New Jersey Devils 2019 Mock Draft

Round Three

Jordan Spence seemed to gain major motivation after he was ignored in his first year of eligibility in the QMJHL Draft because he was quite good this year. Despite playing for the largely unknown Moncton Wildcats, he still made some noise on draft boards.

The best part of Spence’s game, well at the least the one that would fit the Devils best is he loves to skip the dump and chase and would rather go for the zone entry. He does not like giving up possession for his team for free. He makes the other team earn it.

He had 49 points for his Juniors team this past season. He played well, but he lacks some things other defensemen going before him possess. He’s really missing that processing extinct when making passing decisions. This is where he was really, really hurt by missing out on that second QMJHL season. He sometimes makes decisions that a first-year player does, and these kinks would have been figured out last season.

He is a project, and that’s not always the player that Ray Shero targets, but this is a project with major upside. Spence could become an NHL defenseman with some patience. We’ve seen it in the past that defnesemen just take longer to develop. Spence could take four years to make it to the NHL, but if things work out he will be one of the best puck control players on the team. Plus, he’ll be able to set up his teammates for a laundry load of points.

Did we notice Nando Eggenberger because he has an awesome name? Yes, but did we draft him to the New Jersey Devils in the 3rd round of the NHL Draft because he has a ton of upside, and is closer to the league than other prospects? Also yes.

He’s a large forward that’s very hard to knock off the puck. He wins board battles, and sets up his teammates with efficiency. Plus, he can protect Nico Hischier as part of some weird telepathy that we think Swiss people all share, especially on the ice.

He tried to stick in the men’s league in Switzerland, but it just didn’t work out. He was technically eligible for the 2018 NHL Draft, but he inexplicably wasn’t taken. It was a head scratcher for sure, but now he’s once again eligible for this year’s draft.

He’s got a very good shot for a kid just learning the North American game. He scored 25 goals for the Oshawa Generals of the OHL. He developed nicely after the let down that was going undrafted last season. Maybe teams were worried they wouldn’t be able to pronounce his name? Obviously kidding, but this was a kid that some had in the top 100 at one point. Those players almost always get drafted somewhere despite the questions.

This kid has a lot to offer, and he’s properly motivated to excel. He seems to have great character from what we can tell, and his skill set is one that can develop on the next level. This would be a choice that could be in the AHL as soon as 2020.