The New Jersey Devils have ten picks in this year’s NHL Draft. Who would be their best options with their most important five?
1st overall: Jack Hughes, Center, USNTD Program,
All season long, I have been very fond of this young 18-year-old American center. He has not only lit the lamp, but he is also a playmaker, and a game changer. He knows how to pass the puck, do absolutely well on zone entries. He is fast, and he’s really good at attacking the offensive zone. Jack is one of the smartest if not the smartest player in this draft. He is only going to get better and stronger as he ages like a fine wine.
34th overall: Tobias Bjornfot, Defenseman, Djurgardens
I am a fan of TObias Bjornfot’s game for his smooth skating. He uses his peripheral vision to get in and out of traffic. He leads the charge on offense, he is unselfish in his shot blocking, and playing physical in scrums along the boards. To me, he is one of those defenders that would have gone in the 15-29 in most drafts. He is also very active with his stick from poke checks, power plays, and heads up plays.
55th: Connor McMichael, Center, London Knights
Connor McMichael possesses great speed , really good hockey sense, and excellent passing. He is a dangerous center with the puck who creates a lot of havoc in the offensive zone. He reminds me of a more skilled Zach Parise in the sense of being really good at crashing the net. Also, he is great at creating plays behind the opponents net.
62nd: Mads Sogaard, Goalie, Medicine Hat Tigers
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The Danish net minder had a really good season in the WHL. Mads Sogaard was a real force to be reckoned with. He is the number-two goalie after Spencer Knight in this year’s draft. What I really like about Mads is his flexibility, and fluidity. He is so strong laterally with his pads, and he’s also very sound making poke check saves, and diving stabs. He proved to be very sharp in The Cherry vs. Orr Tournament staying very calm and cool throughout his game. He could one day be a player like Ben Bishop or Freddy Anderson.
70th: Domenic Fensore, Defenseman, USANTDP
He knows how to keep opponents off the puck. Domenic Fensore likes to play with a lot of energy and posses skills in all facets of the game. He can behave a bit like a fourth forward in the attacking zone. The great thing is he can skate really fast, and he is very agile especially on a super loaded USANTDP team. Fensore isn’t just a north to south guy, but he’s a very good east to west player as well.