New Jersey Devils Top 25 Prospects Prior To 2019-20 Season
The New Jersey Devils already had a really nice prospect pool before the 2019 NHL Draft. Coming into this season, they have a downright lethal prospect pool.
The New Jersey Devils made 11 choices in the most recent NHL Draft. Of course, the class is led by Jack Hughes, one of the best prospects to join the Devils maybe ever. The American star will be on a prospects list once and once only. He’s special, and soon he’ll be considered an NHL star.
Earlier in the offseason, we ranked the top 25 prospects in the New Jersey Devils system. It was fun to see where the Devils prospects fell after the season. Now, after the draft, it is downright hard to rank these prospects. Of the 11 players the Devils just drafted, only seven made the list. That’s preposterous in other drafts. Just two years ago, basically everyone who Ray Shero drafted would move out players who were never going to be anything.
Now? Now the Devils have more than 25 really good prospects. This comes down to preference. There are really good players that are gone from the list completely. They could make it on the next version of this list, but there’s too many players with a ton of upside to bring everyone.
First, a couple quick rules:
1. They cannot be guaranteed a roster spot come October.
Jack Hughes is not guaranteed anything. Jesper Boqvist and Ty Smith aren’t guaranteed anything. Michael McLeod and Joey Anderson have no guarantees. They are all going to be on this list. Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Mirco Mueller will not be on this list because we know they are going to be NHL players and there is literally zero chance they aren’t.
2. They must be under the age of 24
Kevin Rooney isn’t on this list. If you saw our last list, you should know these rules already. Now, let’s get started.
25. Patrick Moynihan
The New Jersey Devils took Patrick Moynihan with the 158th pick of this most recent draft. He actually makes the list over a few names that went ahead of him. This may be a personal pick, but there’s a lot to like about the American kid best known for being Jack Hughes friend. He’s set to join Providence College this season, where we might be able to see him really excel. He’s extremely versatile and is already showing signs of a two-way game. This is the main reason he’s on the list. He’s not someone who’s going to blow people away, but he absolutely has the skills to make the NHL.
24. Nikola Pasic
The Devils final pick of the 2019 NHL Draft was one of their best. He’s another versatile forward (he can play center and wing already) who’s scoring a point per game in his youth Swedish league. He was widely considered a top-100 prospect taken in this year’s draft class. It’s not the Devils fault he fell to them.
23. Yegor Sharangovich
Yegor Sharangovich spent a full season with the Binghamton Devils after they used a 5th-round pick last year. The 21-year-old center spent a season in the KHL with the Dynamo Minsk before coming over the the AHL. It took him a while to get used to the North American game. He only scored 17 points over 68 games, but getting 68 games in the American game was extremely important. We’re not going to lie, he’s close to falling off this list entirely, but we see a lot of skill in the man from Belarus. He’s still has some growing to do, but we expect a jump this season.
22. Michael Vukojevic
This is a Rangers player, which we don’t like, but he’s on the Kitchener Rangers so we’ll deal with this. The Devils took Michael Vukojevic in the 3rd round of this past draft. He’s a point-producing defenseman that has a ton of room for growth. He’s not afraid to take shot, sending the puck to the net 100 times last season in the OHL. He’s already 6-3 and 200 lbs. He’s got first-line defender potential even if he’s lacking a little speed. We don’t expect to see him anytime that soon, but once we do he could be really good.
21. Brandon Gignac
Nothing has changed since the last time we listed Gignac except a few drafted players jumped over him. He’s still one season removed from a torn ACL. The 21 year old scored 36 points for Binghamton last season. It’s nice to see that he was able to play a full season after his injury. That was a big step for the former 3rd-round pick. He’s not three seasons out from his draft year, so he’s getting to the point where he has to show us what he’s got. Gignac has his NHL debut out of the way, and now he can focus on taking the next step.
20. Gilles Senn
Gilles Senn had a really rough game against the Buffalo Sabres prospects on Friday night. He was lit up to the tune of six goals on 17 shots. He made a couple highlight reel saves, but then let in a couple clunkers. Senn is actually much older than he looks, already 23 years old. Senn is coming to North America for the first time this season, playing for Binghamton in Cam Johnson’s old role. He will split time with Evan Cormier. Senn’s stats never really jump off the page. He has some talent, we just need to see him use it on the ice.
19. Mitchell Hoelscher
This is another player that had his stock rising because of what happened last season, but he actually dropped off since other Devils prospects have been working out with the team. Mitchell Hoelscher had a really good playoffs this past year, scoring 13 points in 18 games. He’s going into his third full season with the Ottawa 67s. Hoelscher can also play a season with other Devils property in Graeme Clarke and Nikita Okhotyuk. It should be an interesting site to see if he can take the next step in the regular season. He needs to score a little more, after he only had 10 goals last season.
18. Mikhail Maltsev
Mikhail Maltsev is a prospect that’s unlike a lot on this list. While there are many boom or bust picks among Ray Shero’s choices, Maltsev is more of a safe choice. He’s a great two-way player that’s good at just about every aspect of the game. This is a steady player. How far can a player that’s just decent at everything but never really wows you do? Well, he’s on his way to the AHL, where he can develop those skills. He could absolutely make the NHL one day, but we don’t expect him to break into the top six at any point.
17. Akira Schmid
Akira Schmid might be the New Jersey Devils of the future. He has a long way to go in his development, but he’s only 19 years old and is coming off a career year with the Omaha Lancers. He’s another Swiss player, joining Nico Hischier and Mirco Mueller in the organization. His size and glove hand are major strengths. Schmid had a rough start to his year after Lethbridge basically cut him for having too many import players, but he ended up joining Omaha and led the league in multiple goalie categories, including posting a .926 save percentage. This season, we hope to see him step up at World Juniors after a below average performance last season.
16. Nikita Okhotyuk
Nikita Okhotyuk was a somewhat surprise selection by the New Jersey Devils in the 2nd round of the NHL Draft. Still, he showed a ton of upside as the season progressed for the Ottawa 67s. He started off as a good third-pairing defenseman, but as more opportunities presented themselves, he stepped up to the plate. He’s aggressive on the puck and looked to make a play. His points didn’t jump off the page, but we expect that to grow with more opportunities this season.
15. Nikita Popugaev
Nikita Popugaev had a heck of a start to his career. It’s been well documented how he was thrown through different leagues and teams before finally ending up with the Binghamton Devils. It’s not often a hockey player has this kid’s combination of size and skill. He’s 6’6 but can stick handle with some of the better prospects. Popugaev should have a really nice season now that he can have a training camp with the same team’s he’s spending the entire season. The Devils will do everything to help this kid succeed, and we expect a huge jump in points.
14. Matthew Hellickson
Matthew Hellickson is a defenseman we expect a lot out of this season. He’s going into his junior season with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and we know how important this season is for player and team. If the Devils see what they want out of Hellickson this season, they will try to sign him before his senior season. If they let him play out the string, they could lose him to free agency. We expect a big season from him. He’s got great passing instincts and can use his agility to make a play.
13. Marian Studenic
Marian Studenic is a player that’s hard to peg to a specific ranking. His season with Binghamton started great with goals in the first two games of the season. However, he started to see the talent on the team take a drastic hit when some of the best players were forced to play in New Jersey thanks to all of the injuries. He ended the season with just 28 points in 64 games. It wasn’t the end they were looking for, but the wheels fell off the Binghamton thanks to injuries and losing Mackenzie Blackwood. This season will be the real test for the former 5th-round pick. He’s had a keen eye when it matters, scoring 15 points in 21 playoff games while playing with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2018. Last season, he had five points in the World Championships playing for Slovakia. Studenic steps up when he has to, he just has to learn how to be consistent.
12. Graeme Clarke
Graeme Clarke is higher on our list than he probably is on other experts’ lists, but we are incredibly high on Clarke. He is the ultimate boom or bust pick, but his boom could be star power. Clarke was hurt by playing on an absolutely loaded Ottawa 67s team, but he turned it up a notch in the playoffs. He scored 14 points in 18 games. Analysts were all over the map on this kid, but we’re are thrilled with this pick. Could it end up flaming out? Sure, but we think with this kids skill, he just needs someone to keep him consistent.
11. Brett Seney
Brett Seney was given the chance to become a full-time NHL player last season, but his results were up and down. Despite getting 51 games with New Jersey last season, most people aren’t even considering for the Devils final spot on the roster. Some give prospects with zero NHL experience a better chance to make the team. He was much better in the AHL than the NHL, scoring .73 points per game in Bingo over .25 in New Jersey. There was a clear development during the season, but we needed to see more. A full season in the AHL should help him build confidence and eventually come in for an injured player.
10. Daniil Misyul
We start off the top 10 with a player the Devils seem high on. Russian defender Daniil Misyul is facing a very important season for himself, as he’s trying to prove he deserves to graduate to the KHL level. Lokomotiv has a new head coach in Craig MacTavish, so he’ll need to show his A game from the get go. Also, we expect Misyul to play big minutes at this year’s World Junior Championship. He is a defense first type of player, but he has the skills to do some things on offense too. Misyul could easily develop into a good NHL defenseman, and he adds to a surprisingly robust defensive prospect list.
9. Aarne Talvitie
Not going to lie, we expected Aarne Talvitie to be higher on the list coming into the season, but he had a season-ending injury at World Juniors. Now, he’s heading back to Penn State with a bigger role and bigger expectations when he is 100% healthy. He was given fourth-line minutes last season, but he still was close to scoring a point per game. The Nittany Lions coach plans to move Talvitie to his natural position of center, which will help his numbers even more. Expect to see a really good season in Happy Valley. This could be their first Frozen Four appearance in franchise history, and it could be Talvitie’s last season before coming to the Devils.
8. Nathan Bastian
Nathan Bastian looked really good as a big body who can get dirty goals for the New Jersey Devils. Unfortunately, he kept getting injured, and only played seven games. He did score three goals in those seven games, but that’s an incredibly short sample size. He ended up winning team MVP in Binghamton. Bastian is built in the Brian Boyle mold, although slightly shorter. He can stand in front of a goalie, and cause havoc for opposing defenses. We need to see he can stay healthy against an NHL lineup.
7. Fabian Zetterlund
Full disclosure, we moved Fabian Zetterlund up on this list despite him missing most of the offseason with injury. The more we hear about the Swedish forward, the more we like what he can do. His skill set could even allow him to fight for that last spot on the New Jersey Devils, although we expect him to start the season in Binghamton. This is a player that can score in the right situations. The Devils have been very careful with him this offseason, allowing him to practice with the team but hasn’t put him in a game situation. We’ll see if they make the same decision in the preseason.
6. Joey Anderson
Joey Anderson was a player we expected a little more out of last season, but he had spurts where he was an NHL-caliber player. For the first 11 games, he looked like he would be a key part of the Devils turnaround after a pathetic start. Then, he became one of many players to lose significant time with injury. His was a messed up ankle after crashing into the net. In the end, the numbers don’t look great. He had seven points in 34 NHL games, but his defensive game progressed and he learned how to play on a really good penalty kill. The Devils will focus on his offensive game.
5. Michael McLeod
We’ve seen a lot of fans give up all hope for Michael McLeod already. We need to calm down. This is still one of the best prospects in the Devils organization. He’s got elite distribution skills. He needs to work on his finishing abilities. It’s weird, since he showed he was a scorer during his best season with Mississauga, but ever since he suffered an injury in Devils camp in 2017, he seems more timid. He still seems a little too timid in this week’s Prospects Challenge tournament. We need McLeod to shoot good shots. Seems obvious, but we haven’t seen it yet. This is probably the most important season of any player’s development in the Devils system.
4. Reilly Walsh
It’s been well documented that Reilly Walsh is getting a much bigger role with Harvard this season. Adam Fox left the top spot on the defense to Walsh when he graduated to the NHL. Now, Walsh goes into his junior season with huge expectations. Walsh is looking to show he can be a top-line prospect, and wants to earn a contract with the Devils after the season. Ray Shero told him that Harvard will be the best three years of his life. This is year three. Let’s hope this is the best year of his amateur career.
3. Jesper Boqvist
Jesper Boqvist is one of the most dynamic players in the Devils system. He could play every forward position with speed. He can skate incredibly fast with control, which we’ve seen what happens when a player has speed without control. Boqvist has two options this season. He’s either playing for the New Jersey Devils or Brynas IF of the SHL. There’s no inbetween. That means he has to have a great camp, not even just a good one, to show he deserves the last spot on the Devils roster. We’ve seen some flashes over the summer, but we hope to see a little more when he faces NHL players.
2. Ty Smith
Ty Smith isn’t having the best Prospects Challenge, but we’ve seen enough of him over the past year to know he is NHL ready. His skating is great. His passing is even better. Smith is an assist machine from the blue line. He can make the breakout pass, and can be the power play quarterback even at 19 years old. Did we hope to see a little more from Smith in this tournament? Sure, but his issues seem more about chemistry instead of talent based. Expect to see a great preseason from this guy.
Next. 5 Devils Who Could Raise Stock In Preseason. dark
1. Jack Hughes
It wasn’t going to be anybody else. Jack Hughes is the best prospect in all of hockey, and he’s coming to the Devils this season. He showed in his game against Buffalo in the Prospects Challenge that his talent is just head and shoulders about other prospects. Are there things he needs to work on? Of course, but his God-given talent is so ahead of everyone else, it’s insane. Hughes will keep this Devils team afloat by himself. With the rest of these prospects around him? This could be a really good Devils team for a really long time.