New Jersey Devils: Alexander Holtz Could Change Everything If He’s Good

The New Jersey Devils are watching their prospects play actual games right now at the Prospects Challenge. However, one very important prospect is standing out. Alexander Holtz could push a talented Devils roster into a playoff one if he continues playing like this.

Alexander Holtz knew there was something off about his time in the NHL last season. He was a menace in the AHL, and it led to 51 points in 52 games. However, in the big leagues, he only had two assists in nine games. The New Jersey Devils are expecting Holtz to be a lightning scorer. No goals in nine games was a very bad sign.

So, Holtz worked on his game this offseason. He went back to his native Sweden with fellow Devils superstar Jesper Bratt. They worked on skating together, and it looks so far like it’s working. In Friday night’s Prospect Challenge against the Montreal Canadiens, Holtz scored two goals including the overtime winner.

Look at the entire sequence here. Holtz takes a booming shot that gets past an attempted block by the defenseman before the goalie stops it. He keeps his eye on the puck as it comes back to him. He then passes it over to Simon Nemec, who gets it right back to him for a one timer. That shot won the game as it got past the Canadiens goalie.

Prior to the game winner, Holtz scored the game-tying goal with under two minutes left in the game. He found a hole in the defense to give Nolan Foote a passing lane. His snap shot got passed the goalie, and it pushed the Devils to overtime.

Even before that, Holtz was buzzing. He had multiple shots come incredibly close to goals. It was apparent who was the best player out there. Unfortunately, the Devils didn’t get to see some of the Canadiens best prospects including Kaiden Guhle and current number-one overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky.

If this is the Alexander Holtz that is coming to training camp, it could completely change what the Devils hope to do this season. If they truly have a 25-30 goal scorer on the wings right now outside of Bratt or Yegor Sharangovich, this is a complete top six. Holtz being a really good player will change this team’s fortunes.

Think about the difference between these top sixes. Right now, you probably have to put Dawson Mercer out of position on the first line with Jack Hughes and Sharangovich. Then, you have to put Ondrej Palat on the second line with Nico Hischier and Bratt. If Holtz makes the team as a top-six forward, the Devils could either put Mercer on the third line as a center, pushing Erik Haula to the fourth line with Miles Wood and Nathan Bastian. Their other option is moving Palat to the third line to have a very good veteran presence with Tomas Tatar and Haula.

Either way, Holtz being ready for the top six changes the Devils expectations. This quickly becomes an offense that can play with just about everyone in the Metropolitan Division. It will always come down to the goaltending position, but if the Devils offense is as good as it could be with Holtz, it would be hard to stop them on a nightly basis.