Regrading Every New Jersey Devils Pick In 2019 NHL Draft

2nd round, 61st overall
Nikita Okhotyuk, D, Ottawa 67’s
New Grade: C

This one was a questionable pick at the time. The Devils woke up on Saturday with three 2nd-round picks and ended up with only Nikita Okhotyuk, a defenseman with very limited upside. He’s a defensive defenseman who won’t get a lot of points in his career. Case in point, this past season he was on the Ottawa 67’s, home of Jack Quinn, Marco Rossi, and fellow Devils prospect Graeme Clarke, yet he only had 16 points on the season.

Okhotyuk was in the penalty box a little too much this past season, with 35 PIMs in 39 games. There’s nothing terribly wrong with Okhotyuk’s season, but there wasn’t a lot to get excited about either. He really needed a playoff run with the stacked 67’s to show what he’s worth.

He’s probably going back to juniors this season, which could be great for him. Marco Rossi and Jack Quinn have a chance to make the NHL, but if they don’t it’s likely they’ll go back to the 67’s as well. This is more “incomplete” than anything. It’s hard to predict defensemen one year later, but it’s indisputable that Okhotyuk is far down the prospect rankings. Ty Smith, Reilly Walsh, and Kevin Bahl are all ahead of him. Nobody is really calling him a lock to make the roster in the future.