The New Jersey Devils first-round pick Ty Smith made an amazing impression in the team’s development camp. This was the first step to making the opening night roster.
This offseason was much different than last offseason. The New Jersey Devils went into last season with everyone thinking their first-round pick was going to make the roster. Nico Hischier wasn’t just any first-round pick, he was the first-overall pick in the 2017 draft.
This season, the Devils made the playoffs. That means their pick was much later in the first round. They picked at 17, and chose defenseman Ty Smith.
Boy, what a pick that’s turning out to be. Yes, it’s just weeks into this kid’s career, but all signs point to him being quite good.
The 18-year-old defender scored a hat trick in the team’s development camp scrimmage. You probably know this already, because you’re a Devils fan. Now, what can we expect from Smith going into the season?
Obviously, this was one scrimmage with little NHL-ready talent, but this is still an impressive feat. A defenseman, playing with the best of the Devils talent pool, scored three goals from the blue line. This is much better than anyone could have expected.
Smith became a scoring machine for the Spokane Chiefs last season. He scored 14 goals and had more than a point per game. He added one point in every one of their playoff games (which was just seven, but still). He found that scoring touch, and he brought that with him to development camp.
Now that we’ve seen what he can do, can Smith actually make the Devils roster out of camp?
Listen, it’s very unlikely. Asking a defenseman to make the team out of camp is much different than asking a forward. For one, you can’t hide a defenseman anywhere. When Nolan Patrick had a rough start with the Philadelphia Flyers last season, they put him on the fourth line until he regained his confidence. With a defenseman, he needs to play a ton of minutes.
In the playoffs, which gives us a much better look at average time on ice, Mirco Mueller play 17 minutes every game. That’s about what you’re looking at from every defenseman, while the best play about 20 minutes per game.
Since there are only six defenseman, against 12 forwards, they have a much bigger responsibility. That’s what Smith would be looking at to take a spot on the Devils roster.
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Looking at the roster right now, the Devils have four players who are secured with their roster spot. Sami Vatanen, Andy Greene, Damon Severson and Will Butcher will make the team out of training camp. Ben Lovejoy and Mirco Mueller will likely make the team. Eric Gryba was the Devils big free agent signing. It will be very hard for Smith to break the lineup.
Does that mean he can’t make the roster? Of course not. However, one of two things has to happen. Either someone on the defense gets injured, or he is so good the Devils have no choice but to keep him on the roster.
There’s so much else to consider in this decision. Do the Devils want to burn a year of his eligibility, or will they give him the nine-game tryout and keep their rights over Smith while he grows as a player and person. Also, if Smith crashes and burns this season, which is always possible for an offensive defenseman, it could hurt his progression forever.
The Devils have two more months to make this decision. Either way, it will be fun to watch the team’s newest weapon develop into something great.