New Jersey Devils: 2022 NHL Draft Has A Chance To Be Foundational
The New Jersey Devils have made foundational draft picks over the past few years. However, the 2022 NHL Draft contained a few players who could, and should, play big roles for the Devils moving forward.
For the third time in six years, the lottery balls were on the New Jersey Devils side back in 2022. The Devils struck gold in 2017 and 2019 when they won the lottery, allowing them to select Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes. While the leap up to the number two spot in the 2022 NHL Draft didn't generate the same type of buzz, its impact reverberates through the team today.
The Devils entered that draft with nine total picks, which included three fourth-rounders. Two years later, it is fair to begin the evaluations of those picks and players. And while we can't be certain every pick will turn into an NHL-caliber player, the early results are promising.
First Round
Everyone knows by now that with the second pick in the draft, the Devils selected defenseman Simon Nemec. At the time, the selection was questioned. Juraj Slafkovsky was the surprise first-overall pick, thus beginning the Shane Wright slide. Safe to say that Nemec was the right pick. After a solid D+1 year, Nemec is playing massive minutes in place of Dougie Hamilton. He's third on the team in average TOI at 20:46. Still at just 19 years old, Nemec has shown immense poise on the backend and has rightfully earned himself top-pair minutes to go along with power play and penalty kill time. With him and fellow rookie Luke Hughes together on defense, the Devils look to have secured not one but two franchise defensemen of the present and future.
Second Round
The Devils started Day Two of the draft making a trade. They moved pick 37 and a third-rounder (pick 70) in exchange for goalie Vitek Vanecek and pick 46. Sticking with the pick, the Devils selected American defenseman Seamus Casey. Size and concerns over his defensive game caused Casey to slide to the middle of the second round. Today, this pick looks like an absolute home run. Casey has been lighting it up at the University of Michigan, scoring 13 goals and 50 assists in 63 games across two seasons. His defensive game has rounded out, showing that his lack of size is irrelevant. Casey is a dynamic, puck-moving defenseman who effortlessly glides around the ice and has excellent hockey sense. He projects as a solid number-four or high-end number-five defenseman in the same ilk as Samuel Girard of the Colorado Avalanche.
Also part of that Day Two trade was the aforementioned Vitek Vanecek. Despite an awful 2023-24 season so far, let's not forget how solid he was in 2022-23. Coming off of another disastrous season for Devils goalies, Vitek provided stability in net during the regular season. His 33 wins were the most by a Devils goalie not named Martin Brodeur, and he put up a very solid 2.45 GAA and 0.911 SV%. Giving up a third-round pick and sliding back nine spots in the second round in exchange for your number-one goalie and a potential foundational defenseman is a massive win.
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.
Fifth Round
With their lone selection in the fifth round (#141), the Devils took Czech forward Petr Hauser. In both his draft year and his D+1 year, Hauser lit up the Czech U20 and Czech minor league. Hauser also played a big role for the Czechs back at the 2023 World Juniors, where he scored three goals. This season, he's primarily played in the top Czech league. Hauser is one of the bigger Devils prospects, standing at 6'4" and 207 pounds, which gives him a chance to crack a roster spot in North America, given some of the concerns over the Devils lack of size. Hauser looks like a likely candidate to sign a contract here soon and play down in the AHL.
Sixth Round
The Devils scouts have struck gold in the sixth round before, and it looks as though they did it again when they selected Canadian forward Josh Filmon (#166). Filmon burst onto the scene in his D+1 year, scoring 47 goals in 64 games. This season, he's rounded his game out much more, adding a playmaking element and equalling his assist total from last year (28) in 19 fewer games. Despite his slender frame, Filmon isn't scared to get to the net front or in the dirty areas. He signed a pro contract last spring and, in his first taste of AHL action, scored a goal. Filmon will turn pro next season and should be one to watch, and he is someone who could be a future third-line scorer.
Seventh Round
And with their final pick (#198) in the 2022 Draft, the Devils selected another Russian defenseman, Artyom Barabosha. The Devils took another flier on a big Russian defenseman, and like Orlov, it remains to be seen if he ever decides to come to North America. That being said, Barabosha has been described as a physical presence on the ice who punishes puck carriers. He started this season playing in both the MHL and VHL but has since found a home on the backend for CSKA Moskva in the KHL. Also like Orlov, there's a good chance he will stay in Russia his entire career, but if he decides to make the move the Devils can expect another nasty, shutdown Russian defender.
A Draft Of Foundational Players
The early results are showing this to be a pivotal draft for the Devils. Simon Nemec already looks like a star and should be either the number one or number two defenseman on this team for the next decade. Casey looks like a near-lock to be a sold-to high-end offensive contributor from the backend. Josh Filmon and Petr Hauser look like two middle, to bottom-six forwards who should be playing in the AHL next season, with eyes on making the NHL roster over the next few years. Tyler Brennan looks like another young goalie to add to the mix as a potential answer to their net-minder problem. And finally, Orlov, Leddy and Barabosha all look like low-risk picks that hopefully could turn into pro defensemen, but if not, are easily replaceable in their farm system.