New Jersey Devils: 5 NHL Draft Prospects Third-Round Targets

The New Jersey Devils draft table during Round Three of the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bell Centre on July 08, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The New Jersey Devils draft table during Round Three of the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bell Centre on July 08, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
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New Jersey Devils, NHL Draft
Trey Augustine #1 of Team United States (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

Trey Augustine – G – USNTDP

During the second-round piece, we talked about Jacob Fowler. Trey Augustine and Fowler are currently fighting for the spot as the third, fourth, or maybe fifth goalie taken in the draft. So, it is very possible that Augustine goes before Fowler. Either way, the Devils would be happy to take either in the second or third round.

The Devils take a goalie every season. It is just something they do. Since Mackenzie Blackwood was selected in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft, another goalie was taken every season, and with Tyler Brennan signing with the team last season, every player will have appeared with the team except for Jakub Malek, who was the 2021 choice. The Devils have a good track record with its goalies, so we think they will look at Fowler and Augustine.

Both of these goalies are very good, but Augustine has some special traits. There’s one thing not special about Augustine, and it’s why we think he will fall. It’s his height. At 6’1, he’d be one of the smaller goalies in the league. Sure, 6’1 is very tall for the normal human, but it’s not tall at all for goalies.

Still, Augustine is so good at everything else it takes to be a good goalie, he can overcome his height. He is agile, and that helps him cover most of the net. This will make sure he occupies the same space that taller goalies do.