New Jersey Devils: How Prospects Are Doing Outside The U.S.
With the NHL still planning a late start and most North American leagues still not playing, things are rather quiet for what should be the start of the season. Some New Jersey Devils prospects are playing overseas and have enough of a sample size to take a look at where they are in their development.
Sweden
Jesper Boqvist
Jesper is currently back home in Sweden playing for Timrå IK of Hockey Allsvenskan, the country’s second league. His team is finding early success, which is fantastic to see for a developing player, winning 10 or their 13 games so far. Boqvist is sharing in his teams success so far with 3 goals and 7 points in his 12 games.
This is what the Devils need to see from the young 22 year old, having him playing good minutes on a successful team and contributing to that success. With the AHL season seemingly up in the air still and his spot not guaranteed in the NHL, it may be better to leave him in Sweden this year. He still has the potential to be a good middle-six player in New Jersey, but having him just practicing or playing in half the games in a lower role would not be as productive to his future or that of this team. While the spot is very likely open on the first line with Nico Hischier and Kyle Palmieri, it is unlikely Boqvist is ready for it so why move someone having success.
Fabian Zetterland
Also playing in the second tier in Sweden is Fabian Zetterland. He has only played six games so far but managed three points. It is too small a sample size to take much of anything out of it, but we can hope he manages better than half a point per game pace over the course of the season in a lower league.
Alexander Holtz
The Devils seventh-overall pick this year, Alexander Holtz has only played 10 games this season, and has lived up to his draft position. With seven points already and four goals, he is doing exactly what the Devils need and drafted him for. His development looks to be trending the right way and he should be ready to come over next year to play top six with Jack Hughes or Hischier. Unfortunately, though, we will need to wait for more games to get a real good sample size this season.