New Jersey Devils: 2022 NHL Draft Has A Chance To Be Foundational
By Nick Natale
Fourth Round
With zero picks in the third round, the Devils entered the fourth round armed with three selections. With the first selection (#102), they took WHL goalie Tyler Brennan. At the time, Brennan was NHL Central Scouting's top-ranked North American goalie. After turning pro this season, Brennan has played all season in the ECHL, where he has a 4-2 record and has put up a 2.87 GAA and a 0.911 SV%. Having another young asset in the mix can only help for a team that's now starved for goalies. Let's not forget that the Devils once had Vegas Golden Knights goalie Logan Thompson on their ECHL roster.
With their second pick (#110) they took Russian defenseman Daniil Orlov. Orlov is a big, physical defensive defenseman who's played the last two seasons in the KHL. This season with Spartak Moskva, he has five points in 54 games. Over the past few drafts, the Devils have added a handful of Russian defensemen, presumably in the hope that one of them hits it big and can come over and play in North America.
And with their final fourth-round pick (#126), they took another defenseman, this time American Charlie Leddy. Leddy, who has spent the last two seasons at Boston College, came from the US National Team Development Program and projects as a depth defensive defenseman. While the odds of him making the big club are slim, he has the chance to provide Utica with some defensive depth in the future.