New Jersey Devils Top 25 Prospects After 2018-19 Season

20. Yegor Sharangovich

Yegor Sharangovich was selected in the 5th round out of Belarus last season. We all knew it was going to be a long journey to get him to be good. He immediately signed with the Binghamton Devils, and spent the entire season in the North American pro leagues.

It was his second year in professional leagues, after spending 2017-18 with Dynamo Minsk of the KHL. Last season, he recorded 17 points, including nine goals. He’s got some skill as a center, but he’s extremely raw. Last season, he was getting used to the North American rink and playing style.

Sharangovich was an overage player in the draft last season. He’s already 21 years old, so other prospects got a step up on their development. However, sometimes these prospects are worth the wait.

19. Brandon Gignac

Brandon Gignac is a player we probably expected more from in his second professional season, but we have to remember that he was coming off a torn ACL. That means he not only was figuring out how to keep up with the speed of the AHL game, but he was also learning how to play on a reconstructed knee.

The 21 year old forward played 66 games and scored 36 points. He was given his first taste of NHL hockey thanks to the many, many injuries on the New Jersey side. He played one game and went -2. It was pretty clear based on his possession numbers and his general play style that he wasn’t ready for the NHL.

Gignac might become a completely different player next season. Having a full year after the torn ACL will allow it to heal completely. Let’s hold off on our full judgements of him until he starts playing games next season.

18. Gilles Senn

Gilles Senn is sneaky old, which is why he’s further down this list. Did you know he is already 23 years old? He was average during his time in the Swiss National League. This past season, he had a .901 save percentage with a 3.19 GAA with HC Davos. Those stats are actually worse than his stats the year before.

However, he must have shown Ray Shero something, because he’s coming to North America after the Devils signed him a few weeks ago. That likely means the end of the Devils career of Cam Johnson, because there just isn’t room.

Honestly, it was hard to decide which goalie prospect would make the list between him and Evan Cormier. That might be surprising to some, since Cormier was very good during stretches last season in Binghamton. Also, he’s younger than Senn. Still, the raw talent and skill is better with Senn, and prior to last season, Senn was the better goalie. We have more faith in Senn having a Mackenzie Blackwood like turnaround, despite what we’ve already seen from Cormier.

17. Mikhail Maltsev

Mikhail Maltsev is another Devils prospect that signed his entry-level deal this offseason. He played in the KHL last year, and like most young players he struggled immensely. He’s been in the SKA St. Petersburg organization for the past three years. It may be the most popular team in Russia, so he learned a lot from some really good players.

Maltsev bounced between the KHL and VHL last season. He can play on the wing and as a center, giving him the kind of versatility that Shero likes in his young players. He’s got the big body to survive “playing against men” as some like to say. He’s 6’3 and over 200 lbs.

He scored a half point per game while playing in the VHL. He was a +12 (even though +/- doesn’t REALLY matter). He did decent with what he was given, and showed true growth throughout the season. We expect him to be much higher on the charts by the end of next season.

16. Mitchell Hoelscher

The New Jersey Devils 2018 6th-round pick definitely moved himself up this list after an awesome run in the playoffs. It was a run that had his coach calling him one of the best players on the Ottawa 67s. He scored six goals over 18 playoffs games and added seven assists.

He was decent during the season, scoring 40 points in 68 games. His goal-scoring output was the exact same, but he was +12 in assists year over year. Prospect experts said he had a lot of untapped potential before the draft.

He has become an intense player on the ice. He does not quit on the play, and that started ending in points this season. He got better as the year went on, and he was at his best during the playoffs. He plays a great two-way game for his age, something Shero loves in his players. The way Hoelscher is going, he could be on the NHL roster some time in the near future.