It’s that time of the year again. Coming out of the Christmas break, the best prospects in the world descend upon one destination to play some hockey. It’s the World Junior Championships.
This is a special year, as it’s the 50th such tournament putting the best hockey players under the age of 20. It’s also being hosted in the United States, making it extra special for American players.
The Devils expected to be keenly interested in this year’s tournament. Tom Fitzgerald and his scouting team selected two U.S. skaters in the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft. Ben Kevan looked like the type of high-upside pick that could be a real hit. Conrad Fondrk might have worked his way into the end of the first round if he hadn’t gotten hurt.
Fondrk was heading to Boston University to join fellow Devils prospect Mikhail Yegorov to be coached by Devils legend Jay Pandolfo. Kevan was heading to a quality college program himself, playing for upstart Arizona State in his freshman season. Both players were expected to take some time to get used to the college game, but they were also expected to showcase their abilities at this year’s World Juniors.
They were at least expected to fight for a roster spot to play in front of the home crowd. Instead, neither Kevan nor Fondrk was even a consideration. Some of the players who did make the team but were selected after Fondrk and Kevan include LJ Mooney (4th round to the Canadiens), Brendan McMorrow (7th round to the Kings), and Cole McKinney (picked ahead of Kevan but after Fondrk).
Kevan is considered a scorer, with 24 goals in the USHL two seasons ago. He has three goals in 18 games this season. In their most recent game, Kevan was dropped to the fourth line for the Sun Devils.
At BU, Fondrk has five points in 11 games. That’s not terrible if BU hadn’t already played more than twice as many games so far this season. Fondrk was given a chance on the top line in November, but he suffered an apparent injury, and now he’s back out of the lineup.
Two Devils prospects missing the World Juniors shows the issues the team has with drafting quality talent
Both of these situations are the opposite of ideal. The Devils needed at least one of these prospects to work out, and they probably have more promise from third-round pick Mason Moe (who also didn’t make the World Juniors).
This is a microcosm of the Devils' issues right now. Their draft picks aren’t working out like they thought they would. Obviously, Kevan and Fondrk weren’t supposed to contribute at the NHL level for at least two or three years after this one, but missing out on Team USA at the U20 level is a terrible start to their development.
There is relatively good news here. Both Kevan and Fondrk are still 18 years old. They should get a shot to make Team USA next year. However, the fact that neither were even considered based on their situation in their freshman seasons in the NCAA should be concerning for the Devils.