New Jersey Devils prospect gets surprise invitation, moving him one step closer to the World Juniors

The New Jersey Devils prospect pool was a mess last season. Across the board, everyone seemed to fall off. There were two examples that were much worse than the rest of the pool. Tom Fitzgerald didn’t have a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft because of the Jacob Markstrom trade, but he did have two second-round picks. With those picks, they took two American players preparing to enter college. 

Ben Kevan was headed to Arizona State, and Conrad Fondrk was playing for Devils legend Jay Pandolfo at Boston University. They both seemed like good bets, although we liked Kevan more than Fondrk when the picks came in. 

At the end of the day, second-round picks are still crapshoots at best. Nineteen players from the second round in 2020 have played fewer than 50 games. Nine players haven’t even made the NHL. 

So it wouldn’t be a terrible surprise if Fondrk or Kevan never made the NHL. Still, the Devils want to get the most out of their prospects. Sunny Mehta has come to the Devils with a prospect pool that isn’t where it should be. Their top prospects are getting older, like Anton Silayev and Seamus Casey, and Fondrk and Kevan haven’t shown much growth. 

Things hit a fever pitch when neither Fondrk nor Kevan was considered for the World Juniors team last season. They weren’t even in the conversation. Both players felt like they should have at least competed for the team when they were drafted. Bad college seasons and unfortunate injuries kept them off the team that eventually missed out on the medal round entirely. 

It sounds like at least one of the Devils' prospects has a chance at redemption. Team USA announced on Monday that Fondrk would be given a chance at their Summer Showcase. 

Conrad Fondrk must take advatage of his latest Team USA opportunity

Fondrk wasn’t on the original roster that was announced three weeks ago, but he was added late, which means he is the low guy on the totem pole. That’s fine, as long as he gets a chance to prove himself. 

According to the Team USA website, the World Junior Summer Showcase, which will include teams from Canada, Finland and Sweden, serves as an evaluation for athletes seeking to make their respective national teams for the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship, which will be held Dec. 26, 2026, through Jan. 5, 2027, in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.

Fondrk has an uphill climb to the Team USA roster, where he will join fellow Devils’ prospect Mason Moe, who was a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. It is interesting that Kevan is not on the showcase since he is technically still eligible. He won’t turn 20 until January 3rd, and the cutoff is December 31st.

Still, the Devils getting two prospects a chance to make it to the World Juniors is huge for their future. 

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