The New Jersey Devils are a team that is getting ready for what they hope is a very promising future. Hope springs from a lot of different things for this team right now. However, there is also a lot of hope coming from the fact that they have some really nice prospects.
Over the last week, the 2022 Prospect Challenge took place in Buffalo, New York. The New Jersey Devils took participated with the Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Ottawa Senators.
There were a lot of great moments. We saw huge games from players like Alexander Holtz, Reilly Walsh, Nikita Ohkotiuk, Nolan Foote, and Kevin Bahl. We also got to see Simon Nemec play in a New Jersey Devils’ sweater for the first time ever.
In the final game of the tournament, the Devils lost in a shootout to the Boston Bruins to end the event at 1-1-1. It was a great weekend tournament and learning experience for these guys as there were some ups and downs throughout.
The New Jersey Devils are done at the 2022 Prospect Challenge in Buffalo.
One underrated player to be excited about after watching this tournament is Tyler Brennan. He was the highest-rated goalie prospect in the 2022 NHL Draft and New Jersey took him. That is looking like a smart decision as he was brilliant against the Bruins in the final game.
Brennan made some huge saves on some very good Bruins prospects. He made a lot of these saves using a combination of his movement in the crease, his brain, and pure athleticism. It is exciting to think about him being in the system right now as the future could be bright.
As mentioned before, there are a couple of other players that stood out. Foote had a big physical game in this tournament after having some great signs shown last year. If he can keep that up going forward against better competition, he has a chance.
Alexander Holtz showed his ability to be clutch as well as he tied it late and won it in overtime in the first game against the Montreal Canadiens. He was a very high draft pick in 2020 so the Devils are hoping that he becomes a star.
Now that this tournament is over, it is time to start thinking about training camp. A few of these guys have a chance to compete for jobs at the NHL level. Even playing in the AHL will be good for a lot of them this year. This tournament is just the beginning but it was a great first step for a lot of people.