New Jersey Devils: 5 Possible 3rd-Round Picks In NHL Draft

Anttoni Honka

Anttoni Honka is a very interesting young defenseman. He’s played for three different teams this season, and it really hurt his development. He’s fallen way, way down on draft boards. At one point, some scouts hoped he could build himself into a 1st-round grade, but it did not turn out that way.

This is exactly why Shero should target Honka. He’s got 1st-round upside, even if the floor may be very low. The Devils have six picks in the first three rounds of the draft. He should be taking chances like this with some of them.

Honka’s birthday is October 5th, which means he just missed the cutoff to be eligible in last year’s draft. He might have gone higher last year, as he didn’t have a season where he moved throughout the Finnish leagues.

Honka has a good pedigree, as his brother currently plays for the Dallas Stars. He’s also played on Finland with Devils prospect Aarne Talvitie. There’s some familiarity with the NHL here, despite him playing exclusively in Europe.

Basically, he’s got a ton of upside, but an awful season when it matter dropped him tremendously. The Devils could get a gem with the Anaheim Ducks pick if Honka falls to them. It’s a long shot he doesn’t get picked before the 3rd round, as most mocks have him being taken in the 2nd round, but if he does fall Shero should jump at the chance to take him.