Having Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec graduate to the NHL was a big add for the New Jersey Devils. Do they have any prospects who could be as effective as they are?
The NHL prospect pool overview continues with the New Jersey Devils.
Tony Ferrari examines the Devils' strengths and weaknesses, gives a quick overview of their latest draft class, shows their positional depth chart and examines who could be next in line for an NHL chance.
A player who no longer holds rookie eligibility in the NHL is considered graduated and no longer considered a prospect for these exercises, except in very specific cases.
The New Jersey Devils were supposed to be contenders last season, and they revealed themselves as pretenders.
It was largely due to two glaring issues. The first was injuries to key players, such as Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton. The more transparent issue was the lack of reliable goaltending. With some luck when it comes to health and a new starting goaltender, Jacob Markstrom, the Devils should be ready to get back to the playoffs this upcoming season.
As for their system, the Devils have had a good run at the draft recently, and they’ve built up a good prospect pool.
They moved a few players in deals that brought in NHL talent, such as Timo Meier. A few others have become integral parts of the NHL roster. Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec took the NHL by storm last year, with Hughes finishing third in Calder Trophy voting at the end of the season. Hughes and Nemec could be in for big seasons in their second year in the NHL.
Even with those two graduating to the Devils, they still have some pretty solid prospects coming up.
Hughes' former teammate at the University of Michigan, Seamus Casey, is joining the AHL’s Utica Comets as he begins his pro career. Casey is a skilled puck-mover who excels in transition. He isn’t the biggest defender, but he’s developed his defensive game by leaning into his skating and play-reading ability. He likely spends the entire year in Utica, but if there are some injuries to a puck-mover or two on the back end in the NHL, Casey could be an option.
Another Michigan Wolverine defender in their system is Ethan Edwards, a player who has come a long way since his draft year. Edwards uses his skating to close down the gap defensively and force attackers to beat him early. He’s shown himself to be a capable puck-mover as well, and although his puck-rushing ability hasn’t become the weapon in transition that it was once thought to be, he still activates and joins the rush when he gets the chance. He will be an integral piece on the back end for Michigan this season.
In a prospect swap that saw Graeme Clarke leave town, the Devils acquired Adam Beckman from the Minnesota Wild. Beckman is a smart, tactical player who has a very good shot. He had 19 goals last year with the Iowa Wild, and with some added opportunity in the AHL this year, he could be one of Utica’s better players. His intelligence and versatility offensively will make him an interesting candidate for the Devils if injuries arise.
After scoring at a solid clip at the Liiga level in his draft year, Lenni Hameenaho took another step this season by nearly doubling his scoring rate and continuing to grow as a tactician. Hameenaho isn’t the most fleet of foot, which will be an issue as he makes his way to North America, but he makes up for it with impeccable timing and great reads off the puck. The young Finn is an excellent support piece who builds on what his teammates give him. He could be a very solid complementary scorer in the top nine.
After two seasons with the University of Connecticut, Samu Salminen is transferring to the University of Denver, where he will look to rekindle some of the offensive production he had at home in Finland. Salminen has been muted and has found himself being a touch-and-go passer who was never really allowed to use his shot. He needs to bounce back with a fresh start because otherwise, he may not be a player worth extending a qualifying offer to.
Heading into the final year of his KHL contract, Arseni Gritsyuk could jump into the NHL afterward and make an impact right away. His speed and skill allow him to open up space for himself to find a passing lane or jump into a scoring area. Gritsyuk is shifty and agile on his feet, giving him the evasiveness needed to score at the pro level. There might be some adjustment to the physicality of the NHL, but the 23-year-old could be a very nice addition to the Devils if he can provide some depth scoring.
Nico Daws has seen some NHL action out of necessity, as the Devils haven’t had any semblance of consistent goaltending in recent years. Daws gave them at least a chance on many nights despite being in the NHL a bit too early. Now, he’ll likely be tasked with taking a full year in the AHL now that they seem to have stable goaltending. If an injury to Markstrom or Jake Allen comes up at any point, Daws would likely be the first name to call.
U-23 Players Likely To Be on the NHL Roster
Simon Nemec (RD), Luke Hughes (LD), Jack Hughes (C), Dawson Mercer (C/W)
2024 NHL Draft Class
Round 1, 10th overall - Anton Silayev, LD, Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)
Round 2, 49th overall - Mikhail Yegorov, G, Omaha (USHL)
Round 3, 85th overall - Kasper Pikkarainen, RW, TPS Jr. (Fin.)
Round 3, 91st overall - Herman Traff, RW, HV71 Jr. (Swe.)
Round 5, 139th overall - Max Graham, C, Kelowna (WHL)
Round 5, 146th overall - Veeti Louhivaara, G, JYP Jr. (Fin.)
Round 6, 171st overall - Matyas Melovsky, C, Baie Comeau (QMJHL)
At 10th overall, the Devils took the biggest of the NHL draft class' top defender tier in Anton Silayev.
The 6-foot-7 defender is a great straight-line skater who uses his reach and size defensively. He isn’t much of an offensive producer despite the hot start to last season. For most of the year, Silayev was crushing attackers along the boards, using his insane reach to disrupt possession and shutting things down in his own end. He could be an excellent foil to the young defenders on the roster, such as Hughes and Nemec, who lean offensively. His contract in the KHL runs through the 2025-26 season, so there is a wait, but it will allow him to develop against men in the KHL in the meantime.
In the second round, the Devils looked to address the future of their crease by adding Mikhail Yegorov, one of the draft’s top netminders. His numbers in the USHL did not look great, with a 3.86 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage, but Yegorov put together a solid season despite that. The young Russian is massive and takes up a huge portion of the net at 6-foot-5. His movements are crisp and controlled, often using his reads to stay ahead of the play and get himself into position ahead of time. He isn’t always the most athletic and could use another gear when he gets into those desperation situations, but overall, he has an excellent base to work with.
At 6-foot-3, Kasper Pikkarainen brings some physicality and power to the Devils' prospect pool. He gets on the ice and tries to involve himself right away. He’ll throw a big hit in open ice or look to crush an opponent along the boards. He then looks up ice to move the puck back toward the offensive end. Pikkarainen may not have blown the doors off offensively this past season and went scoreless at the Liiga level, but his passing is solid, and he has a good shot. He may have more to give as one of the younger players drafted this year.
Herman Traff is built in a similar mold to Pikkarainen, bringing size and physicality to the ice, but he’s a bit more refined at this point in his development. Traff shows some solid pro habits by staying on the right side of the puck, using his teammates to corner an attacker before closing in and making small, simple passes to move the puck in transition. Traff moves well and has a heavy release in motion, making him a threat to score from all over the offensive zone. Traff is a solid, two-way forward who can play both wings.
In the fifth round, New Jersey selected 20-year-old forward Max Graham. To this point, he’s shown to be a perfectly capable WHL forward who can play with a physical edge and make some solid plays, but he hasn’t really found his niche. He is a mostly straight-line attacker who has shown some solid instincts for finding space in the slot away from the puck. Overall, this was a reach on a player who likely serves as AHL depth or maybe some fourth-line spot duty.
New Jersey has had plenty of goalie woes over the last few years, so taking another netminder in the fifth round made a lot of sense. Veeti Louhivaara played well for JYP’s U-20 squad, where he split the net. He made one Liiga appearance, coming in after the starter was pulled, and he looked solid, stopping all seven shots he faced in under a period of action. Louhivaara has great size, and he moves well. He doesn’t always track the puck as well as you’d like to see, but he has plenty of time to improve on that aspect.
Their final pick was 20-year-old Matyas Melovsky. Playing in the QMJHL the last couple of seasons, he’s done a great job of using his strength to lean on defenders and make plays while engaged. He has some power in his game but hasn’t quite found a way to translate that power to his shot. Melovsky isn’t going to stickhandle out of problems or escape with the puck too often. He applies physical pressure, lowers his shoulder and looks to make passes off of that. He’s an interesting player stylistically, but he must get much stronger and even faster if he wants to keep playing that way.
Strengths
The Devils' defensemen are the biggest strength of their prospect pool.
Hughes and Nemec concluded their rookie seasons at 20 years old, and Silayev and Casey are in the pipeline. Dark horses, such as Ethan Edwards and Daniil Orlov, are also in the system.
New Jersey has assembled a strong group of puck-movers, and Silayev and Orlov are some defensive stoppers in the pipeline as well. They don’t have a standout forward prospect at any position, so the back end remains the strength.
Weaknesses
With Hughes and Nemec graduating, the Devils are without a true difference-maker in the system.
Casey is an intuitive puck-mover, and Silayev is a solid defender, but neither is a game-changing defender.
Up front, they assembled a nice group of complementary forwards, but no one will work their way to driving a line in the NHL, even if everything goes right for players such as Hameenaho and Gritsyuk.
New Jersey could use a difference-maker in the pipeline, and drafting one in next year’s draft may be the way to get them.
Next Man Up: Adam Beckman, LW
The Devils don’t really have a prospect set to jump into the NHL lineup at the moment. On top of Hughes and Nemec, Dawson Mercer and Jack Hughes have been young players in the NHL for a while.
That leaves Adam Beckman, a recent acquisition who has looked quite good as an intelligent bottom-six player, who could earn himself some ice time in the NHL with a solid start in Utica. The NHL roster seems fairly steady and entrenched, but an injury or underwhelming performance could open up some space for a player like Beckman.
Prospect Depth Chart Notables
LW: Herman Traff, Kasper Pikkarainen, Adam Beckman, Lenni Hameenaho, Josh Filmon
C: Samu Salminen, Artem Shlaine, Max Graham
RW: Chase Stillman, Nathan Legare, Arseni Gritsyuk, Petr Hauser
LD: Anton Silayev, Ethan Edwards, Daniil Orlov, Topias Vilen
RD: Seamus Casey, Viktor Hurtig, Charlie Leddy
G: Mikhail Yegorov, Tyler Brennan, Nico Daws
For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Future Watch and upcoming Yearbook print editions in The Hockey News. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by visiting our forum.