The New Jersey Devils have a surprisingly deep prospect pools. After trading away picks and prospects (and young NHL players) to make major trades to keep this team in contention, and now near the top of the NHL Standings, one might expect the Devils pool to fall near the end of the league. That couldn't be further from the truth. They actually have a really good prospect pool, led by the likes of Simon Nemec, Seamus Casey, Anton Silayev, and Arseni Gritsyuk.
However, there are a bunch of middle and late-round picks that are worth paying attention to. Just think about all the late picks who turned into something great. Jesper Bratt is a star on the Devils after they took him in the sixth round. Yegor Sharangovich became a fan favorite after he went from a fourth-round pick to a really effective middle-six forward. Fabian Zetterlund has been a really good player for the San Jose Sharks after he was a part of the Timo Meier trade. Miles Wood, Blake Coleman, Scott Wedgewood, and Adam Henrique are just some of the names that the Devils drafted that are still playing really well in this league.
As we look at those impactful prospects, we want to find names that can grow into NHL players, but we don't want to focus on the top prospects. Which prospects should we be on top of in the second half of this season?
1. Mikhail Yegorov
Omaha Lancers
The Devils traded John Marino to the Utah Hockey Club to get themselves a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft (plus one this year). We're sure Marino's injury has UHC regretting their decision, especially if it gets the Devils their goalie of the future. Mikhail Yegorov was the first goalie taken in the 2024 NHL Draft, and the Devils hope he becomes the best.
Yegorov could be great. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. He has been dominant in the USHL, putting up a .912 save percentage and getting the attention of some prospect watchers and USHL enjoyers. It's hard not to get excited about a goalie with Yegorov's size (6'5) and ability.
Every prospect analyst and scout had the same thing to say about Yegorov: his upside is unlimited. He could be literally anything, and we're going to get the time to see him build. He's going to Boston University after this season, and it will be great to see him at a premium university before joining the Devils.