Early on in the second day of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, the Devils traded back two spots, moving from 35th overall to 37th overall and picking up a fourth-round pick (#119) in the process. It was their first of two trades, forfeiting the opportunity to draft either Ryan Roobroeck or Chase Harrington, who went 35th and 36th, respectively.
With their newly acquired 37th overall pick, the Devils selected forward Matias Vanhanen out of the WHL. The slight overager -- he was four days older than being eligible as a first-timer -- put up an excellent season with the Everett Silvertips, with 21 goals and 66 assists for 87 total points across 62 games, which was good for tops on the team in the regular season. Vanhanen followed up that excellent performance with 12 goals and 24 points in 18 playoff games, good for second on the team in the postseason.
Sunny Mehta himself seemed ecstatic about the pick, seemingly getting his guy while simultaneously adding a fourth-rounder that turned out to be a steal in and of itself.
Though he was not highly ranked in public outlets, likely a byproduct of being an overager in the draft, Vanhanen looks like he very well may be one of the most appealing parts of the Devils' entire draft.
Devils might have hit a home run in the second round of the NHL Draft
The 18-year-old forward is easily one of the most prolific playmakers in the entire class, with pristine vision of the entire ice and the skill to thread difficult passes through multiple layers of traffic with ease. He can playmake from every area of the ice, too -- from the perimeter, from the slot, from behind the net, and even in springing his teammates from his own end of the ice. Vanhanen loves give-and-gos, soft-touch passes, and manipulating the defense with his body and stick before doling off a pass to a teammate in open space.
As a shooter, he needs to improve, and he definitely must add a physical element (even a small one) to make it to the show, but there's a genuine chance that this is a player who ends up being one of the steals of the draft -- especially considering his underlying profile.
The Devils had a strong draft through and though, and Vanhanen was a big reason why it looks to be successful on paper.
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