NHL Draft: 5 Defensemen New Jersey Devils Could Draft With 29th Pick
The New Jersey Devils need more defensemen in their prospect pool. Seven of our Top 25 prospects are defensemen, and only one is in the top five. That’s Kevin Bahl, who plays a very specific role. Reilly Walsh is another player with NHL aspirations, but the list after that has a lot of red flags. The Devils need to add defensemen this season.
They are expected to add one with the fourth-overall pick. The largest consensus has them picking between Luke Hughes and Brandt Clarke. That would really help to get a defenseman who has the ability to play a number-one role if they hit their ceiling. This is important for the Devils.
Even if the Devils take a defenseman with the fourth-overall pick, that wouldn’t stop them from taking a defenseman with the 29th-overall pick (which is actually the 28th pick of the 1st round). There are some really good options here, and the Devils could snatch up someone that other teams overlooked. Teams are going to prioritize defensemen and centers with the first 20 picks, but extra scouting will help the Devils in a year when other teams in these spots were focusing on playoff runs.
The Devils got this pick in the Kyle Palmieri–Travis Zajac deal with the New York Islanders. It could have been in the 19-23 range, but the Islanders kept winning. They made it to the semi-finals in part due to Palmieri’s contributions, so the Islanders will say they are happy with the deal even if Palmieri leaves in free agency. The Devils will be happier still if they can get an NHL defenseman at the end of the 1st round. Here are some that could be available.
Jack Peart
2020-21 Stats: 24 games, 1 goal, 14 assists, 14 PIMs
League: USHL
Team: Fargo Force
This season had scouts looking everywhere for good defensemen, and the USHL played a much bigger role than anyone expected. Many of the U.S. players this year had to play a lot of time in the USHL, and Jack Peart is one of the few that was actually a part of the league while still playing the role as a top prospect. He won the prestigious Mr. Hockey Award in Minnesota as the best high school hockey player in the state. His pedigree is hard to deny at this point.
His brain is actually his best attribute. Peart already shows an above-average hockey IQ and he shows great vision from the blue line. He can see passes setting up before the puck even leaves his stick. This kind of vision is hard to teach, so the fact the Devils can focus on other matters makes this a lot easier.
The Devils need a defenseman whose upside is higher than his perceived floor. They took a similar chance on Shakir Mukhamadullin last season hoping his upside eventually makes him worth the 20th-overall pick, but Peart comes with a lot more to build off of.
Peart is left handed with a good stride in his skating. This helps him with zone entries and even zone exits every so often. He helps his team get the puck out of the zone with a diversified skill set. He would be a very fun pick if the Devils have the chance.
Kirill Kirsanov
2020-21 Stats: 29 games, 0 goals, 3 assists
League: KHL
Team: SKA St. Petersburg
What an interesting profile to look at for Kirill Kirsanov. He played for the famous SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL, so he wasn’t able to get a ton of ice time. He was on the Russia defensive unit with Mukhamadullin at the U20 World Juniors.
He is a pure defensive defenseman, and he’s the best one in this draft. He stands at 6’1 and is already right on the cusp of 200 lbs. Kirsanov can poke check with the best of them, he uses his body well in the defensive zone, and he is mainly here to stop you from scoring. He will never be a 40-point defenseman, but he will always be on the ice against your top power play unit. The Devils desperately need players who can keep pucks out of the net and away from Mackenzie Blackwood.
The Devils do have some defensive defensemen prospects in Bahl, Nikita Okhotyuk, and Daniil Misyul, but their top defensive prospects are still of the offensive variety on top of NHL players in P.K. Subban, Will Butcher (barring who Seattle picks), and Damon Severson.
Kirsanov is the type of defenseman a lot of teams look for in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, but the Devils don’t have a 2nd-round pick. The same thing happened last season, and it led to the Mukhamadullin pick. The same thing could happen here, but Kirsanov has a clear skill set that sets him apart from other NHL prospects. His floor is just about NHL player right now.
Olen Zellweger
2020-21 Stats: 11 games, 2 goals, 11 assists, 2 PIMs
League: WHL
Team: Everett Silvertips
Olen Zellweger is a player who is downright impressive. He is another WHL player who saw a very shortened season due to the pandemic, but he made the most of his short time. He had 13 points. in 11 games for the Everett Silvertips. He was just as good at the U18 World Juniors. He had eight points in seven games for Team Canada. And that was it. 18 games last season, but he was very good offensively in those games.
Zellweger is one of the youngest draft-eligible players, and his ceiling seems unlimited. In such a weird draft, it seems even weirder that teams would let a player like this fall to the end of the round, but many mock drafts have Zellweger going early in the 2nd round. The Devils will look at Zellweger and see someone who can really help an offense.
Skating has hurt some defensemen in this draft, but Zellweger has some of the best skating of all the defensemen in this year’s class. Just the way he skates is impressive. He is able to take strides like an NHL defenseman, and his tape seems to speak for itself.
Zellweger can turn into a lot of things at the next level, but his upside is absolutely there. He could be something special, or he could flame out. It’s hard to tell with the small sample size the Devils have to work with. He does have talent that’s impossible to deny, and that’s all the Devils can ask for in this draft position.
Shai Buium
2020-21 Stats: 50 games, 4 goals, 22 assists, 27 PIMs
League: USHL
Team: Sioux City Musketeers
Shai Buium has one of the biggest sample sizes of any defensive players in the draft. The younger players played in a lot of leagues that had canceled games, while overseas players saw coaches lean on veteran players during such strange times. Meanwhile, Buium played a total of 67 games between the USHL and Shattucks St. Mary High School.
He has a ton of skill and was the driving force in Sioux City making a run to the playoffs in the USHL. He even scored three points in the Mountaineers’ four playoff games. Buium is a player with a lot of upside, but he was playing in lesser competition.
He is going to the University of Denver, so he is going to get better competition in a hurry. It looks like it is going to be a very good year for college hockey talent, and Buium will play an interesting role in Denver.
He’s one of the biggest players on this list, standing at 6’3 and 214 pounds. That’s close to NHL size already, so if that’s what the Devils are looking for this is a good pick. However, his size isn’t what is getting him drafted. It’s his decision making. He seems to have the drive to get better, and that leads to avoiding mistakes on the ice. The Devils could use someone like that in their prospect pool, especially with a pick this low in the 1st round.
Stanislav Svozil
2020-21 Stats: 30 games, 1 goal, 2 assists, 8 PIMs
League: Czech League
Team: HC Kometa Brno
Admittedly, this one would be an overdraft, but this is a player that has impressed. He’s a much smaller defenseman who desperately needs to add muscle. He is only 172 pounds despite standing at 6’0. This is likely hurting him in the scouting process, and most mock drafts have him going in the middle of the 2nd round. A lack of size comes with uncertainty because there is no telling how that added size will change how the player reacts. Still, Svozil has the skill set that makes it worth taking a chance.
He has quickly moved through Czech leagues, constantly player well above his age group. He ended up playing with the U18 and U20 group at World Juniors, and he was fine on each.
His numbers on paper aren’t impressive. He only had three points in his second professional season. It wasn’t even like he played in the KHL or the SHL. This was the Czech league, which doesn’t have the talent of those other two leagues.
Still, despite his lack of size, he doesn’t often lose battles. The position he finds is better than most defensemen his age. This is a player with crazy upside but a really low floor. He could be a top defenseman if literally everything goes right, but if a few things go wrong he may never even come to North America. There is a lot we don’t know about Svozil, and that’s scary with a 1st-round pick. Tom Fitzgerald has taken a shot before, and this could be a really good gamble.