New Jersey Devils Perform Extremely Well In Prospect Challenge
The New Jersey Devils played better than anyone could have hoped in this week’s Buffalo Prospect Challenge. This proves that the future of this team is very bright.
For the first time in five months, we saw a New Jersey Devils team put on the jersey and face an opponent that was from another city. The team sent their prospects to the Harbor Center in Buffalo, to take on the best the Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres had to offer.
The first game didn’t go exactly as planned, but the Sabres showed why they were ranked as the best pool of prospects in the NHL. They had Casey Middlestadt, Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Nylander on their squad. They were absolutely stacked. On top of that, the Devils started MacKenzie Blackwood. He was playing his first game coming off an injury at the end of last season.
However, the fact that the Devils were even able to stay in the game says something. Brett Seney and Fabian Zetterlund both looked good in the game. In fact, everyone outside of the top line of John Quenneville, Michael McLeod and Joey Anderson play up to or exceeding expectations.
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In game two, the Devils blew the doors off the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Devils decided to spread out Quenneville and Anderson, and it really worked. They both scored in the 6-2 drubbing of the Penguins prospects. Cam Johnson played in net, and he looked really good. This could be the starter in the NHL for the foreseeable future.
Then Monday morning, the Devils faced the Bruins. It looked like a repeat of Saturday. The Devils won the game 6-2. McLeod scored two goals. Anderson scored again. Akira Schmid was decent in the start, stoning the Bruins in the third period. Another overall great game.
The Devils did not go to Buffalo looking to make a statement, but that’s exactly what they did. Their forward prospects are much better than they’re given credit for. They can score with anyone at any time. The goalies have talent. The future of the position might have played this weekend. This may be why Ray Shero decided to stand pat this offseason. There’s immense talent in the ranks of the Devils. Some of them could already be NHL ready.