After Dougie Hamilton was placed on IR with a torn left pectoral, the Devils called up Simon Nemec from the AHL and he will make his NHL debut Friday against the Sharks.
The Devils announced Dougie Hamilton will be out indefinitely after undergoing surgery for a torn left pectoral, and he was placed on IR retroactive to Nov. 28. The veteran defender had been quarterbacking the second power play unit for the Devils, scoring 16 points in 20 games, including eight points on the power play.
In his place, the Devils have called up prized prospect Simon Nemec, the second overall pick from the 2022 draft who has scored 42 points in 78 games with AHL Utica over the past two seasons.
The right-handed defenseman from Slovakia is known for his smooth skating and offensive skill, and he's a perfect substitute for Hamilton on PP2.
Though the Devils have stacked their top unit, featuring Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, the second unit features Dawson Mercer and Alexander Holtz, both of whom have been playing their best hockey lately. Mercer's on a three-game point streak with five points while Holtz has scored three goals in four games.
Nemec will have some fantasy value in deep 12 to 14-team leagues on a high-powered offensive team. Luke Hughes, who has quarterbacked PP1 for much of the season, now faces a little less competition for minutes on the man advantage, and will likely get more offensive-zone deployment with Hamilton out of the lineup.
Since Hamilton's injury will sideline him indefinitely, Nemec may not necessarily be a one-game streaming option. Depending on how well he adjusts to the NHL, and by all means he's acclimatized himself wonderfully to the pros in North America, Nemec might have longer term value as a power-play dependent defenseman in fantasy.
If you have the roster space, Nemec is worth a speculative add.
Here's THN's AHL editor, Dillon Collins, on the Devils calling up Nemec:
"Not to play the devil's advocate, but at just 19 years of age, Simon Nemec could be the future of New Jersey's blueline.
Calm under pressure with an uncanny knack for feeding his teammate with seamless passes in tough situations, the — again — 19-year-old, has been a bright spot for the Utica Comets with eight points in 13 games in the AHL.
Nemec suited up for Slovakia at the 2023 World Juniors, putting up five points in as many games, while being named for the inaugural AHL Top Prospects Team."
Click here to read Collins' take on Nemec's upcoming NHL debut.
