5 New Jersey Devils prospects whose failure still baffles us

5. Alexander Urbom
34 NHL Games

Back in the mid-2000s, there was this prospect pool of defensemen that seemed like they were the future of the New Jersey Devils. Even if they didn’t all work out, some would work and give the Devils their next generation of great blueliners. The Devils were built on defense, so it made sense to continue that trend. On top of Alexander Urbom, the Devils were hoping Damon Severson, Eric Gelinas, Jon Merrill, Seth Helgeson, Steve Santini, and the gem of them all, Adam Larsson.

But let’s focus on Urbom. He was the typical defenseman this team loved. He didn’t worry about scoring or getting points. Urbom only wanted to lay someone into the ice. That’s usually something that’s easier to translate from other leagues to the NHL if a player has the skillset to do it. Urbom seemed to have that.

Urbom was always a prospect with a ton of upside. Many thought he would constantly push for NHL ice time. Lamoriello once called Urbom his “top prospect.” 

Many analysts, both within and outside the Devils organization, were incredibly high on Alexander Urbom. Yet, he just couldn’t make the move over the hump and become a regular in the NHL. The Devils lost Urbom to the Washington Capitals and former Devils coach Adam Oates when they tried to sneak him through waivers to start the season. They claimed him back in January when Washington tried to do the same. It didn’t work for either team, and Urbom took his talents back to Sweden (among other leagues).