With the NHL pre-season games starting this weekend, a lot of NHL fans will be starting their own fantasy hockey league drafts.
For New Jersey Devils fans, they will be looking to draft some of their favourites. Here are a few solid candidates for you to draft this season.
1. Jack Hughes
Drafting Jack Hughes in a fantasy league is a no-brainer. Depending on the number of teams in your league, he may be a first-round pick. If he isn't a first-round pick, then make sure you put him in your queue because he will be picked early.
Hughes is the face of the Devils organization, which is hungry because of their disappointing result last season. He is ready to get things started and have a career-high season to help his team get into the playoffs.
Last season, he had 27 goals and 47 assists for 74 points in only 62 games. The year prior, he had his highest point total of his career, which was 99 points in 78 games. This season could finally be the year that he cracks the 100-point marker and sets a new career high.
2. Jesper Bratt
Jesper Bratt is another elite member of the Devils organization. Putting him over Nico Hischier was a tough decision; however, he offers a bit more versatility on your fantasy team. Since he is a winger, he typically would be able to be placed at either LW or RW.
In terms of point production, Bratt had a career-high in points last season, with 27 goals and 56 assists for 83 points in 82 games. He will likely surpass that this season after the upgrades that the management group made to the roster.
Bratt will probably end up being a 5th-9th round pick, which will help your team with secondary scoring and shots on net.
3. Dougie Hamilton
Lastly, Dougie Hamilton, this one was tough to pick. The Dvils have so many talented players, it makes it hard not to try and select multiple players. If you do, that's okay—just make sure that you pick one of their defensemen as well. Which is why I chose Hamilton as my third option.
Yes, he is coming off an injury that kept him out for the bulk of the season, and yes, the Devils have blueliners like Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce. However, Hamilton is still the top pick on their blue line. He is going to quarterback their top PP unit this season, and that will help his points, but he will also likely be back on the top pairing and playing 20+ minutes per night.
Last season, he appeared in 20 games and had five goals and 11 assists for 16 points. This season, if he can stay healthy, he should end up north of 60 points. Although he doesn't get you a ton of hits or blocks, he will average around 60 of each but can get up to 250 shots on net, which will be a big help. He will be one of the first 5-10 defensemen off the board, so keep a close eye for Hamilton in your draft.
Honourable Mentions: Jacob Markstrom, Nico Hischier, & Timo Meier
