Alexander Holtz has the potential to be a top six winger at the NHL level. Golden Knights are hoping the 22 year-old forward can reach that potential with increased opportunity.
When the New Jersey Devils drafted Alexander Holtz with the 7th overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft they believed they were adding a top flight sniper. The native of Stockholm, Sweden was viewed as a player with a high-end release and shot, able to beat goalies clean from distance. The hope was Holtz could ride shotgun on the top line next to franchise center and former 1st overall pick in Jack Hughes for many years to come in the Garden State, but for Holtz and the Devils the marriage didn't last.
After being drafted Holtz returned to his team, Djurgardens IF in the SHL, scoring 18pts in 40 games. Holtz would make the trip across the pond after his season ended and joined the Devils AHL affiliate the Binghamton Devils, now the Utica Comets. After playing 10 games for Binghampton in the 20-21 season, Holtz broke out in his first full season in the AHL the following season. Holtz posted nearly a point per game with Utica scoring 51 points in 52 games. Holtz displayed the goal scoring prowess that scouts liked about him so much, leading the Comets with 26 goals. Holtz's strong production in the American League earned him a cup of coffee in the NHL with Devils, playing 9 games during that 21-22 season.
After splitting time between the AHL and NHL in the 22-23 season, Holtz became a regular at the NHL level with the Devils last season, playing in all 82 games. While Holtz scored a respectable 16 goals, the Devils didn't see Holtz fitting in their top six forward group with a log jam of talented forwards in Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, Dawson Mercer, and Ondrej Palat. The Devils ended up trading Holtz along with goaltender Akira Schmid to the Golden Knights in a draft day trade in exchange for forward Paul Cotter and a 3rd round pick in 2025.
Now in Vegas and equipped with a fresh start, the 22 year-old Holtz is going to get an opportunity to likely play in the Knights top six. Following the acquistion of Holtz, Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon spoke highly of the young forward.
“We think that Alexander Holtz has got untapped potential that we feel we can unlock here to some degree with the opportunity,” McCrimmon said.
With an increased opportunity in Vegas it is certainly possible that Holtz can have the same kind of impact that his new teammate William Karlsson had after being selected in the expansion draft from the Columbus Blue Jackets. While Karlsson was two years older than Holtz at the time and had roughly 73 more games of NHL experience, Karlsson made the most of getting an expanded role in Vegas scoring 43 goals in his first year in Vegas and never looked back.
With Holtz's natural goal scoring ability and the chance to play more important minutes with a talented center like Tomas Hertl or William Karlsson, the opportunity is there for Holtz to break out in a big way with the Golden Knights. With the free agent departures of Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson the Knights are hoping Holtz arrives in a big way.