For the second time in three years, the New Jersey Devils will have an opportunity to land a very talented player atop the big board at the NHL Draft. In 2024, with the No. 10 overall pick, the Devils drafted hulking defenseman Anton Silayev, but in 2023 and 2025, they did not have a first-round pick to use at all due to the Timo Meier and Jacob Markstrom trades. So, here we are again.
Right now, according to Tankathon, the Devils have a 5.1% chance to land the No. 2 overall pick, and a 85.7% chance to pick 12th. Not every Devils fan was on board with Simon Nemec at No. 2 back in 2022, so we'll instead take the 12th pick for now and roll with it. Tankathon's current mock draft, though, should have virtually every Devils fan on board with the two talents they end up selecting.
In a wing-heavy draft class that will see Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg go in the top-five, the Devils are currently projected to lang 6-foot-4 Boston College winger Oscar Hemming with the 12th pick ahead of one of my personal favorites, Adam Novotny, and defenseman Ryan Lin.
The 17-year-old Finn looks like a stereotypical middle-six power forward with decent top speed, though his agility and finesse is poor, as you might expect for someone his size. Hemming's pace of play could improve, too, but he plays with a lot of good habits and can and will use his size. With improved skating and processing speed, he could be a nice complement for Jack Hughes if his development goes well.
If Hemming doesn't sound like fun, the Devils also add another Boston College forward, Casey Mutryn, in the second round at 44th overall. Mutryn, a 6-foot-3, right-shot center, would be a great addition to a Devils prospect pool devoid of talent down the middle with potential to out-perform this draft slot.
A November scouting report from David St-Louis of EliteProspects says Mutryn "can more than hold his own on the wall, has some dangle moves, and can use deception. Physical potential is quite massive. Add to that the flashes of playmaking, motor, and manipulation skills, and you could get a kind of Will Cuylle curve, if he finally gets a good development environment."
Devils fans should know all about Will Cuylle, the thumping winger who has played the last three seasons as a regular for the arch-rival New York Rangers. The 24-year-old has scored 20 goals in each of the last two seasons for the Rangers after scoring 13 goals in his rookie year in 2023-24.
Of course, Cuylle himself was a second-round pick, 60th overall, back in 2020, so, again, there is potential for Mutryn to perform this draft slot.
It's been quite a while since we can say the Devils made a shrewd draft pick or two, so perhaps new general manager Sunny Mehta and his crew can get the franchise back on track in short order. Tankathon certainly thinks they can do it.
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