New Jersey Devils Should Consider Options For OHL Prospects After No-Hit Rule

A new rule in the OHL could hurt the development of Devils prospects.

On Friday, Sportsnet reports that the Ontario Hockey League will not have body checking when they return to the ice next season. That’s a wild new development as leagues across the world try and tackle how to play sports during a pandemic. It’s hard to argue against the decision since most of us don’t have the science that decision makers like Ontario’s minister of sport has in front of them. This would be hurtful for young players’ development, that much is clear.

Right now, the Devils have four players in the OHL. All of them were ranked in our Top 25 prospects. Michael Vukojevic (19th on our prospect rankings) is heading into his fourth season with the Kitchener Rangers. Jaromir Pytlik (23rd) is playing his third season with the Soo Greyhounds, although he’s currently playing some games for the Czech Republic. Nico Daws (17th) returns for the Guelph Storm after leading the OHL in save percentage. The most important prospect’s season is Graeme Clarke (22nd), who could see one of the biggest jumps among all Devils prospects.

Clarke is the player to watch because if he can stay healthy, then he could make himself a top 10 prospect pretty easily. He’s a scoring machine when his perpetual shoulder injury doesn’t sideline him. His release is so very good, but obviously, his shoulder is a very important part of that shot.

Clarke is also expected to get an expanded role with the Ottawa 67’s. Marco Rossi and Jack Quinn might not return to the team after the latest decision by the province of Ontario. The Buffalo Sabres and Minnesota Wild might bring their prospects to the NHL right away so they spend the truncated season with the top league in the world over a league that’s playing unlike anyone else.

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Honestly, Clarke might be the only prospect the Devils should keep where he is. His most important ability this season is availability. If Clarke isn’t getting hit, the likelihood he gets injured goes down a lot. It might be a win-win for the Devils.

The other three players should look to play elsewhere. It’s just going to hurt them so much playing such a strange game of hockey. They are going to get hit in the NHL. They are going to get hit in the AHL. Learning to play without hitting in this crucial stage of their development might be too much for the Devils.

This could cause some really bad habits for these young players. This is especially true for Pytlik, who is the other forward on this list. Getting into the habit of charging the net without a defender’s ability to touch a player won’t work in other leagues. He might get some elevated numbers this season, but they will be a false flag of confidence.

Vukojevic might get some necessary teachings in stick checking and positioning, but it’s not worth it for him to completely change his game. This is one of the most crucial years for him. He’s still very raw on the defensive end. To switch up his game at 19 years old would not make sense for him and the Devils.

Daws would be facing a lot more offensive output than he would in other leagues. Confidence is so important for a goalie, and Daws was finally able to get his confidence back last season, leading to monster numbers and the Devils taking him in the 3rd round. Now, giving offensive players more reign to do what they want would make his job more difficult.

There are so many other options for these prospects. They could move over to Europe, where leagues have already started in many countries. The Devils could work with them getting enrolled in college and playing once the NCAA season starts, although there are always questions about eligibility with that. The KHL is also an option, with MHL and VHL a place for players to go. For everyone outside of Clarke, these are much better options for the Devils and prospects to make sure they develop correctly.