Options For New Jersey Devils In Late 1st Round Of NHL Draft
The Wildcards
Yaroslav Askarov
Where does the first goalie go? Most years, it’s rare for more than one to be guaranteed in the 1st round. This year, if Askarov falls to the mid-teens or even closer to 20, any team regardless of how they feel they are set with goaltenders in the future should jump on the pick.
Anytime he has played the last two years, he has the makings of a legit number-one starter. Goaltending may be the hardest position to predict going forward, but a team will make that bet early this year, and even with Blackwood in net, the Devils would be smart to pick him if he falls.
When the teams trending upwards have two guys who can split the bulk of the time and knowing no matter who is in net they are not a liability is massive. It shows late in the year. Gone are the days of riding your starter 70 games and more and more starters are trending down in workload. People might not like this pick in year one, but it will look good in the long run.
Lukas Reichel
It is always surprising to see a player go from a non-traditional hockey country in the 1st round, especially if they stay and play in a lower-tier league. This year for the first time in history, two German-born players and two who play in Germany will and should go in the 1st round. Reichel is all over analyst’s mock drafts with a few in the 1st round, most in the 2nd round, and some as far as the top of the 3rd. so doing my own look at his games and highlights
That being said, it did not take long at all for him to blow that analysis out of the water. The first thing of note is his speed and competition. He blows past players on nearly every play and when he gets the smallest bit of room, he drives right to the center of the ice. A willingness to do that at a young age against way bigger players shows a ton of heart. Nothing will stop him from going where he needs to be successful and this will 100% translate to the NHL even if it takes a while.
dark. Next. Devils Must Take Yaroslav Askarov In NHL Draft
His shot placement on a lot of his goals is not pretty, so that may be why it has not been talked about, but his accuracy is something to take note of. He shoots a ton of his shots about one inch over the goalie’s pad where there is a gap a lot of the time and it is harder to get at with the gloves or blocker. If there is even a split second thought before the shot, it will hit the pads. This combined with a nose to go for the net will make him a 20 goal scorer in a middle-six role almost guaranteed.