Here we go again! Another year of New Jersey Devils‘ hockey brings excitement around as it promises to be a great year for this growing team.
They have some great players at the NHL level that will help them take that next step in addition to a lot of great prospects.
Speaking of prospects, every year, a new Prospect Pyramid comes out. The idea is inspired by popular YouTuber Steve Dangle. Every year, he makes one for the Toronto Maple Leafs which is the team he cheers for and covers.
The idea of the pyramid is to group prospects together instead of ranking them numerically. It is also designed to make it where only the best of the best prospects make it into tier one. Since doing it, only Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier have been in tier one. Until now.
Tier One
For the first time in a few years, the New Jersey Devils have a tier-one prospect.
- Luke Hughes
It was hard to decide if a player deserved to be in Tier One this year. Normally, guys who are in this tier are supposed to join the league and play right away. However, Luke Hughes is in this tier despite the fact that he is playing one more season at the University of Michigan.
The younger brother of Jack Hughes is only going there because it will be even better for his development as a defenseman. He dominated his freshman year as the number two guy (behind Owen Power) on the blue line so now he gets his chance to be the man.
If Hughes wanted to play in the NHL this year and be an impact player he probably could which is why there is no problem putting him in this tier. When Michigan is eliminated or wins it all next spring, he will sign his entry-level deal and make his NHL debut shortly after. This is an elite prospect that should be a very good top-pair defenseman.