Ranking Every New Jersey Devils 1st-Round Draft Pick Part 2: Familiar Faces
By Mike Luci
No. 23: Michael McLeod
Center
12th Overall, 2016
Michael McLeod is the first player in these rankings still playing for New Jersey. The Devils were originally slated to pick 11th in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft but traded back a spot with the Ottawa Senators. McLeod just completed his first full season, notching nine goals and 15 points in 52 contests.
Despite battling a few injuries, McLeod managed to collect 207 points in 215 OHL games with the Mississauga Steelheads, along with 46 points in 33 playoff contests. He helped Mississauga reach the OHL finals in 2017, and played in back-to-back World Junior U-20 Championships for Team Canada from 2017-2018. McLeod turned pro that same year, appearing in six AHL games with Binghamton. McLeod made his NHL debut with New Jersey the following season, only getting five assists in his first 33 matches.
Although McLeod posted modest numbers with Binghamton over two full seasons (57 points in 108 games), his NHL prospects were looking bleak after his first pair of showings, especially given how the Devil’s center depth was vastly improving. Fortunately, McLeod nestled in nicely as a grinding center, who brought physicality and grit to the lineup. He had the second-most hits on New Jersey this season (only behind fellow Mississauga teammate Nathan Bastian), took the most face-offs, and tied for the best FOW percentage (51.5) among players with at least 33 games played.
Yes, his sample size is relatively small, but McLeod has proven more resourceful in 52 NHL games than most of his predecessors on this list. Throw in how he netted nine goals in 2020-2021, which is more than anyone ranked below him scored in a single year, his higher-than-expected placing in these rankings is easy to justify.