Pucks and Pitchforks
Fansided

New Jersey Devils: 5 Possible 4th-Round Picks In NHL Draft

By Nick Villano

DALLAS, TX - JUNE 22: A general view of the New Jersey Devils draft table is seen during the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - JUNE 22: A general view of the New Jersey Devils draft table is seen during the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
(Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
(Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

Graeme Clarke

You probably already know Graeme Clarke. His name not ringing a bell? Are you sure? Let me help you.

That ridiculous goal from last year’s OHL playoffs was indeed Clarke. While that goal might be enough for some of you to sell you on a 4th-round pick, we’ll go a little more in depth.

Clarke is a pure, unadulterated goal scorer. He’s scored goals in every single level of his amateur career. He has a really good shot, and uses it when he needs to. He probably needs to use it more, but he’s on a stacked Ottawa 67’s team, so he isn’t dominating like some other prospects. Clarke scored 23 goals this season, which was a nice bump from last year, but not as much as he could have scored.

He’s a player that was getting 2nd-round buzz at some points during the season, but he’s plummeted down draft boards. He’s now somewhere in the 90s on many top-100 picks, despite being in the 60s earlier in the season. He suffered a separated shoulder earlier in the year, but his seven playoff goals should tell you that he was cured by the end of the season.

Another reason why Clarke would be a great pick? He played a season of midgets hockey with Jack Hughes. During that season, he scored 82 goals. He can put the puck in the net, he just needs some help from a really good center.

Clarke was top ten in shooting percentage in the OHL last season, despite not scoring anywhere near the top ten. It shows that this guy has a ridiculous shot, but still has some work to do on other elements of his game. Clarke will never out pace other skaters, but he’s a finisher, and the Devils could desperately use a finisher in their prospect ranks.

Home/Draft