New Jersey Devils: Possible Picks With 10th Overall In NHL Draft
By Nick Villano
Jake Sanderson
Jake Sanderson has been flying up draft boards, going from a prospect taken in the teens to a consensus top-10 pick. Is Sanderson off the board for the 10th-overall pick? In Central Scouting’s midterm rankings, he was the 11th-best North American prospect. In the most recent rankings, he was 4th. That’s an insane jump.
The big American defenseman isn’t very flashy, but he’s reliable. We all know the Devils could desperately use someone who’s reliable, especially with the ever flashy Ty Smith as their top prospect. Having someone who plays on the left side also helps, as that’s currently the Devils weakest position (but who knows if that remains that way by the time Sanderson is NHL bound).
Sanderson is going to the University of Notre Dame, so we don’t expect him to play in the NHL next year (not that he would if he wasn’t already committed). He’s got a really good skillset to play in today’s NHL. His game is boring but effective, something that teams really need right now. The Devils could especially use that.