How Quality Drafting Since 2016 Has New Jersey Devils In Position of Strength
In 2016, Ray Shero had full control of the New Jersey Devils scouting and drafting process. How have the Devils built from the ground up since then?
The New Jersey Devils went through a pretty long rebuild after Ray Shero took over for Lou Lamoriello in 2015. They needed to rebuild the NHL, but more importantly, they had to rebuild the prospect pool. So, as we look at all of the NHL Draft classes from 2016 until now, how did these prospects turn into quality players in New Jersey?
2016 Draft Class
Michael McLeod was one of two Mississauga Steelheads drafted by Ray Shero. The other was Nate Bastian who later helped the New Jersey Devils propel the Devils past the first round against the New York Rangers in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. McLeod is currently going through legal proceedings in Canada and may never play for the Devils again (his contract ends after this season).
Bastian has proven to be a player who can hit and block shots, but not as key offensively as McLeod. He has been very consistent in his bottom-six points production, and being a big body, opponents have a hard time defending and are on pace to break 16 points in a season the way he is playing. He was a bit of a reach in his draft class.
Mikhail Maltsev was part of the trade for now-former Devils defenseman Ryan Graves. Maltsev had good potential to help fill out the third line for the Devils, but with an expansion draft, he was later moved to Colorado.
Jesper Bratt was just named an All Star! He was drafted out of a tier in Sweden called the Allsvenskan, just below the SHL, Sweden's top league. AIK was the parent club that had Bratt there under their AIK20 team, where he had 16 assists and 22 points in 46 games. He was more of a playmaker then, but scouts knew his potential upside was more than that. Under Lindy Ruff, he has tapped into the Swede's goal-scoring side, having him paired with Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes. The past three years, his potential has been fully tapped, and he's just oozing more points and goals. This was one of the best draft picks by then GM Ray Shero.
2017 Draft Class
Captain Nico Hischier is the last man standing from this class, and he has been a true centerman who does play a 200-foot game. His determination this season may have been down a bit with the recent performances. He has played in two playoffs with this club and now that Patrice Bergeron is no longer in the league, the Swiss centerman has the potential to win the Selke Trophy. 314 points in 417 games played is a big achievement where the centerman has really shown to be a very reliable center and veteran in the Devils lineup.
Fabian Zetterlund was part of the Timo Meier trade, and Reilly Walsh was traded for Shane Bowers this offseason. Both were third-round picks that year.
2018 Draft Class
Ty Smith was an important draftee in the first round. The Devils got John Marino a few seasons later for Smith and a third-round pick. Akira Schmid did pan out and played well in the 2023 NHL playoffs for the New Jersey Devils. He is currently marinating in Utica with the Comets of the AHL. Yegor Sharangovich did do just well enough to earn him a short-term spot on the Devils and has done a great job scoring in Calgary. He helped give the New Jersey Devils a veteran goal scorer in Tyler Toffoli that has been beneficial in the 2023-24 campaign. Everyone else just busted and didn't make it to the NHL.
2019 Draft Class
Jack Hughes has been nothing short of phenomenal at the center position. He has lived up to his early potential with 252 points in 276 games played. He is on pace to have a superstar career and potentially a Hockey Hall of Fame career at the pace he is when he is a healthy forward. He has been one of the best American forwards in his draft class and arguably one of the best forwards in this half-decade span. The Florida-born player has the true mantra that the movie line from Hook goes: "You have to fly. You have to fight. You have to crow."
This pretty much sums up the Jack Hughes play style where he's fast on his skates, sharp on his edges, wins puck battles along the boards, and more in the neutral zone. When he gets the puck on his stick and he scores a goal or records an assist, he can crow his way with that style of swagger. Everyone else in his draft class is still developing and can't be further despite Daniil Misyul being called up and shuttled down, Graeme Clarke in Utica, Michael Vukojevic still in Utica, and a few others taking their time before making the big jump to the NHL.
2020 Draft Class
The Tom Fitzgerald drafting finally began creating something good in 2020. Nico Daws has shown that he is very capable of being a stud in the net and has the potential to take over eventually. Dawson Mercer and Alexander Holtz have shown to be very good long-term forwards on the wing, but also helping this Devils team grow their offense and eventually grow into their careers. Shakir Mukhamadullin was dealt away in the Timo Meier deal a season ago, and he made his debut for the Sharks last month. The rest of the 2020 class is starting to sort out a bit but isn't at a full conclusion.
2021 Draft Class
Jack Hughes' brother, Luke Hughes, is in the early stages of his NHL career with the New Jersey Devils. He has handled himself well despite his giveaway-to-takeaway ratio. The youngest Hughes brother is a very determined player who is cerebral in the offensive zone and is steadily growing into his defensive game on the fly. Everyone else in the 2021 batch is still in the process of development.
2022 Draft Class
Just like the 2021 class, this is an ongoing 2022 class that is still developing. However, Slovak defender Simon Nemec has become a true offensive defenseman. He has been nothing short of that offensive prowess, and like his teammate Luke Hughes, he too has to improve his positioning more and play better with his defense. Nemec is slowly playing a similar game to Dougie Hamilton on the top-two lines. Nemec, at the pace he is going per game, can possibly overtake Erik Cernak for the best active scoring Slovak defenseman under Quantum Hockey, where Cernak is currently 7th overall. Nemec is 17th all-time amongst Slovak point-scoring defensemen with 13 points and is 2nd all-time in Points/60 with 1.44 below Lubomir Visnovsky for 1st overall. At this point in time, it is a wait-and-see approach with how Tom Fitzgerald's 3rd draft class pans out and how he may use them as collateral in potential trades.