New Jersey Devils Top 25 Prospects At Midseason

The New Jersey Devils have not had a good season, so once again it’s time to look at the future. There are a lot of pieces on the team now that will be here for a long time. Jack Hughes just signed an eight-year extension, and he’s still only 20 years old. Nico Hischier is signed through the 2026-27 season. He’s just 23 years old. Dawson Mercer is no longer a prospect, making the team out of training camp despite being 20 years old. The Devils currently have 9 forwards on the roster under the age of 25. That doesn’t include Jonas Siegenthaler (24) and Ty Smith (21) on the defensive side of things.

None of those players are eligible for this list. They are all long-time NHL players. As we hit the halfway point of the NHL season, we want to see where the Devils prospects rank compared to where they were at the end of last season. The prospect pool looked very, very different at that point. There are major changes based on what we saw this season.

Sure, there were some things we didn’t get to see from the prospects. Some lost games due to COVID pauses, and others completely lost their final World Junior Championship tournament. Still, the Devils have a ton of prospects who could one day make it into the NHL.

In fact, the talent is so deep, look at some of the players that made it into the honorable mentions section:

Zakhar Bardakov
Case McCarthy
Topias Vilen
Jakub Malek
Benjamin Baumgartner
Aarne Talvitie
Artem Shlaine
Nikola Pasic

The list is pretty stacked. Here is the criteria in who is considered a prospect:
-23 years old or younger
-Still has realistic ties to New Jersey Devils organization
-Not a guaranteed NHL player right now (So Mercer isn’t considered but Boqvist is)

Besides that, everyone is up for grabs. The Devils have a ton of prospects and ranking them 1-25 was not an easy task. There was a fight for the number-one spot, and there were fights at just about every spot along the way. There were some players who rose the ranks dramatically, and there were others who fell off the list entirely. Let’s start at the beginning. But first, shout out to Elite Prospects for the hard-to-find stats on a lot of these players.

Last Ranked: 16

Speaking of a player with a locked-in role, Nikita Okhotyuk is pretty clearly the top defensive defenseman on the Utica Comets. While Kevin Bahl is the team’s best 200-foot defenseman and Reilly Walsh is the team’s best offensive defenseman, Okhotyuk plays a clear role in the AHL, and it’s something that could eventually translate into an NHL skillset. He’s gotten better at reacting to plays, and he’s even shown a tiny bit of offensive upside. He had major questions last year, but he’s proven himself in a big way. He’s only moved down the list this season because of the talent added up and down the prospect pool.

Last Ranked: 18

Ethan Edwards is not the University of Michigan defenseman that people are paying attention to this season, but he’s impressed the Wolverines coaching staff. With Owen Power playing in the Olympics, UM put Edwards in his spot on the top line. His offensive game is evolving, with four points in his last two weekends of hockey against Minnesota and Wisconsin. He’s still a freshman, and he’s slightly undersized (5’11), but Edwards is a player to watch. He could eventually take over as the top defenseman in Ann Arbor when Power, Luke Hughes, and others leave for the NHL. Then, he might really turn some heads.

Last Ranked: 15

Patrick Moynihan is another prospect who’s really hard to find a spot for. He’s the player Jack Hughes asked Ray Shero about during the pre-draft process. Every one of his teammates wants to play with him. He’s a role player that never plays with a selfish style and makes sure his teammates are put in the best place to succeed. With Providence College this season, he has 21 points in 27 games. He’s got one destiny in the NHL, and that’s as a bottom-six role player. However, teams need those. Will the Devils sign him this offseason to avoid his senior year free agency? It’s possible Moynihan wants to play with Hughes one day, so it might not matter.

Last Ranked: 22

Fabian Zetterlund is a player who seems to have a low ceiling, but he has a considerably high floor. Is he going to be a 30-goal scorer or even someone who hits 20 one day? Probably not. However, he’s been really good in the role he’s played for the Utica Comets this season. He has 33 points in 34 games with Utica, and he was even able to make his NHL debut this season. Zetterlund has been great in the AHL, and his ascension is a huge reason for the Utica Comets jump to the top of the standings.

Last Ranked: NR

Nate Schnarr is someone I may be higher on than others. His stat sheet isn’t as good as Zetterlund’s in the AHL this season. He has 23 points in 29 games this season, and he turns 23 years old later this month. However, the way he plays the game since the start of the season looks like what he was in the OHL. He has a 100-point season under his belt in juniors, showing he can put up points at will. He’s getting closer to “he is what he is”, but there are flashes of brilliance every so often. At 6’3 and with the skillset he possesses, he could continue to grow into a middle-six role one day.

Last Ranked: 8

Who knows what the Devils should do with Jesper Boqvist. He’s been getting more NHL action as of late, but it’s not like he’s lighting the world on fire. He has seven points in 19 games in New Jersey (coming into the All-Star break), and he has eight points in seven games in Utica. He’s plummeted in the rankings after going from close to a sure thing to a massive question mark. His talent just isn’t lifting when he’s in the NHL lineup.

Last Ranked: 19

Marian Studenic is another player who is getting his NHL shot this season, but he’s looked a lot better than Boqvist with it. Studenic looks like an NHL player when he slots into the lineup. He still makes a lot of mistakes, which is someone to be expected. When he was on the ice, he allowed a ton of chances, but the chances usually weren’t that good. He allowed roughly 10 chances against per game, but he only allowed around 2.3 high-danger chances per game. Meanwhile, his line got more high-danger chances than they allowed. Studenic is definitely something, but he needs to work on a few aspects to his game before really understanding what he brings to an NHL team.

Last Ranked: NR

Samu Salminen is a player that analysts love coming into the 2021 NHL Draft. His shot is already awesome. He needs to work on his skating, but his intelligence and his vision are already at a high level. He’s the captain for his Swedish junior team, and he’s waiting to go to the University of Denver, where he should be able to jump right into the lineup next year and become a star. He might only need one year in college before jumping into the NHL, but it might be best for him to stay there for two.

Last Ranked: 11

Akira Schmid was thrown to the wolves this season, and he acted accordingly. When he is in the AHL, there are times when he looks like the best goalie in the minors. However, when he’s been forced to play in the NHL due to a laundry list of injuries and issues, he hasn’t looked great. Nobody expected to get a minute of NHL time this season. He was literally fifth on the depth chart coming into the season. So don’t look too much into his .833 NHL save percentage. His .947 save percentage is the best in the AHL.

Last Ranked: NR

Chase Stillman was a major surprise when he was selected in the first round by the Devils in the 2021 NHL Draft. It’s clear Tom Fitzgerald had a specific need here, and he found it in Stillman. The pick looks pretty right so far. He lacks a lot in his game offensively, but he’s tenacious and he has a nose for the puck. What is his ceiling? That’s really hard to pinpoint right now. He seems to have one too many flaws to live up to his first-round selection, but he’s definitely someone with an NHL skillset.

Last Ranked: 10

Nico Daws’ numbers are worse than Akira Schmid on paper, but his pedigree and ability has us ranking him just ahead of his partner in Utica. Daws is a former third-round pick that once led the OHL in save percentage. He’s another player who saw his development stalled due to the pandemic, and he had to take a backup role in Germany. This season, he took over the starting role in Utica. He’s someone to pay attention to if you don’t believe Mackenzie Blackwood is the answer in net.

Last Ranked: 5

Graeme Clarke is one of the few players in Utica that’s not getting the rub from this magical season. Some thought his shot alone would get him into an NHL lineup. He just hasn’t really scored this year. He has just five goals in 20 games for Utica. Despite having one of the best teams in the AHL, Clarke hasn’t had the same quality of season. He’s only 20 years old, and there’s a lot more development coming for him. It’s still pretty easy to say we’re not happy with how this season has turned out for him.

Last Ranked: 7

Tyce Thompson has basically been hurt this entire season, which is incredibly upsetting because the Devils clearly had high hopes for him. He might have carved out a full-time role in the NHL by now. Even if he didn’t get a chance to be in the Devils lineup, he was going to be a lock for the top six in Utica. Instead, he was forced to get shoulder surgery. Still, this kid has insane upside. He could be a good NHL player next season. Let’s just hope his rehab is going well.

Last Ranked: 4

Kevin Bahl is a defenseman that will likely move all over the rankings until he makes the NHL full time. His size will always be what stands out. As they like to say, you can’t teach size. He can clearly move despite being 6’6. He can also knock a guy out when he’s challenged. Bahl is hardly empty size like some other young defensemen. However, there are multiple flaws in his game he still needs to work on. He does a lot right, and he’s grown as a player this season. It’s just hard to tell what the final product will be for Bahl. It might be worth it to give him an extended NHL look before the Comets take the ice for the Calder Cup playoffs.

Last Ranked: 3

Nolan Foote has been turning it on as of late, which is great to see. He was really struggling at times in the first half of the season. There were some worries he could be struggling to make the transition to professional hockey. His incredible shot is still his biggest asset, but if he can’t get to a spot to use it, it doesn’t matter. Between December 4th and January 25th, Foote had 13 points in 11 games. He only has seven points in the other 21 games. He has to stop going on these long scoreless streaks to show he can be a consistent NHL player. He will likely spend another year in the AHL next year before he’s considered a possible member of the Devils.

Last Ranked: 17

Arseni Gritsyuk is the prospect to make the biggest jump on this list this year. He was a “good” prospect last season, but he’s turned into one of the Devils’ top prospects this season after an incredible run in Russia. He made the Russian Olympic team, thanks to his skating that took 15 steps in the right direction this offseason. Gritsyuk seems like he could make the Devils today. He has 16 goals and 28 points for Omsk Avangard of the KHL. He’s one of their best players at just 20 years old. He’s been incredible this season, and he might end up being one of Fitzgerald’s best draft picks after taking this kid in the fifth round.

Last Ranked: 6

Reilly Walsh came into this season as the prospect with the most to prove. Walsh showed some last season, but he focused more on his offense than anything else. This season, he made major strides on the defensive end, and he’s a major reason why Utica is one of the best teams in the AHL. He’s going to be 23 years old in April, so one needed to see this kind of production from him. He still has some things to work on in his game, but nobody would be surprised to see him as a regular starter in the NHL next season. It’s one of the best transitions from last season to this season, and Walsh is going to keep growing now that he’s confident in his game.

Last Ranked: 13

This is really high for Shakir Mukhamadullin. We admit that. The Russian has looked worlds better this season. He’s playing around 15 minutes per game in the KHL, showing he’s earning more than he was last season. It’s unfortunate we didn’t get to see him on the national stage in either World Juniors or at the Olympics. He came close to playing in both, but circumstances did not allow it. Now he’s getting a break before the KHL fast forwards straight to the playoffs. It will be an interesting experience for the young defenseman. The Devils signed Mukhamadullin to an entry-level contract, but that doesn’t guarantee that he will make the jump to North America next season. His next move is as intriguing as any.

Last Ranked: NR

There is a clear top two in terms of prospects this season. Luke Hughes and Alexander Holtz are the two guaranteed NHLers barring something crazy happening. They could both easily make the league full-time next season. For Luke Hughes, it seemed like his journey to Ann Arbor was a two-year move, but he’s been so good this season, he might be ready. It’s more likely he will go back to Michigan with Owen Power leaving a hole on the top line, but anything is possible. Hughes has 23 points in 28 games as a defenseman. His offensive game took four steps forward during the offseason, and he’ works perfectly in that Michigan system. This was the perfect move for him, and the Devils might have another Hughes superstar on their hands.

Last Ranked: 1

Alexander Holtz is the Devils top prospect. He hasn’t looked great in his time in the NHL this season, but he looks like one of the best scorers in the minors with the AHL. He needed one more season of development, and it’s proof the Devils are getting a legit scorer who should be on the top line in the NHL in a very short fashion. He’s still just 20 years old. He has 28 points in 24 games in the AHL. He’s everything the Devils could want in the minors. Holtz is scoring at will. He is doing all the little things head coach Kevin Dineen is asking of him. Holtz has superstar winger written all over him, and that’s why he’s the Devils top prospect.