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4 New Jersey Devils Prospects To Watch in 2024

With names such as Seamus Casey and Arseni Gritsyuk being the marquee names in the New Jersey Devils pipeline, it is too easy to lose track of those whom New Jersey Devils scouts have gone out to fill up the cupboard. These are four players to keep your eyes peeled for in 2024.

By Joseph Stanislau |
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IHOCKEY-JUNIOR-FIN-CAN / BJORN LARSSON ROSVALL/GettyImages
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The New Jersey Devils have a strong cupboard of prospects. With the World Junior Championship happening now and the New Year turning those calendars to 2024, it's the right time to take a look at some prospects fans should be keeping a keen eye on this year.

Lenni Hämeenaho

Lenni Hameenaho is a Finnish sniper who stands at a similar frame to current New Jersey Devils goal scorer Tyler Toffoli. Like Toffoli, he is a shoot-first player with an NHL-caliber shot that gets off fast and accurately. The Finnish winger may not be the fastest player, but he can certainly outsmart his opponents by finding the open ice to finish his shots on net.

At this year's World Juniors, he has two goals and five points through the group stage for Finland. He has shown that he can play a bit chippy behind the opponent's net and showing that he is not willing to back down. He has potted 22 goals and 34 points in 51 Liiga games. For those who are wondering, he is under contract in Finland until the end of the 2024-25 season.

Daniil Karpovich

For those asking for a Sasquatch on defense and someone who can shut down opposing offenses, you must look at Daniil Karpovich. Unlike Shakir Mukhamadullin, who was a bit taller and not very built when it comes to muscle mass, this is where the stark differences occur.

Daniil Karpovich is 6'3 and 209lb vs Skakir Mukhamadullin's 190lb 6'4 frame. In Belarus, Karpovich is focusing more on his defensive game. For Neman Grodno, he has shown to be a very physically strong man who can prevent a lot of high-danger scoring chances and does have a really good wrist shot that can beat goalies and generate rebounds.

Last season, he pounded in 10 goals and 35 points while in the MHL, but he has been focusing on refining his defensive play in a new league this season. He wins 60% of his puck battles via In-Stat and yields 0.83 hits a game. If you are looking at him in the next few seasons, he could easily be a second or third-line pairing at the NHL level, and having him come to play in Utica when he is indeed ready will make Coach Dineen's defense corps steep with physicality, grit, and lots of size that can be prepared to possibly make people realize that there is a hidden gem after trading away Shakir Mukhamadullin in the Timo Meier deal.

Czechia v Canada: Preliminary Round Group A - 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship
Czechia v Canada: Preliminary Round Group A - 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship / Codie McLachlan/GettyImages

Jakub Malek

One thing that is clear this season is the New Jersey Devils need to look at bringing over any goaltending help. Jakub Malek has been developing really well playing in Liiga. His 6'4, 190lb frame helped him post a 10-2-3 record. He has shown a lot of growth from the past season, raising his save percentages from .903 to .907.

The butterfly goalie has shown to be more calm and composed yet very economical with his mechanics and keeping his team in games. Malek has a 2.52 Goals Allowed Average and will be 22 in April. The netminder has been very sound with the puck and also has shown when he goes down on his knees, he shortens his five hole and does a fantastic job using his paddle to make saves, controlling the juicy rebounds. It would be a wise move for Tom Fitzgerald and Niklas Evertsson (the head of NJ Devils European Amateur Scouting) to bring Jakub Malek over ASAP to help bolster the Devils goalie conundrum.

Chase Cheslock

The Devils drafted Chase Cheslock in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft. He has moved up from the USHL and is now in the NCAA, so he's part of the region Yours Truly covers for Draft Prospects Hockey. Chase Cheslock had a hit and two blocked shots playing for St. Thomas University with over 20 minutes of ice time against Vermont. He has a very good short pass and stretch pass and plays a simple breakout game.

The Minnesota native has really good neutral zone gap control and is going to only improve at St. Thomas. The fact that Cheslock graduated to NCAA hockey is perfect for his growth as a right-handed defender. He is gonna be a really good defenseman once he moves on from D1 hockey in the next few seasons and keeps continuing his two-way Sasquatch play in shot blocking, hits, takeaways, and creating points. Cheslock has been a player who has a lot of upside. It strikes some minds that he has the frame of Colin Miller and the potential to be a very gritty defender with lots of discipline on the backend.

2024 has a lot of good things going for the New Jersey Devils, from the prospect pool to the Devils themselves in the hunt to make a few key moves on the trade market. That could get them back to solidifying the goalie position and adding a defender. This team is going to be in very good shape in multiple ways, and there is a lot to look forward to, the team is staying competitive in the wild card spot, and if they keep improving, maybe they will move up higher in the standings. You have to tip your cap to the scouts for the Devils and yes there is a bit of work left to improve the home teams small conundrums this team still remains a very competitive team, and has plenty room to keep improving before the trade deadline.

Next. Devils should eye Ilya Lyubushkin. Devils should eye Ilya Lyubushkin. dark

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