New Jersey Devils Rookies Getting Ready For NHL Debut

There is a lot of excitement surrounding the New Jersey Devils this season and it has a lot to do with some of their rookies.

The New Jersey Devils are about to kick off their 2019-20 campaign tomorrow night. They are going into it with so much excitement and anticipation due to the fact that they had one of the best offseasons in franchise history. A large part of the excitement revolves around players who are going to make their NHL debuts against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night.

Nikita Gusev is technically not a Calder eligible rookie based on the rules due to his age, but he has never played an NHL game in his life. He was the best player in the KHL last season and when he made the decision to come over to the NHL the team that owned his rights, Vegas Golden Knights, couldn’t afford him. The New Jersey Devils used their free cap space to their advantage and pulled off a huge trade to acquire him

Gusev is a player that is considered a pass-first player but he can score goals as well. This is a great player that the Devils are hoping can translate his game over to North America. Based on how he played in the preseason, it appears that he can. He has found chemistry with both Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier in the exhibition season so it doesn’t matter what center he is paired with as he will have a good season regardless.

Jesper Boqvisit was a question mark as far as his status with the team going into training camp. He either plays in Sweden or the NHL this season and the Devils opted to have him on their roster. He earned that spot by using his speed and skill in the preseason to be noticeable ever night. It is currently unclear what line he is going to be a part of but he will surely be able to provide some offense for this team.

The most anticipated NHL debut in the entire NHL is that of first overall pick Jack Hughes. He is the best prospect in the world and he showed why multiple times. He was dominant in the preseason and showed that he is going to be a factor almost every night. He uses his great hockey IQ, vision, skills, and speed to make things happen. He can weave through the neutral zone to create chances on the rush or he can be a great playmaker in his own zone. This is going to be an amazing player and one that the Devils are going to build around for the next decade or more.

A bunch of young players, rookies included, are going to be the key to this team having success. They also have some depth in the organization as far as young players. This is a team that is being built for sustained success, so it will be so much fun to see how these three guys will do in their first NHL season.