New Jersey Devils: Grading Alexander Holtz Pick In 2020 NHL Draft

The New Jersey Devils took a scoring winger with lots of talent on the board.

There wasn’t a lot the New Jersey Devils could do that would constitute as a miss with the seventh-overall pick. When Jake Sanderson was taken 5th overall by the Ottawa Senators, one of the meltdown points for the fanbase was taken off the board. Jamie Drysdale went to the Anaheim Ducks with the very next pick, so that left a very interesting trio of Cole Perfetti, Marco Rossi, and Alexander Holtz on the board. The Devils, of course, went with the sniping Swede.

We went very in depth on the strengths of Holtz here, but a quick recap. Holtz was very good as a teenager in the SHL last season, and he seems to be excelling again this year. He outscored fellow top-10 pick Lucas Raymond while playing with Djurgårdens IF. He has one goal this season in just three games, but it’s still very early in a very weird season over in Sweden.

Holtz has a chance to be a special player. His shot might be the best in the draft. Only Alexis Lafrenière is a better scorer among those top picks. Holtz might not become the best since a lot of these prospects are really close, but he has that special factor that could make him a superstar.

Where things get a little hairy is who else was available when the Devils picked at seven. Rossi and Perfetti were both on the board. Thanks to the two previous picks taking defensemen, the Devils had a really tough decision ahead of them. Did they make the right decision? They definitely filled their biggest need with a player with slight differences from the others. Rossi seems best at center, but he could have played wing. Holtz, on the other hand, is a natural wing. Meanwhile, Perfetti is a ton of upside with a couple holes in his game. He could end up being the best player in this draft, but he could also end up never hitting his true expectations.

This was a pick for Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes. The Devils knew they needed true wingers for their number-one overall picks. Holtz is as much a true winger as anyone in this draft.

The Devils got a player here who barring something crazy should make the NHL as a teenager. He doesn’t turn 19 until January. He needs to work on his defense, because that could hurt his ability to play on a top line. His offensive game is so well rounded already. He has an NHL-level shot and offensive IQ. His defense is a problem. Holtz will work on these things this season, now that he knows where he is going and what will be expected of him.

This pick gets a B. One could give the Devils an even better grade since this pick does have a lot of upside, but with a couple holes in Holtz’s game and Rossi on the board, it’s not a grand slam. It’s still a really good pick, and the Devils avoided causing the fan base to erupt by taking the goalie Yaroslav Askarov. Holtz is a great pick among great players that were available.