New Jersey Devils Prospect Pyramid Headed Into 2020-21

Tier Two

Tier two is where you find most of the top prospects around the National Hockey League. Outside of the potential superstars, who has the next best chance to be a star player for your team? One can argue that on average, this is the most important tier. Most years, teams don’t have any tier one prospects, but those teams who continuously stock up on prospects like this are the ones who have sustained success.  These prospects that come up as tier two prospects could often if you are lucky/good at developing, become superstars.

The Devils tier two prospects are Ty Smith, Jesper Boqvist, and Alexander Holtz. Last season, only Boqvist and Smith made it as tier two prospects but Holtz is a fine addition. He was the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. Boqvist has made his NHL debut and played great in the AHL but the other two are still waiting for their chance to play in the NHL and AHL.

For  Smith, he is the top defenseman in the organization. He was the 17th-overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. He has been amazing throughout his junior career with the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL but has yet to make the big club. Whenever the Devils return to the ice, Smith should be a part of the team. It is certainly exciting to have a trio like this in tier two because the hope is that they are part of the core in the not so distant future.