New Jersey Devils Preseason Top 25 Prospect Rankings

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.