At the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, the Carolina Hurricanes drafted center Cruz Lucius, younger brother of 2021 first-rounder Chaz Lucius, in the fourth round. At the time, his drop to the fourth round was a direct product of his limited number of games played during the season, though he showed obvious flashes of being much more than a fourth-round-caliber player.
In his D+1 season, Lucius took the NCAA by storm in his rookie campaign, playing at a point-per-game pace (11 goals and 23 assists for 34 points in 34 games) while working his way up to the top six for the University of Wisconsin. He played at a similar pace in his sophomore season, ultimately putting up 13 goals and 34 points in 36 games in 2023-24.
At the tail end of his sophomore season, Lucius, along with a myriad of other assets, was sent to the Pittsburgh Penguins' organization in the trade that brought Jake Guentzel to the Hurricanes. Lucius transferred schools to play at Arizona State University -- a far better hockey program than Wisconsin -- for the subsequent season. Dealing with injuries and acclimation to a new system and school, Lucius put up just 10 points -- two goals and eight assists -- in 19 games.
After his disappointing junior campaign, Lucius rekindled the fire he had in his first two NCAA seasons, playing as the Sun Devils' top-line center and producing a mammoth 46 points (15 goals and 31 assists) in 36 games. His play was at his best in 2025-26, showcasing his high-octane self on a nightly basis. This past March, The Athletic's Scott Wheeler ranked Lucius as the 10th-best prospect in the Penguins' pipeline.
However, Lucius informed the Penguins shortly after that he would not be signing with the organization for unknown, personal reasons. That means that, on August 15th, when his rights expire, he will be free to sign with whatever organization he pleases.
We have to believe that a player of Lucius' ilk would be of interest to a Devils' front office that has already taken calculated bets on the likes of Amadeus Lombardi and Ben Steeves, two hard-working, high-octane youngsters. Lucius' playmaking ability is superb, his pace is unmatched, and he works ludicrously hard every shift. It's the exact archetype they have targeted to improve the team's depth.
Of course, the Utica Comets have become a bit crowded this summer, but there is no such thing as too much talent within any organization. Lucius would immediately slot in as a top-15 prospect within the Devils' pool, if not bordering on the top-10. It would be a smart get for the Devils' intelligent front office, and one they should heavily consider.
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