NHL Draft: 5 Reasons To Fall In Love With Alexander Holtz

5. Holtz Plays Right Wing

Never, ever draft for need. It’s how bad franchises stay bad. They reach 15 or 20 picks for a player they feel fits something the NHL team needs right now. Teams are drafting players for the next decade minimum, and choosing someone based on how the team looks currently is useless. That being said, if a great player happens to fall into your position at said position of need, then it is a nice little positive.

Holtz is the only right wing in that “top tier” of players. Seth Jarvis might be the next closest according to experts, and Noel Gunler might be a player some regret looking over. Still, Holtz is the only right wing that’s undeniably great.

If, say, Rossi and Holtz are both available at seven, could the Devils decide they want to take the player that fits the bill of what they hope to have in a few years? It’s possible, but that still shouldn’t be the “reason”. The fact that Holtz plays a position the Devils have very little of in their prospect pool and frankly on the NHL roster is a luxury.

Holtz is a very good player, but replacing Anderson or Nathan Bastian with Holtz as the best right wing prospect in the ranks would mean a lot for the team’s depth. There are some really good center and left wing prospects in the ranks.