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

Ethan Edwards was once surrounded by the best of the best prospects in college hockey. He was often an afterthought on that Michigan team when it comes to coverage. Who could blame a journalist who is watching Owen Power, Luke Hughes, Seamus Casey, and a list of others? However, Edwards has quietly put together a productive college hockey career that includes many important games, including Frozen Four games. Now, Edwards is going to be an alternate captain for the Wolverines, taking a leadership role on top of his defensive defenseman role to stop Big Ten offenses.

Jakub Malek is a player the Devils are intrigued by. He had a .914 save percentage with Ilves in SM-Liiga. What’s not to like? He was signed by the Devils this offseason, but they are loaning him back to Liiga as there isn’t room in the Devils' goaltending room. He should get some important experience this season, and he could play in North America as early as next season. Is he on an NHL trajectory? It’s too early to tell. He has some good intellect and his skill set could lead to NHL experience, but it needs to seriously develop this season.

Xavier Parent is a player we expect to make the leap this season. Maybe he won’t become a star, but he continues to progress on the same trajectory, and this is the year he’s suppose to explode offensively. In his third season with Sherbrook Phoenix, he had 106 points. It was an insane output for a player nobody expected to be that good. He’s come to Utica, and as expected, it’s been a slow start. However, at times, he was the team’s best offensive player last season. He finished with 15 goals and 45 points. This year, we expect him to get very close to “point-per-game” status.