New Jersey Devils Preseason Top 25 Prospect Rankings

The list starts with an intriguing prospect out of Russia. Daniil Misyul may be 20 years old, but he is still early in his development and not close to a possible move to the NHL. He was a 3rd-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, but the Devils took him knowing he was a work in progress. He showed some flashes of being a really good defenseman at World Juniors last year. He projects as a nice second or third line defender. Obviously, the Devils could use top-line players in the prospect pool, but depth is important as well. This is the defensive defenseman type that still has a very important place in the game today.

The Devils loaned Yegor Sharangovich to the Dinamo Minsk of the KHL this season, and he has been quite good to start the season. After 25 points in his second season in Binghamton last year, he already has six goals for Minsk in 16 games this season. Just two years ago, he was only able to get four goals in 47 games in the KHL. Sharangovich is an intriguing prospect. He probably plays as a bottom-six forward in the NHL with scoring upside. He’s not one that gets a lot of looks right off the bat, but he’s going to get an increased role in Binghamton this season. If he’s patient, the Devils could develop a really good depth player that could be on this team for a long time.

Jaromir Pytlik is the first new prospect on the list, coming to the Devils with their 4th-round pick just a couple of weeks ago. He makes it on the list ahead of fellow 4th rounder Ethan Edwards because his ceiling is just slightly higher and he’s closer to us knowing exactly what he is. He comes with nice size at 6’3 and he’s good at a lot of his all-around game. Nothing he does is spectacular, but he was definitely worthy of the pick where the Devils got him. His production took a major hit in the second half of last season, which contributed to his fall down draft boards. He does, however, have a good chance at bouncing back and making the Devils look like they got themselves a steal.

Graeme Clarke’s career comes down to how healthy he can be. When he’s on the ice, he’s a scoring machine. His release might be the best on this list next to Alexander Holtz. The puck flies off his stick and he has remarkable accuracy with it. However, a shoulder issue sidelined him for the second-straight season, forcing him to get surgery this season. He will go back to the absolutely stacked Ottawa 67’s team, that might return a draft+1 Marco Rossi and Jack Quinn if they don’t make their respective teams. There’s a lot of talent on this team, and if Clarke can stay healthy, he could be in for a huge season lighting the lamp.

Who knows what to make of Marian Studenic. He was once a very promising prospect, getting first-line minutes on a bad Binghamton team two years ago. As Binghamton got better, he stalled. Last season, it got so bad he was a healthy scratch in the AHL after veiled hopes he might grow enough to get a call up. He turned it around in a big way, putting up nine points in the final 12 games of the B-Devils season before the COVID-19 cancellation. Now, he’s playing overseas for HC Slovan Bratislava, but the team is currently on hold after 18 players tested positive for the virus. Still, it’s back to upside for Studenic to make serious noise when he returns to the minors this year.