New Jersey Devils Postseason Top 25 Prospects

Nico Daws was like a man without an island this past season. The Guelph Storm, the team where he led the OHL in save percentage in 2019-20, were not going to be playing this season. The Devils already had enough goalies on the roster, and Daws needed to get some playing time somewhere. He ended up in Germany playing for Ingolstadt ERC. He only got into ten games last season, putting up an .898 save percentage. It’s not the best numbers, but it was a normal season for Daws. He is now signed with the Devils, and he can show what he can do in the AHL. He has a lot of talent and he could be a future backup or possibly even better than that.

Mikhail Maltsev was very close to being left off this list because he was given a legitimate NHL shot last season, but there’s still a good chance he ends up in the AHL for at least one more season. He only played in one AHL game last year and spent 33 with the big club. He was trusted to stop other teams with their goalie pulled and he had some opportunities most didn’t expect. However, it’s hard to say he’s a lock to be on the opening-night roster in October. He can score goals and play correctly on the defensive end. It’s interesting to see where he ends up come next season.

Here’s another prospect that’s just on the cusp of graduating, but Jesper Boqvist doesn’t come with the sunny outlook that Maltsev does. Boqvist was supposed to be a contributing part of the organization right now, but he’s struggled on the NHL level. If he was a baseball player, they’d call him a quadruple-A player, because he is dominant in the minors but struggles in the top level. It’s still way too early to give up on Boqvist. He had the same amount of points in 28 NHL games that he had in eight AHL games (7). If he can figure out what’s holding him back once he gets in the NHL lineup, he might turn into something special. It’s all about confidence for Boqvist.

Tyce Thompson put together another stellar college season despite losing Jack Dugan to the pros. Thompson put up 25 points in 25 games, which was slightly below his sophomore season pace but still good based on the talent around him. He came to the pros and something felt a little off. It could be the toll of this strange season or he might have been a little tired after the college season. It’s nothing to be worried about. Thompson is a wonderful prospect who can do just about anything the team needs from a forward position.

The Devils defensive prospects are all pretty interesting because where they end up next year is anybody’s guess. They have a pretty competent defensive group in the AHL for next season despite the results of this past season. After Reilly Walsh surprisingly skipped his senior year with Harvard, he looked good at times during the season with Binghamton. He put up 15 points in 33 games, and he had some highlight-reel moments. He clearly got more comfortable as the season went on. He needs a little work defensively, but he’s already elite in terms of offensive skillset from the back end.