New Jersey Devils Preseason Top 25 Prospect Rankings

The New Jersey Devils prospect pool is quickly becoming one of the best in the league.

It’s been quite the year for the New Jersey Devils. After going “all in” the last offseason to put together a contender, the Devils ended up being massive sellers at the trade deadline, fired their head coach and GM, and just hit the reset button on the franchise in general. It has some Devils fans feeling down about the franchise as a whole, but there’s one indisputable thing. The prospect pool for the Devils is as good as it’s ever been thanks to some shrewd moves by current Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald.

The prospect pool was already in the top half of the league, and some could argue they had a top-10 prospect group. However, the pieces added by the Taylor Hall, Sami Vatanen, and Blake Coleman trades completely revamped the future of this franchise. Listing the top 25 prospects is harder now because of the sheer talent across the board. When in years past there was forced hope for a talented player with major flaws like Nikita Popugaev, this year those types of players don’t even get considered for this list.

This month’s NHL Draft brought eight prospects, including three 1st-round picks. This adds to 10 2019 draft picks that are still eligible for this list (Jack Hughes is not eligible for what it’s worth). Between the five major prospects the Devils got in trades last year, two really good drafts in a row, a lot of intriguing development, and a young roster full of opportunity, the list of prospects may never be as important to the Devils as it is this season.

A couple of rules before we begin. To be considered a prospect, the player has to be under 24 years old (sorry Brett Seney), cannot be guaranteed a roster spot (this is what disqualifies Hughes), and has to still have his rights owned by the Devils (so players like Mitchell Hoelscher and Xavier Bernard are no longer considered). Players are ranked based on how we think their careers will play out. It has nothing to do with how close they are to the NHL, but what’s most important is the long-term impact of the player.

There are really good prospects who will be left off. It’s just too early on a lot of them, but that’s how stacked the Devils pool is. Starting with 25, any of the players on this list (and a select few off of it) have a chance to one day don the NJ crest while playing for the Devils.

Arseni Gritsyuk is a really hard player to pin on this list. He’s currently playing in the KHL for Avangard Omsk, but after spending a few games in the owner’s box it’s hard to understand why they wouldn’t just send him to the MHL. There, he scored four points in four games earlier this season. Clearly, he’s a player that needs to find a better spot in the lineup. Would his development go better if he was the big fish in a little pond and score a ton in the MHL, or would playing against better competition in the top league get him to the next level?

Defensemen are just so hard to project. Michael Vukojevic is proof of this. He has a lot of the tools to become a really good defenseman, which drove the Devils to take him in the 3rd round last year. He just hasn’t put any of it together, which caused him to fall to the 3rd round. He’s already doing a lot well with the offensive aspects of his game. He obviously can skate, but Vukojevic has to find a way to play better in his own end. He makes mistakes, which most defensemen do in juniors. This is one of those “way too early to tell” prospects, but he still has so much upside that he’s absolutely a top-20 prospect for this team.

Aarne Talvitie could be 10 spots higher if it wasn’t for a knee injury he suffered in the championship game of the World Junior Championship. He was hit by Mikey Anderson (brother of former Devils prospect Joey) and immediately grabbed his leg. He had 16 points in 17 games for Penn State before the injury as a freshman getting used to playing in North America. He was absolutely electric. He was clearly not right for most of last season. He had a brutal stretch where he only scored two points in 12 games (both in the same game). They only won three of those games. Talvitie is the player to watch so far. He could rocket up this list now that he’s a full 18 months from his knee injury.

Obviously, goalies are hard to project, especially when the goalie was literally just drafted. No other goalie appears on this list (obviously, both Mackenzie Blackwood and Gilles Senn would appear if they were eligible). Akira Schmid, Evan Cormier, and Cole Brady don’t seem to be anywhere close to making a play for the NHL. Nico Daws is the closest of all of them, and they took him a couple of weeks ago. He led the OHL in save percentage, played with a gold medal-winning Canada team at World Juniors (after looking like he had no chance to make the team coming into last season), and single-handedly kept the Guelph Storm in a playoff position (that never ended up happening) last season. Daws will have a hard time finding an encore, but playing well in a big moment is something he hasn’t had to do. He blew his chance at the WJC, and he needs a shot in a high-energy scenario to show he’ll be able to excel on the big stage.

Nikita Okhotyuk is likely going back to the Ottawa 67’s powerhouse this season. The Devils 2nd-round pick is mainly a shutdown defenseman. He isn’t going to score a lot of points, and he might score none on the NHL level. Defensive defensemen are not a hot commodity in the NHL right now, but the Devils could really use one with young offensive defensemen in Damon Severson, Will Butcher, Ty Smith, and Reilly Walsh already close to the roster. He’s still 19 years old, and he could get more points if Rossi and Quinn lead another great 67’s team. It would be nice to see Okhotyuk get a look in New Jersey, possibly on a seven-game tryout at the beginning of the season, just to see where his talent actually is.

Nathan Bastian is a prospect that has been plummeting down this list, but it’s more because of the talent that’s being added over what he was doing himself. There was a time two seasons ago where Bastian looked like a future mainstay, but he had a fine enough season not to lose confidence last year. However, going from three goals in his first seven NHL games to dropping his goal numbers last season in more games. He did get a lot more assists, so his priorities likely changed. Bastian is still a decent prospect, but there’s not much of a chance that he becomes a fixture in the NHL next year.

Fabian Zetterlund is a prospect we were very, very high on, but things just seemed to have petered out. He was ranked sixth in our last rankings. Now he’s ranked 14th. It’s quite the fall, but we learned a lot more about the prospects the Devils got in various trades, and it’s clear Zetterlund is behind them. He’s another player that lost a lot of momentum to a knee injury. It feels like he’s always a year away from being a year away. This is a very important year for Zetterlund. Like Talvitie, it won’t be a big surprise if he puts it together this season. He’s going to be healthy (hopefully) going into next season and has the physical tools to be an NHL contributor. He just needs to get more experience as an offensive force in a lesser league before making a move to the NHL.

Nick Merkley was an underrated piece in the Taylor Hall trade. Many were excited for Kevin Bahl and obviously that 1st-round pick (which ended up being a home run), but Merkley has a weird spark about him. He’s one of the top scorers for Assat in the top Finnish league (six points in eight games). Once he left Tuscon, and the Arizona Coyotes organization, he was ready to thrive again. He’s a former 1st-round pick that’s still only 23 years old. This is a year where he can prove why he was such a highly-touted prospect. He’s two years removed from scoring a point per game with Tuscon in the AHL. He likely got frustrated where he was, and now a change of scenery will give him a shot to excel.

He’s the pick that has Devils fandom split. Some are absolutely appalled by the fact the Devils used the pick they got for Blake Coleman on a complete flier. Others are enthralled by the skills a 6’4 defenseman from Russia can actually show. Someone with his skating and that insane slap shot is going to turn heads. The issue is what can he actually do in a full hockey game. Back in December, The Sporting News ranked him 20th, but that was before a disastrous World Juniors. It was too big a moment for him at the time. However, it looks like he learned from it. He’s played well when asked to take on top minutes for Ufa, who’s been dealing with a lot of injuries and sicknesses. Mukhamadulin showed he can at least compete in the KHL. That will likely lead to confidence and something to build off of later.

Kevin Bahl is tall. That’s probably what a lot of people know most about him as a prospect. He’s 6’7 and 240 lbs. As the kids like to say, you can’t teach that. He’s more than that, obviously. How much more is still up in the air, which is why he’s not yet a top-10 prospect for the Devils even though he might make the team. There is a lot of like so far. He was voted the best defensive defenseman in the OHL. He’s a really good body checker (also voted 3rd best in the OHL in last season’s coaches poll). His offense was up and down last season, but he didn’t need to show that off. He played on the 67’s and with Team Canada at the World Juniors. Neither needed offensive help from a guy of Bahl’s play style. He was much better as a defender first. He can get a nice offense going, but he’d need some seasons in the AHL to work on it.

This list will be a little bit higher on Mikhail Maltsev than others, but there are some really good skills here that can turn into a really good NHL player if everything falls into place. He’s remembered for literally destroying Alexander Georgiev in the preseason. It showed his obvious skill, but it also showed his great hockey IQ. Maltsev knew how the defender would react to pressure, and he adjusted where he was going. He’s bigger for a low-round prospect (a 4th rounder from 2016 that’s coming in at 6’3 and 221 lbs. at just 22 years old). He had a rough start to his season in Binghamton, but he finished the season strong. His talent hasn’t resulted in points just yet (21 points in 49 AHL games), but that will come with time. He’ll get some really good experience on loan to SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL before returning to Binghamton.

What is there left to say about Michael McLeod? Is he someone the Devils need to just focus on because of how good he’s been before in his career, or is he a lost cause the Devils should let move on? He’s a former top-15 pick that once dragged an entire team to the OHL Finals by himself. Since then, he got injured at Devils training camp, put together a disappointing follow up with the Mississauga Steelheads, made his debut in the AHL, failed to really impress, got one look with the NHL club, got a second look with the NHL club, failed to impress in the preseason, got a third NHL look, scored exactly zero goals in 33 NHL games. This isn’t a small sample size anymore. Still, he’s a supremely talented player who needs help. Is that help going to be here? He can still be good. If he figures out what’s causing him to make crucial mistakes on the ice, and he’s adaptable to the new coaching staff, then he can be saved. If not, it will be a disappointing end to a player who was supposed to be the team’s second-line center behind Nico Hischier as early as two years ago.

Tyce Thompson came out of nowhere to rocket up the Devils prospect pool. He was absolutely insane for Providence College for most of last season. He made an epic jump, going from 25 points in his draft year to 44 points one year later. He was given more opportunity on the power play and penalty kill and scored on all phases (10 5v5 goals, 8 PP goals, 1 shorthanded goal). Things get very interesting now that his teammate Jack Dugan signed with Vegas Golden Knights. Can Thompson still dominate on the scoresheet now that he’s the top dog in that locker room? One insane stat is that 10 of Thompson’s 19 goals came with the game tied. That means he’s scoring either to set the tone for his team or when Providence absolutely needs it.

Janne Kuokkanen came over at the last second as the Devils sent Sami Vatanen to the Carolina Hurricanes at the trade deadline buzzer. He’s a nice player that’s close to making the NHL roster, but figuring out his ceiling is a difficult task. He’s having a decent start in the Finnish league Liiga, scoring three points in his first five games. This is after building some serious momentum to end the season with the Binghamton Devils. He had six points in his first four games in a Devils uniform. He was probably going to get a legitimate NHL look before the league went on pause. He’s basically what they call in baseball a AAAA player. He’s too good for the AHL, but he might be just slightly below the NHL level. He’s only 22, so there’s a lot of time left for him. He could end up being really good. However, when looking at the top six and how young the rest of the roster is, finding a spot in the future top six could be difficult for Kuokkanen.

Nolan Foote is a really exciting prospect and former 1st-round pick the Devils got in the Blake Coleman trade. His shot is great. Not much else to analyze on that. His release is elite level already, and he hasn’t even made it to the big leagues yet. Not only does he have a great shot, but he finds areas to take said shot. The son of former NHL great Adam Foote, he can make plays and flat-out score. He’s also a gritty player that can make something happen underneath. His skating needs some work. It’s not like he has rocks in his skates, but his first step is not what it should be, and it could hold him back from becoming a star. He still has the potential to immediately become like a Kyle Palmieri type. That shot is just ridiculous.

We finally made the top five, and it’s pretty clear who should be here. The only thing in question is the order. Reilly Walsh was one of the best surprises of the offseason for the Devils when he signed his entry-level deal. Earlier in the offseason, the Devils said they felt comfortable letting Walsh play out his senior year at Harvard, allowing him to get top-line minutes and grow as a prospect. The problem is he’d become a free agent after that. He’s an offensive-minded defenseman that makes up for his lack of size with great decision making. He’s a right-handed shot that is excelling when the puck is on his stick. He needs to work on some of the defensive aspects of his game, but offensive defenders usually make the NHL faster because their skills transition better. He’ll likely spend next season in Binghamton to grow as a player, especially since he’s a clone of multiple defenders already on the Devils.

The Devils got an absolute steal when Dawson Mercer fell to them with the 18th pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. This helped ease the sting of the Taylor Hall pick falling from 10 or 11 to 18. Mercer has been playing really well since the draft and has six points in four games for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens. That includes four goals. Mercer has been a force this season already, and it’s just getting going. Mercer was awesome for Drummondville of the QMJHL before he was traded to Chicoutimi. He was one of the best two-way centers in the draft. He focuses on his defensive game as much as the offense. He’s always looking at the mistakes he makes and tries to fix them on his very next shift. Mercer is going to be a good player. Devils fans probably expected to have to wait for the player they selected 18th overall. Mercer gives them someone who does so many things right already.

Jesper Boqvist did not have a good season. It was his first coming over from Sweden, he didn’t seem to fit into the John Hynes system, and it took him some time to score on the NHL level. He was sent down to the AHL when it was allowed as per the team’s agreement with his SHL team. There, he went off. After scoring one point in his first eight games, he took it to another level. He ended up scoring 10 points in his last 11 games in the AHL before the season’s pause. He’s playing this season on loan with HockeyAllsvenskan. He has five points in six games, which is fine but some hoped for more in a lesser league. Still, one rough season in the NHL does not change that Boqvist is still a supremely skilled player that’s just 21 years old.

The Devils got a gem with the seventh-overall pick. Honestly, with Cole Perfetti, Marco Rossi, and Alexander Holtz all available at the pick, it would be hard to be upset with the pick. The Devils took the player with the deadly shot. Holtz can kill an opponent’s dreams with the flick of a wrist. He has six points in eight games for Djurgårdens IF. He’s quickly approaching unprecedented numbers for a teenager in the SHL. That’s what makes Holtz so exciting. He’s already contributed in a men’s league. Just look at fellow prospect Lucas Raymond. He only has five points in 10 games. It shows how far along Holtz is as a player already. Holtz had 16 points in 35 games last season, so he’s already shown a ton of growth. He could make the Devils roster as soon as 2021-22.

Ty Smith should be seeing his last season on this list. It was a hard decision between Smith and Holtz, but Smith gets a slight edge because of how close he is to the NHL and how good he’s been for a second-straight season. Smith won his second-straight WHL Defenseman of the Year award with the Spokane Chiefs. He scored at a similar clip from the blue line (59 points in 46 games last season). We all saw what happened in the preseason last year. He was terrible. This, after he was great in the preseason right after he was drafted. He almost made the team immediately, but clearly, he got good experience winning medals at the WJC and dominating juniors. Now, Smith comes to the Devils with a ton of hype and a ton of hope. He’s their best chance to fix the defense on the fly. If he can play as he did in lesser leagues, the Devils could put together a respectable defense. He has everything he needs. The Devils and Lindy Ruff now need to just coach him up.