New Jersey Devils Top 25 Prospects At Midseason
By Nick Villano
player. 85. Jesper Boqvist. 15. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. LW. Utica Comets
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.
14. Utica Comets. Marian Studenic. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. LW. 85
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.
Samu Salminen. 13. player. Jokerit U20. Pick Analysis. LW. 85. Scouting Report
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.
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. player. 85. G. Utica Comets. Akira Schmid. 12
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.
RW. player. 85. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Peterborough Petes. Chase Stillman. 11
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.