How Nolan Patrick Fits As New Jersey Devils Number One Pick

The New Jersey Devils shook up the NHL world when it won the number one pick in Saturday’s draft lottery. Now, the team has a very important choice to make.

For the first time in history, the New Jersey Devils will choice first overall in the NHL Draft. While there are a few very good players near the top of the draft, there are two that are consensus top picks.

Pros

Nolan Patrick has been the player on the top of most people’s draft boards. He has a hockey pedigree, after his father Stephen played six seasons in the NHL. He has multiple other family members who have spent time in the big leagues. Hockey has been in his blood since birth.

His skill is unmatched in this draft. He captained the fabled Brandon Wheat Knights of the WHL. He scored 20 goals in just 33 games. The season prior, he scored 102 points in just 72 games.   He’s a proven scorer, something everyone and their mother could tell you the Devils desperately need.

He has superior size and speed in this year’s draft. Patrick is 6’3 at 203 pounds. He has a great shot and can skate with the best of them. His speed won’t wow anyone, but he can put himself in a position for the best shot.

Patrick is also very, very good in the faceoff circle. An underrated stat, but something that can be crucial for a center to become a superstar.

Cons

There is no doubting his talent, but what is in doubt is his ability to stay on the ice. His injury history is the only thing that could keep Patrick from being the number one overall pick.

He missed all of last offseason, including the World Junior Championship, with sports hernia surgery. The injuries didn’t stop there. He worked his way back to make it in time for the start of the Wheat Kings season, just to get hurt five games in with an upper-body injury. He’d come back at the start of the new year, but was hurt yet again at the end of the season, missing the Wheat Kings short playoff stint.

Injuries may be even scarier for the Devils, who are dealing with Mike Cammalleri’s injury history. He’s a similar player (forgetting this year) that when he is on the ice, Cammy is a strong contributor to the offense. The issue is he is off the ice way too often.

Will that key cause the Devils to have pause when choosing their top pick?

He’s also one of the oldest players in this draft. The 18 year old missed last year’s eligibility by just four days, but that hasn’t really hurt Austin Matthews’ value so it shouldn’t hurt Patrick’s.

Fit In New Jersey

Patrick is a center, something the Devils have a decent crop of already. The team has Travis Zajac and Adam Henrique on the top two lines and youngsters Pavel Zacha and John Quenneville developing on the main roster.

Henrique may finally move to the wing if the Devils decide Patrick is their guy. That would give them a lineup of Zajac, Patrick and Zacha down the middle for the next five years at least. That kind of skill at the most important forward position is nothing to scoff at.

Patrick brings goals to the Devils, that much is obvious. A team that ranked 28th in goals last year, and towards the bottom of the league every year in recent memory, needs scoring in bunches from the top pick.

Speaking of Quenneville, he is a former teammate of Patrick’s. The two prospects can help each other get used to one of the hardest part of being on an NHL roster; the road. Having a player who already has a history with a player can help make the off-ice life easier to bear. Quenneville told NHL.com earlier this year that he was “everything you want in a player.” That interview happened before the Devils even had the pick, so there was no reason for Quenneville to parse his words.

Patrick can easily fit well on the Devils NHL roster from day one. That is what is expected from the top overall pick.

More from Pucks and Pitchforks

• Should New Jersey Devils Try Load Management With Vitek Vanecek?
• New Jersey Devils Will Prove That Last Year Wasn’t A Fluke
• New Jersey Devils: Luke Hughes’ Playmaking Will Outshine His Mistakes
• New Jersey Devils: Chase Stillman’s Performance Causes Concern
• Can Devils Fans Separate Zach Parise Heartbreak From Achievements?

Final Analysis

Nolan Patrick is the favorite to be the top pick in this year’s draft, but he isn’t the consensus. Nico Hischier has shot up draft boards during the season, and some very respected NHL scouts and writers have him as the top overall prospect.

Fans, however, have mostly called for Patrick to get the top pick. A poll on Pucks and Pitchfork’s Twitter has 67 percent of fans voting for Patrick over Hirschier, or anyone else for that matter.

If the Devils pass on Patrick, the team needs to realize what that means. The Philadelphia Flyers also got lucky, winning the number two overall pick. So whoever the Devils don’t pick, that player will have their entire career to make them pay.

Patrick brings the scoring, the defensive skills as a forward and the star power the Devils desperately need. However, Hirschier may have just as much without the injury history. The most important part of the Devils pre-draft analysis must be the physical.

Who should the Devils pick? Go to @pitchforkedpuck on Twitter and let us know!