Ranking Every New Jersey Devils 1st-Round Draft Pick Part 2: Familiar Faces

Part one of our series featured names that were largely forgotten, unknown, or bitterly remembered by New Jersey Devils fans. Most were first-round busts that spent little time in the NHL, let alone New Jersey. Half of the dozen players previously mentioned were drafted between 2000 and 2014, a timeframe where (save three gems) every single first-round selection by the Devils failed to become an impactful NHL player.

It goes without saying the ramifications of that long dry spell are still being felt today.

These next 12 players may start out unfamiliar, but contain this list’s first Stanley Cup champion, and end with some widely-recognized names still playing with the team. While there aren’t any Hall of Famers among this next set of 12, a good number had commendable NHL careers and decent stints with the Devils that went beyond two or three seasons.

Some more interesting facts about the Devil’s first-round drafting history:

The Devils had eight top-five, and 12 top-10 picks in round one from 1982-2017

From 1982-2017, New Jersey picked more than once in round one on four occasions (1982, 1989, 1991, 1998), and had no first-round choice three times (2002, 2007, 2010)

They had back-to-back first-round picks in 1998 (26th, 27th overall)

The most-drafted player by position from 1982-2017 is a tie between defensemen and centers (10 each)

All-time (1982-2021), New Jersey made the most selections 18th overall (five), 20th overall (four), and never selected 9th, 14th-15th, 21st, or 31st-32nd overall

No. 24: Neil Brady
Center
3rd Overall, 1986

Starting off this section is Neil Brady, the first top-three selection to appear in these ascending rankings. Brady had a decorated CHL career before he turned pro, getting 217 points in 190 games with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. He was teammates with fellow New Jersey Devils first-round pick Jason Miller (No. 33 on this list) in the 87-88 season. Brady won back-to-back WHL championships and Memorial Cups with the Tigers, in addition to making three consecutive WHL finals appearances.

He didn’t make his NHL debut until 89-90, where he had one goal and five points in 19 games with the Devils. He would only appear in 10 more contests for New Jersey the next two seasons, only collecting one goal. Brady was dominant with the AHL’s Utica Devils, garnering 198 points in 223 AHL games—even getting 96 points in 90-91. Brady was traded to the then-expansion Ottawa Senators in 1992 for future considerations. Brady is largely known for scoring the first goal in Ottawa Senators franchise history (both in the exhibition and regular seasons), and actually had a decent year with his new team. In 55 games, Brady tallied seven goals and 24 points on a Senators squad that only won 10 games in its inaugural season.

Brady’s last NHL season was in 1993-1994, where he only played five games with the Dallas Stars. He wound up going to the IHL that same year, where he played until 2001 when the league folded. Brady averaged .348 points per game over his brief NHL career, which looks quite good when compared to players ranked below him, despite appearing in fewer games than some in the bottom tier.

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.

No. 21: Jacob Josefson
Center
20th Overall, 2009

Although he too (like his Swedish counterpart and fellow former first-round pick Mattias Tedenby) may have been rushed into turning pro, which stunted his development, injuries early in his career also factored majorly into why Jacob Josefson never excelled with the Devils. Like Tedenby, Josefson only had 18 AHL games under his belt before making his NHL debut that same season (2010-2011). Throughout his rookie and sophomore campaigns, Josefson suffered multiple injuries that sidelined him for weeks and months at a time.

In spite of these setbacks, however, he still managed five goals and 19 points in 69 NHL games from 2010-2012. These numbers (.275 points per game) aren’t by any means spectacular, but not particularly awful either, especially for someone who endured consecutive injuries on a team that was (at the time) relatively deep up front. Although Josefson appeared in 315 NHL games, he only played in more than half a season’s-worth twice, his play being limited by those aforementioned injuries and descending on the Devil’s center depth chart.

Josefson spent seven seasons in New Jersey, tallying 18 goals and 60 points in 276 contests, before spending his final NHL campaign with the Buffalo Sabres. Hopes were high Josefson could turn into a steady two-way center with second-to-third line potential. Maybe things could have been different if he didn’t run into tough injury luck and had more time to adapt in North America, instead of being thrown into the fire.

No. 20: Niclas Bergfors
Right Wing
23rd Overall, 2005

Niclas Bergfors had an explosive start to his rookie season, getting 13 goals and 27 points in 43 games. Evidently, he found himself in Head Coach Jacques Lemaire’s doghouse, who was critical of his defensive play. After Lemaire began relegating Bergfors’ ice time, he only scored two goals in his next 20 contests. Bergfors didn’t register a point in 13 consecutive games, nor score in 16 straight contests before he was moved to the Atlanta Thrashers in New Jersey’s package for Ilya Kovalchuk.

Bergfors seemed to find his game again in Atlanta, netting eight goals and 17 points in 27 games. He finished his rookie year with 21 goals and 44 points in 81 contests, getting a spot on the 2010 NHL All-Rookie-Team. Bergfors started strong in 2010-2011, netting 11 goals and 29 points in the first 52 games of his sophomore season before Atlanta traded him to the Florida Panthers. His play declined afterward, only collecting one goal and seven points in 20 matches with Florida.

Bergfors played his last NHL season with the Nashville Predators in 2011-2012, only getting one goal and two points in 11 games before being waived. He finished that year in the KHL and played there until 2016, before going to the Swedish Hockey League. Bergfors just completed his fifth season for Djurgardens IF, where he was teammates with fellow former Devils first-round picks Jacob Josefson and current prospect Alexander Holtz.

No. 19: Denis Pederson
Center/Right Wing
13th Overall, 1993

Mostly remembered as being one of the pieces New Jersey traded to the Vancouver Canucks for Alexander Mogilny, Denis Pederson was a highly-regarded prospect. After an impressive four-season stint with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, Pederson had a tremendous first year on a stacked Albany Devils team, where he had 71 points in 68 contests. In a 10-game sample with New Jersey during the 1995-1996 season, Pederson netted three goals and four points. He had 12 goals and 32 points in 70 contests as a rookie in 1996-1997, but his production gradually declined the following two seasons.

Pederson struggled 35 games into his fourth year with the Devils, only tallying three goals and six points. As previously mentioned, Pederson along with forward Brendan Morrison were shipped to Vancouver for left wing Alexander Mogilny. It turned out to be the right move by General Manager Lou Lamoriello. Mogilny scored 43 goals for New Jersey in 2000-2001, helped them win their 2000 championship, and make a subsequent Stanley Cup Finals appearance the following year. Pederson played three more seasons in the NHL after being traded to Vancouver, for as many teams.

Pederson went to Europe in 2003, where he spent nine seasons playing for Eisbären Berlin of the DEL. Berlin managed to win six championships during Pederson’s time with the team, who collected 131 goals and 317 points in 348 games. Although his NHL career never took off, Pederson had a fruitful decorated career overseas, playing parts of 18 professional seasons in North America and Europe.

No. 18: Mike Van Ryn
Defenseman
26th Overall, 1998

The New Jersey Devils had back-to-back first-round picks in 1998 at 26th and 27th overall. They used their first to select incoming collegiate freshman Mike Van Ryn. To avoid signing with New Jersey, Mike Van Ryn exploited a loophole on NHL teams retaining the rights of college-drafted players until they leave school. The arbitrator determined an NHL draftee in college can play one season of major junior hockey before becoming a free agent. Van Ryn won a National Championship with the University of Michigan in 1998, and spent one more year there, before playing his obligatory season with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting.

He signed with the St. Louis Blues in 2000, where he played parts of three seasons. Van Ryn tallied two goals and 13 points in 69 games with St. Louis, who traded him to the Florida Panthers in 2003 for Valeri Bure and a conditional draft pick. He had some decent years with the Panthers, where he collected 25 goals and 103 points in his first three seasons, before injuries limited his 2008-2009 campaign to 20 games.

Van Ryn was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for defenseman Bryan McCabe, where he only played 27 games before subsequent injuries forced him to retire. This makes Mike Van Ryn the second person on here to have appeared in the NHL without playing a game for the Devils. Had he remained healthy, Van Ryn probably could have had a decent career. The skill was definitely there, so you can’t say Lamoriello still didn’t have an eye for talent, especially considering how well he did with his second first-round pick in that year’s draft.

No. 17: Craig Wolanin
Defenseman
3rd Overall, 1985

Craig Wolanin is the first Stanley Cup champion in these ascending rankings. At 18 years and two months during his NHL debut, he became the youngest team member in franchise history to play a game. He went on to score the first postseason goal in New Jersey Devils history, and post seven points during their 1988 playoff run. Wolanin struggled with injuries and playing time over the next two seasons, which eventually led to an AHL demotion, after which he requested a trade.

Wolanin was dealt to the Quebec Nordiques (along with future considerations) in 1990 for star forward Peter Stasny. He spent the next six seasons in Quebec and Colorado (where the Nordiques relocated in 1995). Despite being battered with a constant string of injuries, Wolanin was a fixture on Quebec’s defense but only appeared in seven playoff games for the Colorado Avalanche during their 1996 Stanley Cup championship run. Wolanin didn’t play again after Game 3 of the Conference Semifinals however, after a costly turnover by him caused a Chicago Blackhawks overtime goal, putting them ahead 2-1 in the series.

Wolanin was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning that summer, where he only played 15 games in 1996-1997, before being acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite an ill-attempted comeback in 1998-1999, Wolanin ultimately succumbed to his crippling injury history. Although Wolanin wasn’t on the Devils for long, he has a permanent place in team history and was used to obtain a valuable asset in Peter Stasny (64 goals and 173 points in 217 games for New Jersey). Had Wolanin remained healthy, he could have become an impactful top-four defenseman that kept his place on the Devil’s blue line.

No. 16: Adam Larsson
Defenseman
4th Overall, 2011

Adam Larsson is the first active NHLer in these rankings currently not playing with the New Jersey Devils. At one point, Adam Larsson was projected to go first overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Luck was on New Jersey’s side, whose draft lottery victory that year bumped them to the fourth overall selection. Making his NHL debut as an 18-year old in 2011-2012, Larsson posted modest figures of two goals and 18 points in a 65-game rookie campaign. He always struggled to earn the trust of Head Coach Pete DeBoer, until he was relieved of his duties midway through the 2014-2015 season.

The newly-installed coaching staff tapped into Larsson’s potential and made the young Swede a fixture on New Jersey’s blue line. Although Larsson never took off offensively, his defensive prowess, mobility, and all-situation play made him a pivotal asset that was expected to be part of the Devil’s long-term plans.

As many of us probably remember, Larsson was part of the infamous one-for-one swap between the Devils and Edmonton Oilers that got New Jersey Taylor Hall. He’s spent the last five years in Edmonton, where he’s collected16 goals and 86 points in 329 games. Larsson is coming off a six-year deal he originally signed with the Devils and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent. It always was a pity Larsson was traded right after he finally found his stride with the Devils. Maybe he returns to the Garden State this summer?

No. 15: Pavel Zacha
Center
6th Overall, 2015

Despite being only 24-years old, Pavel Zacha (along with Miles Wood) is currently New Jersey’s longest-tenured forward. Zacha just completed his fifth full season in New Jersey, where he led the team scoring (35 points) and co-led with 17 goals (also with Miles Wood). Despite the shortened season, Zacha’s totals gave him a career year that would have translated to over 24 goals and 51 points in an 82-game schedule.

After selecting Zacha sixth overall in the talent-laden 2015 NHL Entry Draft and seeing many of his fellow draft class members become established impactful players, Devils fans can attest to the frustratingly slow boil of Zacha’s development. Despite the incremental progress of his offensive production and struggles with consistency, Zacha was frequently utilized in special teams situations—51 of his 143 points have come on the power play or PK—and always seemed to immensely improve his play as the season progressed.

Zacha’s leap this year was unlike any progression he’s experienced on a season-to-season basis. Aside from his new career highs in goals and points, his gamely shots per game and shooting percentage both more than doubled from 2019-2020, and he finished this past year with an FOW above 50 percent (51.49) for the first time in his career. Zacha still has a lot to prove and might find himself placed higher on a future follow-up piece if he continues progressing, but certainly stepped up at a pivotal time in his career with the New Jersey Devils.

No. 14: Jason Smith
Defenseman
18th Overall, 1992

The first player on this list to appear in 1000 NHL games, Jason Smith forged a lengthy career for himself that spanned over 15 seasons. After a 41-game rookie campaign in 1993-1994, Smith only played two games for New Jersey in the lockout-shortened 1994-1995 season due to injury. Despite his stifled NHL play, Smith presided as captain over the Albany River Rats, who won the Calder Cup that same year.

Smith only appeared in parts of four seasons with the Devils from 1993-1997, playing 162 games where he got three goals and six points. In 1997, Smith, along with Steve Sullivan and rights to Alyn McCauley were traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for defenseman Dave Ellet, forward Doug Gilmour, and a draft pick. Toronto traded Smith to the Edmonton Oilers in 1999 for two picks, where he played for the next seven years. Smith was awarded the captaincy in 2001, a title he donned for five seasons—which ties Wayne Gretzky for longest-serving captain in Oilers history. Smith played 542 games in an Oilers uniform, whose leadership was instrumental during their storybook run to the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals.

Smith was on the move again when Edmonton dealt him to the Philadelphia Flyers in 2007, along with Joffrey Lupul, in exchange for defenseman Joni Pitkanen, forward Geoff Sanderson, and a draft pick. He served as Philadelphia’s captain in the one and only year he played for them and spent his last season with the Ottawa Senators. Smith wasn’t by any means a star-caliber player, but his stay-at-home play and leadership skills made him a valued asset everywhere he went—a reminder that every successful first-round pick doesn’t have to become a superstar.

No. 13: Nico Hischier
Center
1st Overall, 2017

This part of the rankings ends with New Jersey’s only player to be selected No. 1 overall (to reiterate, first-round picks from 2018-2020 aren’t included), along with the list’s first team captain. It was largely between Hischier and center Nolan Patrick for the 2017 NHL Entry Draft’s first overall pick. The 2017 draft lottery was the second time New Jersey ever won, and the entire franchise’s first number one overall pick since 1979.

Having completed his fourth season in New Jersey, it was an especially meaningful one for Hischier, who was named the 12th captain in team history. With a contract keeping him signed until 2027, Hischier is poised to become the Devil’s longest-serving captain since Scott Stevens. Despite his consistent play and quickly becoming a foundational component to New Jersey’s core, Hischier has recently struggled with injuries, missing 59 contests since 2018 and 35 of 56 games this past season. His injury woes aside, it’s hard to argue the Devils didn’t make the right choice between him and Nolan Patrick. Having said that, Hischier is only 22 and probably hasn’t come close to hitting his ceiling that could potentially be star-caliber on a more talented and competitive Devils team.

Although seven of 12 players in this part appeared in more games than Hischier, him being a first overall pick, his immediate and current impact on the Devils, along with being team captain propelled him to the top spot in this list’s tier.