New Jersey Devils 5 Prospects Who Could Surprisingly Make NHL Roster

Tyce Thompson

Tyce Thompson left Providence College after the end of last season and went straight to New Jersey. After the Devils signed him to an entry-level contract, he was placed right on the NHL roster. He was given a seven-game tryout, but he struggled. He only had one point in those seven games, an assist in his first-ever NHL game. He went scoreless over the next five games, and he was sent down to the AHL before he was given one more NHL game before the season ended.

However, diving into some of Thompson’s advanced stats (thanks to Natural Stat Trick) shows some interesting trends. When looking at full-season stats, only Jack Hughes had a better 5v5 CF% than Thompson. That’s right, Thompson had the second-best Corsi percentage of any player that stepped foot on the ice for the Devils. His 54.65% shows he was doing a lot of the things the Devils need from him, especially on the defensive end, but his line struggled to finish. He actually leads the team in Fenwick percentage.

In 47 total chances, Thompson was on the ice for one goal at even strength. When looking deeper at the chances, Thompson was on the ice for 10 high-danger chances. That is where the one goal came from. Comparatively, Hughes was on the ice for 128 high-danger chances at 5v5, and he saw 16 goals go in the net.

There was clearly some bad luck surrounding Thompson. He was also sheltered by Lindy Ruff, so he might have to start more in the defensive zone next season, but he will get a legitimate look in training camp and the preseason come September, and if he plays well, he will make the NHL roster.