The New Jersey Devils surprised many when they took OHL defenseman Nikita Okhotyuk. The big Russian is one of many newly acquired defensive prospects.
With the 61st overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft, the New Jersey Devils took Nikita Okhotyuk. He played last season with the Ottawa 67s, and he was decent. He left his native Russia to spend the last two years playing on North American ice, preparing for a possible future life in the NHL.
This is obviously a position of need for the Devils, especially when looking at their prospects. Ty Smith came into the draft as the team’s best prospect, and we expect a lot out of Harvard product Reilly Walsh, but beyond that there’s a lot of untapped potential. The Devils made it a point to fix their defensive issues, and it all starts with Okhotyuk.
This is a player that’s unlike many of the Devils current young defensemen. He’s not going to score goals on the NHL level, and the team won’t be using him on their power play unit, but he’s reliable. The Devils need a guy who will do his job, and that’s it.
What Okhotyuk does best is how he plays off the puck. He keeps a tight space in between him and his assignment. He also seems to be in the right place at the right time more often than not. The game doesn’t get lost for him, he always seems to know where he needs to be next.
Okhotyuk is just 6’1, but he’s an extremely physical player. He knows how to play the body, and he can hit people in a way to make them think about their next move. That’s something that’s sort of a lost art in the NHL. It has to be done in a much different way than it was done back in the days of Scott Stevens, but there is still a safe way to send a message.
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He’s definitely learning how to play his way in North America. In his first season with the 67s, he spent 71 minutes in the penalty box. Last season, he dropped that number to 43 minutes. PIMs tend to fluctuate, but a dramatic drop from year one to year two is significant. It shows he’s learning what he can and can’t get away with.
Looking deeper at what Okhotyuk could become, there’s a lot of possible comparables. He’s sneaky agile for what he is. He has incredible control of his skates, which is an underrated trait for defensemen. The movement on the back check is something that could throw defensemen off. Okhotyuk can actually confuse the puck handler with how he moves. That is actually impressive.
Okhotyuk will never be the player the Devils rely on. He could become a fan favorite who plays a major role. We’ve learned from the past few years what it’s like not having reliable defensemen. There’s been a lot of boom or bust over the past few years, but that’s not what’s happening here. Okhotyuk will be neither boom nor bust, but he can easily be the man the Devils rely on when facing the best offensive players.
Draft Grade: B-
Predicting When He Could Join Devils: 2021-22
His Peak: Reliable Second-Line Defensemen
His Floor: 7th Defenseman
Best Case NHL Comparison: Niklas Hjalmarsson
Okhotyuk is the safest pick of the draft for Ray Shero. There were a lot of picks this year that could do some great things, but may never make the team. Okhotyuk should make the team, and probably not long from now. He knows his role, and it’s to keep players away from the net. He could probably be at least average at that in the NHL now. With two seasons of growing in the OHL, he’s close to a lock to play for the Devils one day (barring a trade). He’s not the fun pick, but he’s the safe pick.