5 New Jersey Devils Who Could Surprise This Season
1. Miles Wood
The New Jersey Devils are a fast team. They have lots of guys that can explode and Miles Wood is no exception. If anything, he is one of the faster players on the entire team. The problem is, sometimes his speed can’t match what his brain wants him to do with his hands. In 2017-18 he had a great year as he scored 19 goals and 13 assists for 32 points. Its nothing to lose your mind over, but for a bottom-six forward who averaged 12:28 of ice time per game that is really good.
He appeared to be on track to be a consistent 20-goal scorer consistently. Then in 2018-19, he only scored 10 goals and threw in 14 assists for 24 points in 63 games. It could have been worse, but he definitely took a step back from where he was the year prior.
The thing is, almost every single member of the New Jersey Devils had a down year, and injuries had a lot to do with it. That is what makes Miles Wood a candidate to be someone who could really surprise this season. He has great speed and can use that ability to generate offensive chances so the hope is that he can bury more of his opportunities this year rather than take goaltender interference penalties after his breakaways.
Some people have turned on him, but it was only one-off year after a good year prior to that, so expect Miles Wood to bounce back this season. Whether he can get to 20 goals remains to be seen, but it is in the cards if he can just put it together. He could break out as a very useful bottom-six winger.