Prospect Info: Devils Prospects Re-Ranked

[StevenToddIves]

Devils Prospect Rankings:

*NOTE: Legit NHL prospects in bold, fringe prospects not in bold*

Center:
The Devils addressed this in some part at the 2021 draft, taking two players who were primarily centers in amateur hockey in Samu Salminen and Zakhar Bardakov. However, both players I feel need to improve their skating to stay up the middle, otherwise both could wind up at LW. For the sake of argument, I am listing them among the centers in my rankings. This is still a position of need for the prospect pool in the future, though having Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier at 1/2 in the NHL certainly alleviates most concern.

1 Jaromir Pytlik
2 Jesper Boqvist
3 Samu Salminen
4 Zakhar Bardakov
5 Nate Schnarr
6 Benjamin Baumgartner
7 Artem Shlaine

Left Wing:
Lacking in quantity or true top 6 prospects aside from Nolan Foote. This is another position the Devils should address in future drafts.

1 Nolan Foote
2 Arseny Gritsyuk
3 Aarne Talvitie
4 AJ Greer
5 Nikola Pasic
6 Eetu Pakkila

Right Wing:
The strongest and deepest group of RW prospects in the entire NHL, just ridiculous strength here.

1 Dawson Mercer
2 Alexander Holtz
3 Chase Stillman
4 Graeme Clarke
5 Patrick Moynihan
6 Tyce Thompson
7 Fabian Zetterlund
8 Marian Studenic

Left Defense:
Also a ridiculous area of wealth for the Devils. Adding Luke Hughes' incredible offensive upside to a litany of strong, mobile defenders is just a huge boon for the future of the franchise.

1 Luke Hughes
2 Shakir Mukhamadullin
3 Nikita Okhotyuk
4 Kevin Bahl
5 Michael Vukojevic
6 Daniil Misyul
7 Yegor Zaitsev
8 Topias Vilen
9 Ethan Edwards
10 Matthew Hellickson

Right Defense:
As strong as the LD group is, the RD group is pretty thin. The 2021 draft did not help much, and it probably should have. The top option is McCarthy, who has physical, shut-down upside but lack of offense makes him more situational.

1 Case McCarthy
2 Reilly Walsh
3 Viktor Hurtig

Overall Top 15:
It might surprise some, but my #1 is not based on a slighting of any prospects, but rather how highly I regard Dawson Mercer. I will stick to my guns and say his upside is Mark Stone-like. Luke Hughes has the highest upside here -- with his blinding speed, high skill and 6'3 frame the sky is the limit -- but there are more questions to be answered with Hughes, so I'm calling the Devils #1 Mercer.

1 RW Dawson Mercer
2 LD Luke Hughes
3 RW Alexander Holtz
4 RW Chase Stillman
5 LD Shakir Mukhamadullin
6 LD Nikita Okhotyuk
7 LD Kevin Bahl
8 LW Nolan Foote
9 RW Graeme Clarke
10 RW Patrick Moynihan
11 LW Arseny Gritsyuk
12 RW Tyce Thompson
13 C Jaromir Pytlik
14 LD Michael Vukojevic
15 RD Case McCarthy

 

[Emperoreddy]

It's interesting the strengths and weaknesses of the prospect pool counter the NHL roster. Thin at LW and C, which is the opposite of the NHL roster. Lots of RW prospects but really thin on the NHL roster.

 

[OmNomNom]

Devils Prospect Rankings:

*NOTE: Legit NHL prospects in bold, fringe prospects not in bold*

Center:
The Devils addressed this in some part at the 2021 draft, taking two players who were primarily centers in amateur hockey in Samu Salminen and Zakhar Bardakov. However, both players I feel need to improve their skating to stay up the middle, otherwise both could wind up at LW. For the sake of argument, I am listing them among the centers in my rankings. This is still a position of need for the prospect pool in the future, though having Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier at 1/2 in the NHL certainly alleviates most concern.

1 Jaromir Pytlik
2 Jesper Boqvist
3 Samu Salminen
4 Zakhar Bardakov
5 Nate Schnarr
6 Brett Seney
7 Benjamin Baumgartner
8 Artem Shlaine

Left Wing:
Lacking in quantity or true top 6 prospects aside from Nolan Foote. This is another position the Devils should address in future drafts.

1 Nolan Foote
2 Arseny Gritsyuk
3 Aarne Talvitie
4 AJ Greer
5 Nikola Pasic
6 Eetu Pakkila

Right Wing:
The strongest and deepest group of RW prospects in the entire NHL, just ridiculous strength here.

1 Dawson Mercer
2 Alexander Holtz
3 Chase Stillman
4 Graeme Clarke
5 Patrick Moynihan
6 Tyce Thompson
7 Fabian Zetterlund
8 Marian Studenic

Left Defense:
Also a ridiculous area of wealth for the Devils. Adding Luke Hughes' incredible offensive upside to a litany of strong, mobile defenders is just a huge boon for the future of the franchise.

1 Luke Hughes
2 Shakir Mukhamadullin
3 Nikita Okhotyuk
4 Kevin Bahl
5 Michael Vukojevic
6 Daniil Misyul
7 Yegor Zaitsev
8 Topias Vilen
9 Ethan Edwards
10 Matthew Hellickson

Right Defense:
As strong as the LD group is, the RD group is pretty thin. The 2021 draft did not help much, and it probably should have. The top option is McCarthy, who has physical, shut-down upside but lack of offense makes him more situational.

1 Case McCarthy
2 Reilly Walsh
3 Viktor Hurtig
4 David Quenneville
5 Josh Jacobs

Overall Top 15:
It might surprise some, but my #1 is not based on a slighting of any prospects, but rather how highly I regard Dawson Mercer. I will stick to my guns and say his upside is Mark Stone-like. Luke Hughes has the highest upside here -- with his blinding speed, high skill and 6'3 frame the sky is the limit -- but there are more questions to be answered with Hughes, so I'm calling the Devils #1 Mercer.

1 RW Dawson Mercer
2 LD Luke Hughes
3 RW Alexander Holtz
4 RW Chase Stillman
5 LD Shakir Mukhamadullin
6 LD Nikita Okhotyuk
7 LD Kevin Bahl
8 LW Nolan Foote
9 RW Graeme Clarke
10 RW Patrick Moynihan
11 LW Arseny Gritsyuk
12 RW Tyce Thompson
13 C Jaromir Pytlik
14 LD Michael Vukojevic
15 RD Case McCarthy

fyi david quenneville is no longer our property, we didn't qualifiy

 

[StevenToddIves]

fyi david quenneville is no longer our property, we didn't qualifiy

Thanks, I'm late to the party.

I fixed it.

 

[OmNomNom]

Thanks, I'm late to the party.

I fixed it.

makes it even scarier, how thin we are

 

[StevenToddIves]

makes it even scarier, how thin we are

If it's any consolation, the early opinion is that RD is the strongest position for the 2022 draft. Still, I would have been happier if the Devils drafted Bar or Martin over Vilen in the 5th round. The big hope is that the Devils land Dougie Hamilton on a multi-year deal, which along with Severson takes care of 2/3 of the RD for the foreseeable future.

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

Methinks we probably need to trade one of Okhotyuk or Vukojevic. Along with Bahl, we have too many of the same type.

I'm a little surprised you had Okhotyuk ranked that high. Didn't Vukojevic have a better year in AHL?

 

[StevenToddIves]

Methinks we probably need to trade one of Okhotyuk or Vukojevic. Along with Bahl, we have too many of the same time.

I'm a little surprised you had Okhotyuk ranked that high. Didn't Vukojevic have a better year in AHL?

I like them both a lot -- Okhotyuk and Vukojevic. I feel that Okhotyuk's combination of speed, power and defensive acuity will play better at the pro level, though I'd say Vukojevic is not too shabby in those areas and perhaps a bit better with the puck. I feel they are both bona fide NHLers.

 

[Tao Jersey Jones]

Seney and Jacobs are UFA too. They could be re-signed. Quenneville signed in Europe.

 

[Blackjack]

If it's any consolation, the early opinion is that RD is the strongest position for the 2022 draft. Still, I would have been happier if the Devils drafted Bar or Martin over Vilen in the 5th round. The big hope is that the Devils land Dougie Hamilton on a multi-year deal, which along with Severson takes care of 2/3 of the RD for the foreseeable future.

I understand there was nothing they could do in 2020, and this year there was no way they were taking anyone but Hughes, but man it is just heartbreaking to miss out on Drysdale and Clarke in consecutive years. Don't know when we'll ever be in position to add that kind of talent on the right side again.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Seney and Jacobs are UFA too. They could be re-signed. Quenneville signed in Europe.

Haha, thanks. Either way, I don't feel those three guys really affect the rankings too greatly. They're all fringe prospects at best.

 

[StevenToddIves]

It's interesting the strengths and weaknesses of the prospect pool counter the NHL roster. Thin at LW and C, which is the opposite of the NHL roster. Lots of RW prospects but really thin on the NHL roster.

Our top 10, in my opinion, is entirely comprised of RWs and LDs except for #8 LW Nolan Foote. I mean, that's pretty crazy if you think about it.

 

[Cheddabombs]

Could you speak more to having Pytlik over Boqvist? I'd be lying if I said I watched much of Pytlik since we drafted him, has he progressed a decent amount? Or is a combination of his progression and Boqvist still not taking that next step?

 

[StevenToddIves]

Could you speak more to having Pytlik over Boqvist? I'd be lying if I said I watched much of Pytlik since we drafted him, has he progressed a decent amount? Or is a combination of his progression and Boqvist still not taking that next step?

I loved Pytlik's combination of size, shooting, defense, physicality and passing -- which is why I ranked him higher than most prior to the 2020 draft.

What really impressed me in my viewings of Pytlik in 2021 (prior to the injury which derailed his ceiling) was I thought his skating gained some explosiveness and burst, and his passing was much better than I had assumed when he played in more offensive roles. I feel Pytlik is actually quite a playmaker. He could be the longterm answer at 3C, though he still needs more time.

As for Boqvist, I won't say I've soured on him, but I have yet to see the high end offensive upside we all imagined for him when the Devils selected him in the draft. I'm starting to think he might be a bottom 6 energy guy. Hopefully, he shows up and kills it in training camp and rises back up the prospect rankings.

 

[Cheddabombs]

I loved Pytlik's combination of size, shooting, defense, physicality and passing -- which is why I ranked him higher than most prior to the 2020 draft.

What really impressed me in my viewings of Pytlik in 2021 (prior to the injury which derailed his ceiling) was I thought his skating gained some explosiveness and burst, and his passing was much better than I had assumed when he played in more offensive roles. I feel Pytlik is actually quite a playmaker. He could be the longterm answer at 3C, though he still needs more time.

As for Boqvist, I won't say I've soured on him, but I have yet to see the high end offensive upside we all imagined for him when the Devils selected him in the draft. I'm starting to think he might be a bottom 6 energy guy. Hopefully, he shows up and kills it in training camp and rises back up the prospect rankings.

Awesome, thank you! I was really high on Boqvist too when we got him so fingers crossed he can turn it up a few notches this year

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

I understand there was nothing they could do in 2020, and this year there was no way they were taking anyone but Hughes, but man it is just heartbreaking to miss out on Drysdale and Clarke in consecutive years. Don't know when we'll ever be in position to add that kind of talent on the right side again.

If we suck again, possibly next year's draft.

 

[StevenToddIves]

If we suck again, possibly next year's draft.

The strongest position in the 2022 draft looks to be RD. The Devils are not winning the cup in 2022. So, patience is key here.

 

[NJ Fan 12]

Thanks for doing this to put things in perspective.

Personally wouldn't treat right wing/left wing and right d/left d as different positions (particularly since many of the forwards were originally drafted as centers anyway).

Would rather see all five of those top D prospects in the lineup rather than keeping an inferior player merely because he shoots right.

The same goes for the forward slots.

Would much rather see Holtz playing on the left side a la Ovechkin than putting a lesser player in the lineup.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Methinks we probably need to trade one of Okhotyuk or Vukojevic. Along with Bahl, we have too many of the same type.

I'm a little surprised you had Okhotyuk ranked that high. Didn't Vukojevic have a better year in AHL?

I agree, I don't think there's a path to Ok or Vuk to make the NHL. Right now we have three NHL players locked in on the left side and three very similar AHL prospects. Not to mention Luke and Shak coming over in the next 1-2 years.

I'd rather trade one (or both) and get some value out of them. Seems like the organization is highest on Bahl so I'm guessing he stays.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

I agree, I don't think there's a path to Ok or Vuk to make the NHL. Right now we have three NHL players locked in on the left side and three very similar AHL prospects. Not to mention Luke and Shak coming over in the next 1-2 years.

I'd rather trade one (or both) and get some value out of them. Seems like the organization is highest on Bahl so I'm guessing he stays.

We have a complete logjam at LD. Even with Luke playing RD at the NHL level (which I'm not so sure about).

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

Methinks we probably need to trade one of Okhotyuk or Vukojevic. Along with Bahl, we have too many of the same type.

I'm a little surprised you had Okhotyuk ranked that high. Didn't Vukojevic have a better year in AHL?

We need Okhotyuk on this team in future he brings some nasty and grit as well....

 

[TBF1972]

Our top 10, in my opinion, is entirely comprised of RWs and LDs except for #8 LW Nolan Foote. I mean, that's pretty crazy if you think about it.

Why don't you consider Mercer a center? Style of play or fit or projected spot in the Top6 of the Devils?

 

[Blackjack]

I think Okhotiuk and Bahl will be better than Graves and Sigenthaler. Muk and Luke are years away, I don't think it's a big problem yet.

 

[ChicksDigTheTrap]

Methinks we probably need to trade one of Okhotyuk or Vukojevic. Along with Bahl, we have too many of the same type.

I'm a little surprised you had Okhotyuk ranked that high. Didn't Vukojevic have a better year in AHL?

I would not since I doubt any one of those gets much of a return. Also I learned a lesson from having a stacked D prospect pool of Lars, Urbom, Merrill, etc. I know that only one of them may actually become an NHL regular.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I would not since I doubt any one of those gets much of a return. Also I learned a lesson from having a stacked D prospect pool of Lars, Urbom, Merrill, etc. I know that only one of them may actually become an NHL regular.

That pool wasn't stacked though.