New Jersey Devils Top 25 Prospects ahead of 2024-25 preseason

It can be incredibly hard to judge these European prospects. It’s not unusual for a top prospect to have less than a point every three games in professional leagues and still become a very competent NHL player. Sometimes, it even happens rather quickly. That’s why we're not concerned about Petr Hauser’s seven-point season in the Czechia league. He’s big, standing at 6’4 and 205 lbs. This is what Tom Fitzgerald has been looking for as of late, so we might see some focus on Hauser, and he might even get a chance to meet with Devils management since they are playing in Czechia to start the season.

Chase Cheslock is truly a complete flier by Tom Fitzgerald and Company. Cheslock was a 19th-round pick in the USHL Draft out of Minnesota. Yet, he worked his way into the conversation for NHL Draft pick, and the Devils took him in the fifth round. He put up eight points for the Omaha Lancers in the USHL before joining the University of St. Thomas. He’s returning there this season, and he hopes to prove himself to the Devils as a large body who can put up points. 

Max Graham is a player who could really rise among the ranks for prospects this season. That happens most often when a player with a ton of juniors experience returns for one more season. The Devils 2024 fifth-round pick is going into his fifth season of WHL hockey. It will be his fourth season with the Kelowna Rockets, so he should be able to put up career-high numbers. Last season, he had 42 points in 67 games. This season, he could easily break a point per game. However, we have to see it before he moves up on this list. He was one of the many larger forwards the Devils drafted this season. If he can be a point-per-game player at 6’3, the Devils might sign him to play in the AHL next season.