The Devils could have a lot of prospects at next year’s WJC tournament.
The New Jersey Devils have one of the best pools of prospects in the NHL. They are deep with players all around the world. There are big contributors in traditional Canadian juniors, the NCAA, and over in Europe. With 19 picks in the last two drafts, it’s no surprise the Devils are going to have a lot of options to play at the World Junior Championship next year.
This year, the WJC is a lot different. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament only consists of the U20 competition. That means players are forced to spend more time in the national camp. Those teams might not allow their prospects to participate. For example, this article from The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler doesn’t have Alexis Lafrenière on Team Canada because of the restrictions.
This is the article we’ll use to see which Devils prospects might make their respective country’s teams. There are some obvious players, but there are some major surprises.
Alexander Holtz is probably the most obvious Devils’ prospect on this list. He is a lock to not only make the Swedish roster but to play on the first line. Don’t get us wrong, Sweden has a good team this year. However, Holtz has been great in the SHL, and the rest of his linemates are likely either struggling in the men’s league or playing in a junior league. Playing with Lucas Raymond won’t hurt.
On Team Canada, who is by far the favorite in this tournament even without Lafrenière, Dawson Mercer seems like he could be close to a lock to make the team. Mercer was on last year’s team that won the gold medal. There’s not a lot of players who are returning for the Great White North. Still, Mercer will likely play a fourth-line role. Quinton Byfield, Kirby Dach, and Alex Newhook are all ahead of Mercer in terms of development. Still, being on this roster will be huge for him.
Seeing Shakir Mukhamadullin on the top line for Team Russia might surprise some people, but he has experience with the team last season and he’s played a prominent role in the KHL to start the season. He’s going to play a lot of minutes for the team this season. Obviously, he is playing in front of the best goalie of the tournament in Yaroslav Askarov. Arseni Gritsyuk is also considered an extra here. That probably makes a lot of sense for the Devils’ 5th-round pick, but the experience itself is well worth the trip.
Things start to get really interesting when it comes to Team USA. One might not expect to see many Devils on that roster, what with Jack Hughes playing in the NHL, there is no lock for the Americans, yet the Devils have two on Wheeler’s team. Patrick Moynihan is on the team’s fourth line at right wing. He calls him one of the most underrated players from the nation’s 2001 age group. Also on the team is defenseman Case McCarthy. The 2019 4th-round pick is a hard prospect to peg. However, he’s one of the few really good American prospects that shoots right-handed. That could open up a door for him on the team.
Either way, it appears that Devils fans will have a lot of reasons to watch the World Junior Championship this season. There was a Devil on each team that Wheeler analyzed besides Finland. This also doesn’t consider prospects from other countries in the tournament like the Czech Republic (Jaromir Pytlik) and Austria (Benjamin Baumgartner). There are going to be some fun prospects going at it in Edmonton next year.