New Jersey Devils: 5 Possibilities With 17th Overall In NHL Draft

Seth Jarvis

Vinnie Parise dove into Seth Jarvis a few weeks ago about why he would be a good option with the 10th-overall pick, but we think the New Jersey Devils could gamble and grab him at 17. Jarvis can play both center and right wing at the next level. He scored 98 points in the WHL for the Portland Winterhawks. He was second in the entire league behind Adam Beckman. His season came out of nowhere, as he took a major step and added almost 60 points to his total from his first year in the WHL to his second. In fact, his second half was world’s better than his first.

One reason you might be worried about pick Seth Jarvis? He literally went on fire, and came out of nowhere. Out of complete curiosity, we looked at where Jarvis was in midseason mock drafts. McKeens Hockey had him outside the top 35.

However, there’s too much the Devils would like about this player to let him fall past 17. Teams might be worried about him when they have one pick in the 1st round, but the Devils have three. They have the ability to take a shot on a player who could be a star at a position of need, while also taking the shot he was just a flash in the pan. Honestly, he has “make the NHL now” upside, or “end up John Quenneville” downside. Maybe his run on points is a Jesper Bratt-like resurgence, or maybe it was blowing up knowing the draft was coming and his stock was falling.

The main reason the Devils will be on top of this prospect is he does a lot of things really well. Not only can he score (42 goals) and find the open man (56 assists), but he plays a great penalty kill. The Devils, at least the Devils of old, loved having options on special teams. Adding Jarvis at 17 would give them a player who can do a lot.