Devils goalie prospect Mikhail Yegorov beats the top team in the nation, winning the Beanpot for Boston University

The New Jersey Devils have drafted a goalie in every draft from 2015 (Mackenzie Blackwood in the second round) to 2022 (current Adirondack Thunder goalie Tyler Brennan in the fourth round). Then, Tom Fitzgerald skipped the position in 2023 for the first time in his tenure, whether as assistant GM under Ray Shero or after he took over the top job in 2020. He has always taken a goalie in the draft, thinking it's better to have a shot at the position to find a possible NHLer.

It appears he learned something in 2023 because he might have finally found the superstar he's been looking for in 2024.

The Devils traded John Marino to the Utah Hockey Club on Day 2 of the '24 NHL Draft. They received two second-round picks in return. The reason they made the trade was to draft USHL goalie Mikhail Yegorov. He was a highly-touted prospect and the second goalie off the board (the Avalanche drafted Ilya Nabakov earlier in the round).

The Devils saw Yegorov start the season on the Omaha Lancers. There, he did his best. That's the nicest thing we can say about it. That team was just terrible. Yegorov could not save them, not matter how hard he tried. In 19 games played, he faced more than 600 shots. He had a .912 save percentage there, but he still allowed more than three goals per game.

Devils fans celebrated when he was called up to the NCAA. We expected him to play for the prestigious Boston University next season, but he found a way to enroll in the school early and began playing for head coach and former Devils' legend Jay Pandolfo right after the New Year. He made an immediate impact.

The Terriers went into the Beanpot tournament, which is the yearly matchup between all the Boston-area D1 hockey teams (Harvard, Boston College, Northeaster, and BU), with an expectation to face the top team in the nation in the finals. Yegorov has already played this team, facing a BC matchup just a few weeks earlier.

It was his first game in the NCAA, and Pandolfo gave the kid a chance. He stopped 23 pucks and allowed just one goal, but his offense couldn't get going, and BU lost 2-0 on an empty netter. Coming into Monday night, Yegorov hadn't allowed more than two goals in any of his four NCAA starts. He was ready for this one.

Yegorov stopped 43 of 44 shots, and the Terriers scored three goals to give themselves a Beanpot title. They celebrated the win like it was the Stanley Cup. That's how important these games are to the teams in New England. Yegorov played as huge as he could have in the biggest possible moments.

Mikhail Yegorov secures a Beanpot championship for Boston University

This is Michigan beating Ohio State in college football. It comes with Duke-UNC college basketball vibes. This is on the level of the Boston Red Sox sending the New York Yankees home in the ALCS. This is a rivalry mixed in with a championship. Now, we expect the two to face off again as we get closer to the NCAA Frozen Four.

Boston University was ranked ninth in the nation coming into the game, so a win against number one should propel them further up the rankings. This could be quite good for Yegorov and BU's seeding in the tournament. If he gets a higher seed, Boston University should have a better chance to play important games for longer.

We saw what deep NCAA runs did for star Devils players and prospects like Luke Hughes and Seamus Casey. A deep run would do wonders for the start of Yegorov's progression. It's so fun to watch this prospect excel in this way.