid player when forced up against the wall. Again, he prefers to operate in space, so his general ideology of steering clear of body checking comes as no surprise.
NHL Comparable: Tyler Toffoli
NHL Ceiling: Middle Six Scoring Winger
NHL Likelihood: Certain
There is no longer any doubt in my mind that Hämeenaho will have a successful career in the NHL — I’d previously been shaky considering his abysmal skating technique, but he’s ironed that part of his game out so much that it looks more like an asset than a detriment at this point. I would expect him to come over to Utica next season and push for NHL time if things go well. At the very least, he’ll be a mainstay on the Devils roster in 2026-27.
No. 5: Mikhail Yegorov (G)
2nd Round, 2024 (49th Overall) — 14 Games Played | .931 SV% | 1.99 GAA | 8-5-1 | 1 SHO — Boston University (NCAA)
It’s no surprise that the Devils selected a highly-touted goaltender in the 2024 NHL Draft after an abysmal 2023-24 season in goal led them to missing the playoffs. Enter Mikhail Yegorov, who has taken the NCAA by storm. Playing on by far the weakest USHL team in the Omaha Lancers, Yegorov posted a stellar .912 SV% there with just three wins and a 3.12 GAA to show for it — as you might be able to tell from that stat line, he was constantly peppered with 45+ shots on a daily basis and still gave his team a fighting chance day in and day out. From his frustration, he accelerated his commitment to the NCAA, matriculating to a Boston University that was strong everywhere but in net.
Boy, did BU need him, and vice versa. He instantly made a significant impact and has since taken over the starting role for his team, with a stellar stat line to boot. Finally, with a competent team in front of him, Yegorov’s abilities have been given the chance to shine.
Athleticism: 8/10
For a 6’5 goaltender, Yegorov boasts unbelievable athleticism. Most goalies his size rely on their positioning — which, as I’ll get into shortly, isn’t false with Yegorov — but his athleticism is nearly as good. It’s rare that he’s needed to, but when he has been forced to flail for a save at BU, he’s mostly been able to recover. His reach is ridiculous, his mobility is solid, and he has a strong glove and blocker to boot.
Mobility: 7/10
Yegorov’s butterfly is a near-straight line, which allows him to really dig his skate into the ice before pushing off. That, in turn, lets him move from post-to-post extremely quickly. At times, it can almost be too much, occasionally overcommitting and forcing his own hand into a desperation save. His North-South mobility is solid as well.
Positioning: 9/10
What stands out to me more than anything else with Yegorov, which in and of itself is an impressive feat considering how well-balanced a goalie prospect he is, is his positioning. Despite his athleticism, he maintains strong positioning and lets his gigantic frame do the bulk of the work for him. His calmness and patience are direct results of the confidence he has in his size taking up shooters’ space. Look at the 2-on-0 sequence below, for example, and just how little Yegorov moves side-to-side because he has such great poise and equanimity:
Puck Tracking: 7/10
Yegorov tracks the puck pretty damn well, too — there really isn’t much not to like about his game. He can fight through difficult screens and will never not make a save on a shot he sees. He anticipates plays well on top of that, infrequently getting caught off-guard.
NHL Comparable: Connor Hellebuyck
Disclaimer: I’m obviously not saying here that Yegorov will be as good as Connor Hellebuyck, nor am I saying he will be particularly close. Stylistically, though, they both possess elite levels of calmness under pressure, and it appears as though they don’t have to do as much work to make big saves because of that and their positioning.
NHL Ceiling: Top-15 Starter
NHL Likelihood: Near Certain
The writing is on the wall for Yegorov to take the reins as the Devils’ starting goaltender of the future, but he will most likely spend two more seasons in the NCAA sharpening his game before making the jump. Almost every highly-regarded goalie in the NCAA takes three seasons of marination before coming to the NHL, and there is no reason to believe that Yegorov will be an exception.
No. 4: Seamus Casey (RHD)
2nd Round, 2022 (46th Overall) — 28 Games Played | 3 Goals | 14 Assists | 17 Total Points — Utica Comets (AHL)
I’m sure some people are going to scoff at Seamus Casey’s “low” ranking of the fourth-best prospect in the Devils system, but I’m very confident in the placement here and I’d have him closer to 5 than 3 on my list. I think there’s some pretty clear brake-pumping that needs to be done on his front, and the amount of people I’ve seen put him above the Devils’ two better defense prospects is both shocking and concerning.
I have to imagine the sudden uprising in disposition toward Casey is a product of his short stint in the NHL early in the season, but to put it in perspective, he has shot 44.4% and his goaltenders have saved 98.33% of the shots they have seen while Casey is on the ice. Neither one of those is even remotely sustainable, and, to be frank with you, he’s largely gotten caved in this season from an underlying metric standpoint. I get that goals are fun and exciting, but I implore everyone to take a step back and evaluate what’s really been going on with him. With that said, the talent and raw offensive tools are undeniable.
Skating: 9/10
Casey’s best asset is, bar none, his skating. His speed and acceleration are what you would expect from a defender who is listed at 5’10, 162 pounds, but his edge work is simply magical. His foot speed while moving laterally is practically unparalleled, being able to do things that only the Quinn Hugheses and Lane Hutsons of the league can do while patrolling the blue line. Casey can stop on a dime before reaccelerating near-immediately, performing flawless cutbacks that send pressuring opponents flying. He’s a demon in transition by proxy of his elite ability to get around defenders with pivots and rotations, and can get around pressure extremely well with possession of the puck with nifty spin moves. The only reason I didn’t rate his skating as a perfect 10 is because his top-end speed is simply above-average, as opposed to the genuinely elite nature of his acceleration and edges.
Hockey Sense: 7/10
Casey possesses a very high hockey IQ as well, particularly from an offensive standpoint. His skating gives him the ability to hold on to the puck as long as he wants to, which, when paired with his excellent vision and understanding of how to generate high-danger plays, makes him a legitimate threat at all times. He can execute cross-ice passing plays at will and has the innate ability to draw defenders to his position before burning them with dekes, spin moves, and pivots.
His vision, as noted above, is excellent, and he has solid playmaking chops to pair with it. The problem I see in his game in this regard is a bit of overzealousness.
Puck Skills: 9/10
Casey possesses hands you ordinarily don’t see from a defenseman, with lightning-fast side-to-side movement and a ginormous collection of dekes to pull from when operating one-on-one, one-on-two, or solely against the goaltender. This too makes him a transitional expert, which is only exacerbated when you think about his skating ability as well.
Shot: 6/10
In terms of his one-timer, Casey’s shot is relatively unimpressive. He doesn’t generate much power and is generally unconfident in his abilities there, leading to him scarcely using it at all.
His wrister, though, is excellent. He has a quick release and sharpshooter accuracy when operating through screens. As with most defenders with his archetype, he excels in drawing defenders to him to create a natural screen before shooting it through their legs, not giving the goaltender any alerts as to when or where the shot is coming from.
Defensive Awareness: 5/10
Casey is generally positioned well in the defensive zone, but he has a sort of overzealousness in puck pursuit and can get blinders on at times. This can be coached out of him, but it is an issue. He is great at lifting sticks, though, and poke checks, which he can subsequently turn into opportunities the other way because of his offensive toolkit. His board battles are expectedly a weak point, being easy to shove out of the way or out-muscle, and he will very, very rarely involve himself physically.
Physicality/Size: 3/10
Casey definitely isn’t afraid of using his body despite his stature (he’s listed at 5’10, 162, though I have an inkling that he’s not quite 5’10), but how useful it is in those situations is up for debate. He’s pretty tiny — the only defenseman as light as him in the NHL this season is Hutson, who has largely gotten bullied off the puck despite trying his best not to. He’s going to need to fill out more at the very least.
NHL Comparable: Torey Krug
NHL Ceiling: Second Pair Offensive Defenseman with PP2 Duty
NHL Likelihood: Certain
Casey has already garnered NHL opportunities this season — his first as a pro. There is no doubt in my mind that he’ll be fighting for a permanent spot on the roster next season (if he doesn’t get moved in the offseason, which I wouldn’t be opposed to). I do think he would have an easier time making it if he took reps as a forward, and I think his skillset probably warrants at least a look in that regard, but there’s still a ~0% chance he doesn’t have a lengthy career in the NHL. He’s just too good not to.
No. 3: Arseni Gritsyuk (RW)
5th Round, 2019 (129th Overall) — 49 Games Played | 17 Goals | 27 Assists | 44 Total Poins — SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)
Arseni Gritsyuk’s career as a Devils’ prospect has been a bit of a rollercoaster, in that since blossoming into one of the KHL’s most promising youngsters, no one has really been sure that he’s actually going to come over to the NHL. After speaking with his agent, though, I was told that the plan is for him to come over next season on his entry-level contract (ELC), which will be a one year deal by proxy of his age.
That couldn’t come at a better time for the Devils, who, as a team, are longing for skilled players to pop into their lineup after a season mired by a general overcompensatory focus on grit over skill. He should immediately slot in as a middle-six contributor, and one who will supply a good amount of offense to the team, too.
Skating: 6.5/10
The KHL isn’t a particularly fast league, but Gritsyuk is much faster than his colleagues there. He boasts above-average acceleration, with a strong first step, and can blow by defenders with above-average speed. His explosion allows him to create a good amount of separation pretty quickly, but it will be interesting to see how that stacks up against NHL competition.
His edges, though, are impressive. Gritsyuk controls his weight effectively, being able to swerve and pivot around defenders both on the cycle and off the rush. His ability to do a 180 with the puck on his stick is excellent.
Hockey Sense: 6/10
Grisyuk’s playmaking and vision aren’t the best, but he does excel at getting into open space for feeds from his teammates. He knows how to time sneaking into open space and can capitalize on defenders who have their heads turned away from him and toward the puck carrier.
Where his smarts also come into play are in the understanding and confidence he has in his shot. Gritsyuk’s best ability, as I’ll get into shortly, is his shot, and he knows it. He is able to identify when he has a goalie frozen in anticipation of a shot and is able to exploit that to effectively give passes to his teammates off the rush.
I’d still like to see more from a playmaking standpoint from Gritsyuk, though. I haven’t really seen him with a demonstrable ability to go tape-to-tape or execute any high-danger passing plays that aren’t obvious.
Puck Skills: 6/10
Gritsyuk possesses somewhat strong hands and a decent collection of moves. He knows how to get around stick checks with the puck on a string on occasion when his game is firing on all cylinders. He can make the moves that he does have in his pocket while at full speed or while pivoting, though, which makes that “decent collection” a bit more threatening.
In many ways, this makes Gritsyuk’s game very simple. Rather than relying on fancy plays, he gets to the net and gets a shot off. He relies much more on finding open space while his teammates have the puck than generating that open space for himself — and that’s fine.
Shot: 8.5/10
Undoubtedly, Gritsyuk’s shot is his strongest tool. He picks his spots and gets shots off quickly and deceptively, being able to change the angle of his release to fool goalies at will. His wrister is particularly impressive off the rush, with the aforementioned deceptive release being able to catch goalies off guard even at a distance while he is in stride.
His one-timer is phenomenal, too. Gritsyuk barely shows that he’s going to one-time a puck when he does so and is still able to generate a ton of power using his back leg strength to really drive through the puck. This will make him a necessity on the second power-play unit and perhaps even an occasional guest on the first power-play unit if the Devils are decimated with injuries again.
Gritsyuk shoots often and from anywhere, too, having averaged more than 3.5 shots on goal per game in the last two KHL seasons.
Defensive Awareness: 3/10
Gritsyuk is not engaged defensively as much as you’d like to see from a prospect with this high a ranking on this list, but he makes up for it from an offensive standpoint. He’s relatively inactive in his movement and doesn’t really attempt to drive play to the outside all that much. This can cause the illusion that he disappears for moments throughout a game, but the reality is that his mind is just focused on producing chances every shift.
Physicality/Size: 4.5/10
While not big, per se, Gritsyuk is a stocky forward — he’s listed as 6’0 and 200ish pounds. This comes more into play in his strength with the puck on his stick, scarcely being pushed off of a possession or knocked off of a power move. He isn’t overwhelmingly physical, but he will chip in a hit or two a game on the forecheck in order to create some space between the puck carrier and the puck.
His strength within the offensive zone is solid, though. He’s a puck hound and is relentless in cashing in on rebounds, with or without physical involvement. He’s tough to knock down from in-tight.
NHL Comparable: Frank Vatrano
NHL Ceiling: 2nd Line Winger
NHL Likelihood: Certain
I was always confident in his path to the NHL, but after affirmation from his agent months ago, there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that he’s coming over (presumably next season). GM Tom Fitzgerald has already said they’re working on it. I don’t anticipate him needing any time away from the NHL to acclimate to North American ice, either. His game is built for smaller rinks.
No. 2: Anton Silayev (LHD)
1st Round, 2024 (10th Overall) — 63 Games Played | 2 Goals | 10 Assists | 12 Total Points — Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)
I admit that I was not a fan of Anton Silayev's pick of 10th overall last season. At the time of the draft, I verbosely advertised Sam Dickinson and Zeev Buium as the better picks, and, to pump my own tires a little bit, those two look like the two best defensive prospects in the NHL, if not the two best prospects, period. Small tangent aside, Silayev is still profiling as a really great player down the line. He’s a true unicorn.
Skating: 10/10
Silayev is outright unicornical when it comes to his skating abilities. His speed is unmatched. His acceleration is top-notch. His edgework is similar to players a foot shorter than him. It doesn’t even matter that he’s doing this all at 6’7 — his skating would still be flawless if he were 6’0.
The power Silayev is able to generate with each individual stride is remarkable, and he can cover incredible amounts of ice with just a few strides because of it. His explosion in his first step is salient, which gets him to his upper-echelon top speed in five or six strides. As he gains a few pounds — he’s “just” 210 pounds at 6’7 — I could see him being able to generate even more power, too, though perhaps at the expense of his edgework and ability to shift weight effortlessly.
On that last point, Silayev’s edges and ability to shift weight from side to side and north to south are perfect. A 6’7 defender walking the blue line isn’t what you’d expect to see on a game-by-game basis, and yet he makes it work with ease. His lateral movement is nearly as good as his straight-line speed. The weight shifting is faultless, too, being able to drop back onto his heels to begin skating backward immediately and speedily when need be. His backward skating is better than 99% of NHLers already.
This all combines to make him flawless in recovery when things go awry in the offensive zone, being able to catch up to forwards in the event of a turnover, and a theoretical asset in transitioning from zone to zone (particularly in exiting the defensive zone with possession).
Hockey Sense: 4/10
Where Silayev’s game lacks most of all is in his offensive hockey IQ, but I’m actually not overwhelmingly concerned about his trajectory in this regard for two reasons: 1) it really boils down to one issue, and 2) even if he doesn’t iron this part of his game out, he still profiles as a top-four defenseman.
That one issue is a lack of ability to really slow the game down and control the pace of play. Silayev is a bit jumpy with the puck on his stick in the offensive zone, not giving himself or his teammates much time to think at all. Once it’s on his stick, it’s off. This mostly results in low-danger shot attempts from the point — he is pretty trigger-happy — but will occasionally look like a D-to-D pass or turnover because he panics.
This applies in transition, too. With someone possessive of his skating abilities, it’s disappointing that he isn’t more active in transition. I noted in the blurb about his skating that he is theoretically an asset in transition, and this is where that “theoretically” applies. Silayev panics with the puck on his stick more often than not, so the zone-to-zone chops that should be there are stymied a good bit. His first pass is practically nonexistent simply because he doesn’t slow the game down enough to evaluate his options or see the ice well, and he doesn’t skate with the puck on his stick because he doesn’t like it there.
It’s not all bad with Silayev from a hockey sense perspective, though. He has shown flashes of jumping into play, capitalizing on his legs to become a threat as the second or third man in an odd-man rush opportunity. He has shown a good success rate in his pinches, too, albeit those don’t happen as often as you’d like to see.
Puck Skills: 4/10
For a defender his size, Silayev’s hands are actually quite good. The problem is that, well, that isn’t a very high bar. His stick is so lengthy that even if he wanted to move it at a lightning-fast pace, he couldn’t. He’s generally pretty clunky with the puck on his stick and largely uncomfortable making moves.
Shot: 5/10
I don’t particularly care for Silayev’s wrist shot — I don’t think it’s going to be all that useful at the NHL level — so I’ll really hone in on his slap shot instead.
It’s accurate, to be sure. Among his peers, he hits the net at a higher clip than normal on his shots from the point. The issue, surprisingly enough, is in the amount of power he puts into each shot. I don’t think he puts all that much pressure into his back leg when shooting, and thus, he doesn’t drive the full strength of his back leg into his shots as he should. He shoots from a more upright position than you’d necessarily want to see, but this can certainly be coached.
At this point in time, I’m not in love with how often he chooses to shoot, though that could (and probably will) change when he fills out a bit more and learns how to really drive power into his shots. Silayev is certainly regarded as a volume shooter in terms of defensemen at this point, and while he could definitely use to tone that down a bit, it would be less of an issue if he had more oomph to his shots.
Defensive Awareness: 10/10
For Silayev, his defensive abilities are so good I’m going to break it down into two parts: neutral zone defense and in-zone defense.
Beginning with his neutral zone play, his unearthly skating abilities give him truly elite gap coverage when the opposition is on the rush. Silayev closes in on breakout forwards with the puck in the blink of an eye, with the ability to continue not giving them an iota of space because he’s just so good at keeping pace, even when skating backward. His seal-offs are ridiculously effective. He doesn’t need to move all that much or telegraph them because he first starts off his neutral zone defense by closing the gap with his skating. Skaters simply cannot get past Silayev off the rush.
In the zone, he’s not quite as elite but still very effective. He clears the crease well, being unforgiving and relentless in front of the net in his efforts to prevent opposing forwards from being able to get chances off. His positioning is a strength, with the natural reach to keep the play to the outside regardless of where his body is. Silayev is comfortable along the perimeter himself, too, with his gap closure abilities applying to perimeter players as well. He forces play into the boards more often than you normally see from a defender because he can get to the puck and player so quickly.
Physicality/Size: 9/10
Of course, Silayev is physically engaged. He’s a hard hitter when he needs to be, physically punishing his opponents at will when he decides it’s time. This comes as no surprise, considering his size. In board battles, he overwhelms his opponents physically, leaving them truly unable to move and ensuring a regained possession. He delivers huge, open-ice hits pretty regularly.
NHL Comparable: Zdeno Chara
NHL Ceiling: Norris Candidate
NHL Floor: Top-Four Defensive Defenseman
I added this section for Silayev alone because, while his ceiling as a Norris candidate is true, there’s going to be a lot of work needed to get there. I’ll explain more below.
NHL Likelihood: Certain
It might take a couple of seasons for Silayev’s game to be polished enough to make an impact at the NHL level, but there is a near-zero percent chance he won’t make a significant impact for the Devils’ blue line in due time.
As noted above, at worst, Silayev will be a top-four defensive defenseman. His skating and defensive aptitude as a byproduct of his skating are just too damn good for any less. If — and it’s a big if — he can find his offensive game, develop a legitimate first-pass, and slow the game down a lot more with the puck on his stick, there is a Norris candidate defenseman to be had there. I’m not sure he’ll reach that status with Luke Hughes presumably being the PP1 quarterback for the next 15 years, but if things pan out and Silayev takes a significant step forward offensively, he can be one of the best defensemen in the NHL.
No. 1: Šimon Nemec (RHD)
1st Round, 2022 (2nd Overall) — 21 Games Played | 1 Goal | 2 Assists | 3 Total Points — New Jersey Devils (NHL)
This season, the Devils’ fanbase has soured quite a bit on Šimon Nemec, and while it’s sad to see, I get it — he just hasn’t been very good.
The thing is, though, that you don’t just have last season’s output by accident. Nemec unexpectedly came into the lineup because of Dougie Hamilton’s injury and performed as arguably the team’s best defenseman. He played 20 minutes a night, logging meaningful time on both the power play and penalty kill, and looked the part of an elite NHLer at just 19-20 years of age. His offensive WAR at even strength was in the 91st percentile — again, you don’t do that by accident.
His statistical profile has always been stellar at every level he’s played hockey at. In his draft year, he had the best production of any defenseman ever to play in the Slovak leagues and the third-highest production of any Slovakian first-year eligible draftee, period. In his first season in the AHL in 2022-23, he put up over 0.5 points per game (34 in 65) and took over as the team’s #1 defenseman by season’s end. Even going back to the AHL this season, after he recovered from his injury, he was the most productive blue liner on the team, outproducing Seamus Casey for a long stretch.
If it were up to me, I’d take a Men-In-Black approach and erase everyone’s memory of this season. Yes, he took a step back, but he also entered the year with a significant injury sustained in the Olympic Qualifiers — one from which he returned too early. From then, he was thrust into a brand new system that is notoriously difficult for newbies to acclimate to with a practically brand-new defense corps. After going back down to Utica, Nemec gradually gained his health and confidence back, established himself as the team’s 1D once more, and was brought back up to the NHL, where fans immediately soured on him after a few games, and he lost his confidence again. He’s still just 21 years old — and a relatively fresh 21, too — making him one of the league’s youngest defensemen to make an appearance in the NHL this season. With all that in mind, of course he hasn’t looked as pristine as he did last campaign.
Skating: 5/10
Nemec has gotten a lot of flack for his skating ability over the seasons, and while I’m no exception to that rule, it’s better than people give him credit for. His straight-line speed and acceleration are relatively poor; to be clear, his top speed is just barely above NHL average, and his acceleration is somewhat atrocious.
His four-way mobility, though — transitioning from going forward to backward, pivoting, moving laterally — is quite good. He shifts his weight smoothly and flawlessly, allowing him to take unique and intelligent routes to the puck and giving him an innate ability to move the puck forward.
Hockey Sense: 9.5/10
This is where Nemec’s game truly shines, in my opinion, but also where there is a fundamental misunderstanding from much of the fanbase in how he plays the game.
Nemec’s entire game is designed around manipulation, subtleties, and calmness — the last of which layman fans have honed in on without really understanding what they’re watching. As briefly mentioned above, he has a sort of innate ability to move the puck up-ice, and it’s exclusively due to the manipulative nature of his game. Short, deliberate passes. Subtle, soft-skilled plays to get the puck around a pressuring defender. Using the boards to chip a puck exactly where it needs to be. Directing the flow of play away from pressure. Delays. Tiny head fakes. Feigning a shot to deliver a tape-to-tape pass without telegraphing it, and vice versa. No-look plays. Pinching at (mostly) the right moments.
It’s stuff like that that you simply can’t teach, what makes Nemec such an effective player, and why he needs a bit more patience. When he’s operating at his best, playing his type of game, the ice outright tilts.
That’s also where calmness enters Nemec’s play — in staying calm, particularly under pressure, he is able to activate his playstyle even more. He draws defenders in with his unruffled nature before punishing them with the subtle plays that push the puck past them. This often gets misperceived as laziness, which I understand to some extent, but it is just a mischaracterization of the player — take this play against Winnipeg as an example. The turnover was ugly, to be sure, but so many people were labeling him as lazy rather than understanding that remaining calm is a staple in how he plays the game.
It’s the subtleties that make the big plays almost less wow-worthy for Nemec. People unintentionally get so used to him making the right small-scale plays that the big moments — perfect stretch passes, give-and-goes, exemplary pinches, etc. — seem less so.
Nemec has also shown an aptitude for activating into the play, be it on a pinch or floating down into the zone for a shot opportunity or passing option. He’s chaotic in that he’s constantly moving in the offensive zone, looking for a way to chip in to extend a possession or generate a chance.
Not everything is perfect, though, of course. Nemec is prone to the occasional over-aggressive pinch because of his want/need to keep the puck flowing in the offensive zone, and when he does over-aggress, he doesn’t have the straight-line speed to recover, which either leaves his partner in an odd-man situation or his goalie mano-a-mano with a forward on a breakaway. That’s not a great habit, but he’ll learn how to time pinches better at the NHL level with more reps. He’s just barely 21 years old.
Puck Skills: 6/10
Nemec possesses a solid repertoire of dekes and dangles to pull from, especially from a defenseman. I wouldn’t say he’s a world-beater with his hands, but he’ll pull out the occasional move to dipsy-doodle around a defender.
His hands are excellent when it comes to stick lifting, though, particularly when he loses possession temporarily in the offensive zone.
This sequence is a good example of a combination of his deking ability and his stick-lifting ability, which may sound cherry-picked, but I implore you to really hone in on his game the next time he plays — stuff like this happens pretty often:
Shot: 6/10
Nemec also has somewhat of a howitzer from the point, though I don’t think it’s been on display quite as much on the NHL level as I’ve seen from his time in Slovakia and in the AHL. He drives the puck with his back leg extremely well, generating loads of power from a standstill and when he is inching backward. His accuracy can be lacking at times, but for my money, I’m not sure there’s a defender in the Devils’ system better at keeping the puck low on slappers to generate rebounds.
I also like his wrist shot a lot. I think his release is quick and deliberate, and he is able to shoot through screens with enough accuracy to beat goaltenders before they even know where the puck is. He was knocked a bit in his draft year from shooting too much from low-danger areas of the ice, but I’d actually like to see him shoot a bit more. I remember distinctly saying that Nemec was shooting all the time in his first two games in the big leagues, and I want him to revert back to that rather than the guy who has only unloaded on the net 89 times in 81 games as an NHLer.
Defensive Awareness: 6/10
While he certainly needs a bit more refinement here, I still think Nemec is a net-plus on defense. As I noted ad nauseam in the essay on his hockey sense, subtleties run his game, and his play on the defensive side of things is no different. He uses the boards quite well for bank passes or chip-outs and is generally very good at faking one direction while moving the puck in another to shed a pressuring forechecker.
Nemec has two deficiencies in his defensive game: 1) neutral zone play and 2) blinders.
Starting with point #1, Nemec doesn’t close gaps particularly quickly, which allows forwards to beat him with their speed. He tends to give a bit too much open space in open ice.
In pertinence to his blinders, he can get hyper-focused on the puck while in pursuit in his own zone, occasionally forgetting that he actually needs to give his man in coverage to another defending player and causing double-commitments that leave opposing players open. Again, this can be coached out of him.
Physicality/Size: 4/10
Nemec isn’t a particularly big or physical defender, though he is stocky (listed at 6’1, 190) and strong. He doesn’t get bullied off the puck often, if at all, and will very occasionally use his body instead of his stick to create separation along the boards. It isn’t a calling card of his, though, nor should it be when thinking about the rest of his skill set.
NHL Comparable: Aaron Ekblad
NHL Ceiling: #2, Two-Way Defenseman
NHL Likelihood: Certain
Nemec will be a very, very good NHLer for a very, very long time. At worst, to me, he profiles as a high-end, second-pairing, two-way defender. I’m not sure he’ll ever be a #1, especially not on a team that has Luke Hughes, but he should project as more of a sturdy, two-way #2 defender with enough upside in both ways to be a fixture on both special teams units. He just needs a little reset and a little refinement.
Welp, there it is. If you spent the time reading each of these blurbs, you’re a trooper, and I can’t express how much I appreciate the effort. It took me a ton of time and to know that it isn’t falling on deaf ears is fantastic.
I know the original ranking only had 34… I added a player (Xavier Parent) for reasons that I will get into when his position in the ranking comes up.
JP it seems you are followed by noted plagiarist Stefano Rubino of the hockey writers. I think it would be prudent to cross check some of your articles with his. He often lifts analysis word for word.