The New Jersey Devils take a goalie every year in the NHL Draft. It’s a strategy that seems to work, as they have Nico Daws, Akira Schmid, Jakub Malek, and Tyler Brennan in the system. It’s a true dice roll with these goalies, but some of the best in the league were taken late in the draft. Igor Shesterkin, Ilya Sorokin, and Juuse Saros were all taken in the third round or later. So, the Devils strategy of taking a goalie every year isn’t a bad one.
This year, they go for Samuel St. Hilaire of the QMJHL. He’s been good-to-great in his two seasons playing for the Sherbrooke Phoenix. Last season, he finished the season with a .915 save percentage. That was good for fifth in the league, and he wasn’t exactly on a great team. Outside St. Hilaire, everyone on the team had an .879 save percentage or worse on Sherbrooke.
His ability to play at a higher level, dragging his team to the playoffs, is worth taking him despite being older than most of the draft-eligible players. Goalies often take an extra year or two to really develop into a prospect, and it’s the fifth round. These players don’t often make the league.
For reference, two players in the fifth round of the 2016 NHL Draft have played 100 games. Only 10 players have played any NHL games. This is a crap shoot, and it’s much better to shoot on a goalie who might be finally finding his groove despite the team around him.