Prospect watching is a thing of the past for the New Jersey Devils and Devils fans at this point, but this isn't to say that the team doesn't have any prospects worth keeping track of.
In 2024, the Devils drafted 6-foot-7 behemoth defenseman Anton Silayev 10th overall, much to the chagrin of fans and pundits who wanted a player with offensive chops, like Zeev Buium or Sam Dickinson.
While it is true that Silayev is not and never will be known for his offense, he has plenty of believers in the hockey sphere in pro circles, as evidenced by the latest prospect ranking from Sportsnet.
Former NHL scout Jason Bukala put together his list of the top 32 prospects not currently playing in the NHL, in which Silayev ranked 12th, and second to only Kashawn Aitcheson (NYI) amongst defensemen.
Buium and Dickinson, of course, are playing in the NHL for Vancouver and San Jose, respectively, so any conversation with Silayev is still an apples-to-oranges comparison.
The Devils' top prospect did, however, place higher on Bukala's ranking than Jackson Smith, Jake O'Brien, Roger McQueen, Oliver Bonk, and Radim Mrtka, among others. For someone whose perception among his own fanbase appears to be lesser than the aforementioned names, Silayev is in a pretty encouraging spot.
"Silayev is easily defined. The towering (6-foot-7, 211-pound) defenceman is an outstanding skater who takes away time and space with his length. The Devils selected the two-way defender 10th overall in 2024," Bukala wrote. "He doesn’t produce much offensively, but he kills plays defensively and launches the attack with accurate outlets. Silayev leans top-four shutdown defenceman at the NHL level."
The 20-year-old blueliner is expected to sign his entry-level contract with the Devils this offseason, though it's unclear if the recent dismissal of general manager and president of hockey operations Tom Fitzgerald will have any impact on that negotiation.
Silayev finished the 2025-26 KHL regular season with a goal, two assists, and three points in 61 games for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, and recorded two assists in his first KHL playoff appearance of the season against Severstal Cherepovets back on March 23.
Silayev is going to be a high-upside project for the Devils, and any judgment on his abilties before his mid-20s is probably premature. Take it from Bukala.
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