Prospect Info: 2024 Round 5, #139 Overall - C Max Graham

[Nubmer6]

2024 NHL Draft: NJ Devils Pick Max Graham at 139th Overall in the Fifth Round

With their first pick of the fifth round, the New Jersey Devils drafted double-overage center Max Graham of the Kelowna Rockets. He is large. He is tough. And that may be it? Learn a bit more about him with this selection.

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[Barry Tallackson]

Great pick

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Center #2 for Utica.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I do not like to put down amateur prospects, but at 20 years old Graham is already a borderline non-prospect. I cannot imagine what led the team to draft a double-over-aged forward who scored half-a-point-per-game in the WHL. I cannot imagine a scouting meeting where multiple scouts gave Graham the thumbs up.

I cannot imagine a scouting meeting where Graham was discussed prior to the draft as a possible pick and no one bothered to mention that his likelihood of being drafted was close to zero, and as a double-over-ager the team could have just offered him a tryout in camp as soon as the draft had completed.

I cannot imagine if you asked the Devils Russian scouting -- which almost every year makes great late round picks -- if Graham should be the pick over a Krutov or Kol (both selected by arch-rival Carolina later in the draft), the Devils Russian scouts would not burst out laughing.

I don't know how to explain this pick except in some sort of vacuum where Fitzgerald points to the WHL scout and asks "you haven't had a pick yet andWestern Canadians are tough, give me a big tough forward" and the WHL scout is like, "uhhh, I don't know, the Graham kid can fight".

This pick is pretty damning in several ways, because it's just so, so bad. The Devils clearly need to hire some sort of draft strategist or draft coordinator because there's just no way on earth you can have more than one scout in the room and have them agree that Graham was in the top 50 players available much less the best player available when the Devils took him in the 5th round.

If Graham were 18, it would have simply been a very poor pick. But as a double-over-ager you could have just signed to a tryout a few hours later? It's a symptom of something dreadfully wrong which needs to be fixed.

 

[My3Sons]

I do not like to put down amateur prospects, but at 20 years old Graham is already a borderline non-prospect. I cannot imagine what led the team to draft a double-over-aged forward who scored half-a-point-per-game in the WHL. I cannot imagine a scouting meeting where multiple scouts gave Graham the thumbs up.

I cannot imagine a scouting meeting where Graham was discussed prior to the draft as a possible pick and no one bothered to mention that his likelihood of being drafted was close to zero, and as a double-over-ager the team could have just offered him a tryout in camp as soon as the draft had completed.

I cannot imagine if you asked the Devils Russian scouting -- which almost every year makes great late round picks -- if Graham should be the pick over a Krutov or Kol (both selected by arch-rival Carolina later in the draft), the Devils Russian scouts would not burst out laughing.

I don't know how to explain this pick except in some sort of vacuum where Fitzgerald points to the WHL scout and asks "you haven't had a pick yet andWestern Canadians are tough, give me a big tough forward" and the WHL scout is like, "uhhh, I don't know, the Graham kid can fight".

This pick is pretty damning in several ways, because it's just so, so bad. The Devils clearly need to hire some sort of draft strategist or draft coordinator because there's just no way on earth you can have more than one scout in the room and have them agree that Graham was in the top 50 players available much less the best player available when the Devils took him in the 5th round.

If Graham were 18, it would have simply been a very poor pick. But as a double-over-ager you could have just signed to a tryout a few hours later? It's a symptom of something dreadfully wrong which needs to be fixed.

Who is the NJ scouting director? Is he actually a scout or an administrator?

 

[Nubmer6]

Who is the NJ scouting director? Is he actually a scout or an administrator?

Isn't it Dennehy?

 

[Billdo]

I do not like to put down amateur prospects, but at 20 years old Graham is already a borderline non-prospect. I cannot imagine what led the team to draft a double-over-aged forward who scored half-a-point-per-game in the WHL. I cannot imagine a scouting meeting where multiple scouts gave Graham the thumbs up.

I cannot imagine a scouting meeting where Graham was discussed prior to the draft as a possible pick and no one bothered to mention that his likelihood of being drafted was close to zero, and as a double-over-ager the team could have just offered him a tryout in camp as soon as the draft had completed.

I cannot imagine if you asked the Devils Russian scouting -- which almost every year makes great late round picks -- if Graham should be the pick over a Krutov or Kol (both selected by arch-rival Carolina later in the draft), the Devils Russian scouts would not burst out laughing.

I don't know how to explain this pick except in some sort of vacuum where Fitzgerald points to the WHL scout and asks "you haven't had a pick yet andWestern Canadians are tough, give me a big tough forward" and the WHL scout is like, "uhhh, I don't know, the Graham kid can fight".

This pick is pretty damning in several ways, because it's just so, so bad. The Devils clearly need to hire some sort of draft strategist or draft coordinator because there's just no way on earth you can have more than one scout in the room and have them agree that Graham was in the top 50 players available much less the best player available when the Devils took him in the 5th round.

If Graham were 18, it would have simply been a very poor pick. But as a double-over-ager you could have just signed to a tryout a few hours later? It's a symptom of something dreadfully wrong which needs to be fixed.

Oof.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

This pick baffles me, I just read an article on him. Was 5’5 at 15, 5’11 at 16 and now 6’3 at 20. I assume he is a good skater and maybe NJ really liked him in the fights he has been in. Either way, he will probably be the 4th line center in Utica haha

 

[Saugus]

Unfortunate to hear that we already think this was a wasted pick like Baumgartner.

You would hope with all the resources at their disposal an NHL front office would make better choices, but here we are.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

There is part of a picture we aren’t seeing.

Go to hockey fights and watch all his videos from last year. He is a pretty damn good fighter and almost all of his fights were caused by big hits. Between that and his highlights from 2022 if you squint you may see a little bit of Tom Wilson.

His stats aren’t that far off Chase Stillman D+2, if he can put up a similar season in the AHL I think we would all be ecstatic.

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

There is part of a picture we aren’t seeing.

Go to hockey fights and watch all his videos from last year. He is a pretty damn good fighter and almost all of his fights were caused by big hits. Between that and his highlights from 2022 if you squint you may see a little bit of Tom Wilson.

His stats aren’t that far off Chase Stillman D+2, if he can put up a similar season in the AHL I think we would all be ecstatic.

From your lips to the hockey gods’ ears.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

From your lips to the hockey gods’ ears.

Now is the time to be positive, lord knows we are a pessimistic bunch once the season starts.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Now is the time to be positive, lord knows we are a pessimistic bunch once the season starts.

I'm positive Rempe has done to Fitz what Wilson did to the rags. It was stupid when the rags overreacted and it's even worse that we are. Especially considering we don't have Shesterkin to cover all the horrendous decisions that are being made.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

I'm positive Rempe has done to Fitz what Wilson did to the rags. It was stupid when the rags overreacted and it's even worse that we are. Especially considering we don't have Shesterkin to cover all the horrendous decisions that are being made.

You mean what playoffs have done to us, just watch the playoffs. Watch the compete and how they play. NJ is still loaded with skill.

 

[devilsblood]

There is part of a picture we aren’t seeing.

Go to hockey fights and watch all his videos from last year. He is a pretty damn good fighter and almost all of his fights were caused by big hits. Between that and his highlights from 2022 if you squint you may see a little bit of Tom Wilson.

His stats aren’t that far off Chase Stillman D+2, if he can put up a similar season in the AHL I think we would all be ecstatic.

This is clearly what this pick is about.

It's a sister move to trading for and then signing MacDermid. Fitz wanted to get bigger and stronger in 22-23, then we got beat up by a veteran Carolina team in the playoffs, had the Rempe incidence's, and then watched Florida, a big physical team, win the cup. He is now all in on this bigger stronger thing.

Now could we have gotten this guy via udfa after the draft? Maybe, but Fitz clearly didn't want to add a smallish skilled player who, as a 5th rnder, probably isn't all that good.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

This is clearly what this pick is about.

It's a sister move to trading for and then signing MacDermid. Fitz wanted to get bigger and stronger in 22-23, then we got beat up by a veteran Carolina team in the playoffs, had the Rempe incidence's, and then watched Florida, a big physical team, win the cup. He is now all in on this bigger stronger thing.

Now could we have gotten this guy via udfa after the draft? Maybe, but Fitz clearly didn't want to add a smallish skilled player who, as a 5th rnder, probably isn't all that good.

The two centers we got were freebies by moving back a few picks. Utica will add two big centres that can fill multiple roles. Let them cook under Dineen and company.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

This is clearly what this pick is about.

It's a sister move to trading for and then signing MacDermid. Fitz wanted to get bigger and stronger in 22-23, then we got beat up by a veteran Carolina team in the playoffs, had the Rempe incidence's, and then watched Florida, a big physical team, win the cup. He is now all in on this bigger stronger thing.

Now could we have gotten this guy via udfa after the draft? Maybe, but Fitz clearly didn't want to add a smallish skilled player who, as a 5th rnder, probably isn't all that good.

If this draft was a one-off response to focusing on size and “grit”, then okay. If this is some multi-year journey, get me off the ride. No need to sacrifice draft classes for this when you can get these guys readymade off the rack at the NHL level.

 

[devilsblood]

I do not like to put down amateur prospects, but at 20 years old Graham is already a borderline non-prospect. I cannot imagine what led the team to draft a double-over-aged forward who scored half-a-point-per-game in the WHL. I cannot imagine a scouting meeting where multiple scouts gave Graham the thumbs up.

I cannot imagine a scouting meeting where Graham was discussed prior to the draft as a possible pick and no one bothered to mention that his likelihood of being drafted was close to zero, and as a double-over-ager the team could have just offered him a tryout in camp as soon as the draft had completed.

I cannot imagine if you asked the Devils Russian scouting -- which almost every year makes great late round picks -- if Graham should be the pick over a Krutov or Kol (both selected by arch-rival Carolina later in the draft), the Devils Russian scouts would not burst out laughing.

I don't know how to explain this pick except in some sort of vacuum where Fitzgerald points to the WHL scout and asks "you haven't had a pick yet andWestern Canadians are tough, give me a big tough forward" and the WHL scout is like, "uhhh, I don't know, the Graham kid can fight".

This pick is pretty damning in several ways, because it's just so, so bad. The Devils clearly need to hire some sort of draft strategist or draft coordinator because there's just no way on earth you can have more than one scout in the room and have them agree that Graham was in the top 50 players available much less the best player available when the Devils took him in the 5th round.

If Graham were 18, it would have simply been a very poor pick. But as a double-over-ager you could have just signed to a tryout a few hours later? It's a symptom of something dreadfully wrong which needs to be fixed.

Devils were probably also thinking something like, we've drafted enough Russian's late in the draft who, may be good value picks in terms of talent, but we may not ever see, or if we do, may not be for 8 years or something.

I mean Grit's kind of looks like a good pick, but he's already 23, and we haven't seen him play any real games in the US, and we won't this upcoming season either.

Graham on the other hand? Wouldn't shock me to see him fight Rempe next year.

 

[devilsblood]

If this draft was a one-off response to focusing on size and “grit”, then okay. If this is some multi-year journey, get me off the ride. No need to sacrifice draft classes for this when you can get these guys readymade off the rack at the NHL level.

But we did have to trade for, and then sign Mac.

I actually like drafting a kid, who maybe you can develop a little? I mean, can this guy skate? I legit don't know. Mac is a guy who I don't even want to see in the lineup.

But if we do continue down this "size and grit" path I do hope that we see some skill and speed, especially the latter, mixed in along the way.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

But we did have to trade for, and then sign Mac.

I actually like drafting a kid, who maybe you can develop a little? I mean, can this guy skate? I legit don't know. Mac is a guy who I don't even want to see in the lineup.

But if we do continue down this "size and grit" path I do hope that we see some skill and speed, especially the latter, mixed in along the way.

And I don’t think Macdermid is the answer either. It was fine mid-season when you needed someone for that next game against the Rags, but I don’t get signing him to that multi-year deal.

I’m not opposed to drafting some guys like that either, but that was almost *all* they did past the first round.

 

[devilsblood]

The two centers we got were freebies by moving back a few picks. Utica will add two big centres that can fill multiple roles. Let them cook under Dineen and company.

Are we talking Melovsky and......? Please enlighten the ignorant.

 

[devilsblood]

And I don’t think Macdermid is the answer either. It was fine mid-season when you needed someone for that next game against the Rags, but I don’t get signing him to that multi-year deal.

I’m not opposed to drafting some guys like that either, but that was almost *all* they did past the first round.

I was thinking about this in terms of the Holtz trade.

Signing Mac, ripping on and then trading Holtz, bringing in Cotter, this draft of giants including Graham who looks more like a pugilist then a hockey player. Fitz is clearly sending a message to the team. Hughes, Nico and the rest are aware of these moves. They've already been told that they better be in the weight room this offseason. I'm not saying Jack can't be chilling on the beach with the ladies this summer, but he better be doing so after hitting the gym first.

How does a GM change the culture of a team? This looks like a pretty clear way of doing so.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Are we talking Melovsky and......? Please enlighten the ignorant.

Graham is a center

 

[devilsblood]

Graham is a center

Ah, OK, the simplest of answers, I saw him listed as a LW on hdb.

So I again point to this, and Melovsky, as the polar opposite of the Russian picks. Graham and Melovsky immediately provide organizational depth at the professional level. The Russians may never provide that same utility.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Ah, OK, the simplest of answers, I saw him listed as a LW on hdb.

So I again point to this, and Melovsky, as the polar opposite of the Russian picks. Graham and Melovsky immediately provide organizational depth at the professional level. The Russians may never provide that same utility.

Yea, that’s how I see it. NJ has no organizational depth up the middle. rolling the dice on European lottery tickets have a highest of rewards but low chance at helping the organization out.