New Jersey Devils: Young Core Coming Together
By Steve Ginter
The New Jersey Devils are fighting for a playoff spot and the play of young guys like Miles Wood and Pavel Zacha are a huge part of it.
In the midst of a rebuild, the New Jersey Devils are getting some solid performances from their young guys. From the likes of former prospects like Jon Merrill and Jacob Josefson to first time Devils (technically) Miles Wood, Steven Santini and Pavel Zacha and even young established 25-year-old players Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri, the Devils’ future looks extremely bright.
A win against the Flyers on Friday night proved the young guns can handle a big game against a huge rival. The Devils came home with 2 important points and came one step closer to a playoff spot. Ray Shero will probably end up selling at the deadline whether the Devils are a contender or not because there are some moveable pieces that could fetch a nice return. However, the next few years are bright for the New Jersey Devils.
The Prospects:
The Devils have plenty of young talented prospects headlined by Joseph Blandisi, John Quenneville, and Vojtech Mozik all of whom are headed to the AHL All-Star Game. Additionally, Blake Coleman and Nick Lappin and Blake Pietila played key roles for the NHL Devils this year.
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Defensively the Devils have Josh Jacobs playing his first year in Albany. In net, the Devils have Ken Appleby who is quietly having a great season in Albany, as well Scott Wedgewood before he went down with an injury. Mackenzie Blackwood has struggled this year but remains a solid prospect nonetheless. Add players like Michael McLeod, Nate Bastian and Joey Anderson who are all ‘Junior Level’ prospects, the Devils have a deep pipeline.
The Forwards:
The Devils now have 8 Forwards on the roster aged 25 or under. Hall, Palmieri, Wood, Josefson, Zacha, Bennett, Kalinin and Smith-Pelley. With Hall, Palmieri and Josefson soon graduating to the 26 and over club, The Devils still have some solid playmakers in Miles Wood, Pavel Zacha and good role players in Bennett and Kalinin.
It’s scary to think that when Taylor Hall enters his prime, some of these guys won’t be too far behind. These Devils could turn into a dynasty with the amount of young talent in the forward group.
The Blueliners:
3 out of 7 Devils Defenseman are aged 25 and younger. Jon Merrill, Damon Severson, and Steven Santini. Merrill is finally playing like the player he was supposed to develop into as a prospect. Santini has been a huge presence since being called up.
Severson has yet to recapture the magic he once had early in his rookie campaign before his injury, but he is still young and still developing. Severson knows he has big shoes to fill with Larsson gone but having Andy Greene as a defense partner will surely benefit his development.
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The Draft:
The Devils have their own 1st-7th picks in this upcoming draft as well as Boston’s 2nd and a conditional 3rd (Toronto). Additionally, GM Ray Shero can move some pieces at the deadline for picks. The Devils also have plenty of flexibility to make moves on draft day, which makes it exciting to see what the future has in store.