The New Jersey Devils still boast one of the better group of prospects in the NHL, seeing a few high-quality prospects, some depth at certain positions (especially defense and goalie), and there's a few fliers who have an outside chance of making an NHL impact. It felt like a good time to update the Devils prospects after the NHL Trade Deadline.
The Devils moved multiple prospects in and out of their pool. They finally gave up on former first-round pick Chase Stillman, sending him to Pittsburgh in the Cody Glass deal. They also lost former 2024 fifth-round pick Max Graham in the deal (although he wasn't making this list either way). They moved promising third-round pick Herman Traff in the deal to acquire defenseman Brian Dumoulin. And they made a few smaller trades that said goodbye to Adam Beckman and Daniil Misyul.
With those names in mind, where do the new names fit in, and where are all the remaining top prospects on the list? We did remove Simon Nemec from the list now that he's a full-time NHL player. So don't worry if you don't see him!
25. Jaromir Pytlik
Kladno Knights
Jaromir Pytlik is a name most Devils fans haven’t thought about in a long time. The former fourth-round pick hasn’t grown at the rate most fans or, frankly, front-office members would have wanted, but he’s making an interesting jump this season. In his first two seasons in the Czech Extraliga, he combined for eight points. That’s two seasons of production. This season, Pytlik has 25 points. We’re not throwing him a parade, but this is a much better output. Pytlik looked like a complete waste of a pick after a rough start to his career, which included a few injuries. Now that he’s entering his early prime, he’s making the impact most expected two years ago. Better late than never, and we wouldn’t be floored if he was brought over to North America in the offseason.
24. Tyler Brennan
Adirondack Thunder
Tyler Brennan at one point showed really good metrics and ability in net, looking good in a high-scoring league like the WHL. Unfortunately, he hasn't had the same value as a professional, and he's mostly been stuck playing in the ECHL with the Adirondack Thunder. This season, Brennan has an .879 save percentage. While the defense isn't anything to go home about, his numbers should be worlds better. This might be the last time we see him on any of these lists.
23. Veeti Louhivaara
JYP Jyväskylä
File Veeti Louhivaara under "too early to tell," which isn't a surprise for a goalie this young. He's working his way up in the leagues in Finland, currently playing in the second division for KeuPa. When he was drafted, he had a lot of skills that analysts really enjoyed. He's light on hit feet, which is rare for someone who is 6'4 and 200 lbs. In reality, he was probably drafted for his size and everything else is a bonus.
22. Josh Filmon
Adirondack Thunder
Josh Filmon is another forward prospect who was once really exciting, but something hasn't clicked since he became a pro. After a really impressive 47-goal season with the Swift Current Broncos in 22-23, he fell off the map in 23-24, dropping to 27 goals despite being a year older. He joined the AHL last offseason officially, but he hasn't played a game with Utica yet. He's spent his entire season with Adirondack where he has 16 goals in 51 games. The big-time scorer is still in there somewhere, but the Devils development team needs to do some digging to get him out.
21. Isaac Poulter
Utica Comets
Isaac Poulter was able to dress for a regular season NHL game for the first time this season. With Nico Daws recovering from injury and Jacob Markstrom out injured, Poulter got to back up Jake Allen in their overtime win against the Montreal Canadiens on January 25th. He's been splitting starts with Daws when he's healthy, and he owns a respectable .900 save percentage as of this writing. He's pushing the Comets back into the playoff race after a dreadful start. As for his NHL aspirations, it might come down to math for him. He has Daws in front of him, and there are a few goalies in the system who might get a shot before him, but if he plays as well as he has been, he could definitely finish his story and become a future NHL backup.