New Jersey Devils: 5 Prospects Who Could Surprisingly Jump Into NHL Next Season

The New Jersey Devils haven’t had a lot to get excited about this season, but some of the young players have us looking towards the future. Obviously, all of the excitement starts with Jack Hughes. He’s been amazing all season long despite not putting up the proper counting stats. Right behind him is Yegor Sharangovich. After scoring like a monster in the KHL, Sharangovich was able to keep that scoring pace up in the NHL. Despite the COVID outbreak, he still has 11 goals in 44 games. In his rookie season, he is on a 20-goal pace if it was an 82-game season.

This happens all the time in the NHL. Out of nowhere, a prospect who wasn’t getting a ton from the analytics crew changes something during the offseason and makes the NHL. It’s always a really fun story to tell. Look at Sharangovich. He was a decent player with the Binghamton Devils last season, but he was nothing like he is now. Heck, he was ranked 24th among prospect rankings by us before the season. He wasn’t even on The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler’s rankings last season.

There are a ton of decent prospects in the Devils ranks. Obviously, players like Alexander Holtz, Dawson Mercer, and Nolan Foote are expected to make an impact on the Devils next season. However, there could be more spots available. There is going to be an insane competition when training camp starts next season. That’s because there will be open spots. Players like Michael McLeod and Mikhail Maltsev will likely have to fight for their spot on the roster once again.

That leads to an opportunity for other prospects to make their mark. If these players make major strides in the offseason, they could be on the main roster come next October.