New Jersey Devils Full 7-Round Mock Draft

4th Round, 99th Overall

Devils select Blake Biondi, C, Hermantown High School

It is extremely hard to judge a player who’s only played in high school, which will cause a lot of teams to completely take Blake Biondi off their boards. However, this would be a great pick for the Devils around 100. Biondi was named Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey, an award won previously by Casey Mittelstadt, Nick Bjugstad, and Ryan McDonagh. There is a long line of Mr. Hockey winners getting into the NHL.

Biondi scored 175 points in 75 high school games. Obviously, the competition is not very high, but it’s still impressive he had the time to score this often this past season. Name a skill set that makes a player better in hockey, and Biondi has it. He’s got great hands, a wonderful shot, some insane footwork, the ability to win one-on-one battles, and a big frame that allows him to sit in front of the net and clean up the crease for easy goals.

He’s heading to Minnesota-Duluth for college, and that should help him grow into a better player. He struggled in a brief stint in the USHL, but the shock of competition likely had more to do with it than his issues on the ice. Getting him consistently against NCAA competition will make him a great player overall.

Two names who will make the Devils pause with this pick are defenseman Ronan Seeley and goalie Samuel Hlavaj. They both have a lot of upside at two positions of need for the Devils. Another name to watch is Sam Strange, who went to the Washington Capitals and that could be a really good pick for them.