New Jersey Devils: Alexander Holtz Earns An Early Chance In Training Camp

The New Jersey Devils invested a lot in Alexander Holtz when they made him the 7th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. He was an elite prospect with a knack for scoring tons of goals. So far, however, his development hasn’t been what we’ve hoped.

The Devils have seen a couple of other prospects pass him by before he could even earn a full-time role in the NHL. Now, he is coming into this season with what feels like a final chance to become a star player (at least in New Jersey).

So far in his NHL career, he has played in 28 games and has three goals and three assists for six points. All three goals came in the 19 games he played last season. He is expecting to produce a lot more offense than that. Scoring goals was supposed to be his specialty.

The biggest issue for Holtz is his skating. It was his puck skills that got him drafted so high, but now he needs to match it with some speed and skating. The word all summer was that he is working on that, so he is ready for his next chance in 2023-24.

The New Jersey Devils are hoping for big things from Alexander Holtz.

As training camps opened on Thursday, it seemed as if Holtz had a little extra pep in his step. It appears as if his skating has a massive improvement, and he is ready to have a great camp. Obviously, we need to see more as training camp goes on and gets into the preseason.

It has been noted that Holtz skated with Nico Hischier and Timo Meier on a line in their first practice. It sounds like some chemistry is forming between Holtz, a Swedish player, and these two Swiss players.

If Holtz played well and stuck on that line, it would be a great one. He has the shot and knack for offense that could complement Hischier’s two-way style and Timo Meier’s game as a power forward goal scorer.

Again, Holtz deserves this chance. He was a highly drafted player because he has tons of pedigree. It is on the Devils to get it out of him now. He is off to a great (albeit short) start at camp, and he needs to keep it going.

With the other great forwards that New Jersey has, getting Holtz going would make their offensive attack even more lethal. Hopefully, this is something that works out well for both sides.