The 2022 NHL Draft has come and gone just like that. The New Jersey Devils were very active, making a total of eight selections over the seven rounds. They also added a new goaltender via trade in Vitek Vanecek.
As the draft went on, the Devils’ plan was clear. Draft defenseman, and specifically replenish the right-side of their prospect pool that has dwindled down in year’s past. So, with this plan, who are the prospects the Devils added to their system?
Round 1: Simon Nemec, RD (Slovakia)
To the surprise of many, the Devils skipped over Shane Wright to select the Slovakian defenseman. Check out our full, in-depth review of the pick with the following article.
Grade: B+
Nemec should be a terrific NHL player in the near future. The only reason this pick isn’t an ’A’ is because Shane Wright was on the board.
Round 2: Seamus Casey, RD (USDP)
Much like the Devils’ first-round pick, Casey is a right-handed defenseman. The 46th overall selection is listed at five-foot-ten and 174 pounds. The Miami, FL born Casey is slated to attend the University Michigan and be teammates with Luke Hughes.
Casey is an offensive defenseman who has terrific puck handling skills. He is a very strong skater and could develop into a very fun player. He does have some work to do in his own end, especially with decision making. However, valued as a first-round pick by some, Casey was a very nice selection.
Grade: A
Casey was one of the better value picks in the draft. With a chance to be a very fun NHL player, several had a round one grade on Casey. Nice work by general manager Tom Fitzgerald.
Round 4: Tyler Brennan, G (WHL)
Like the Devils do every draft, they took arguably the draft’s highest rated goalie in the fourth round. The six-foot-four Winnipeg native has spent parts of the past four seasons in the WHL. Most recently, posting a .899 save percentage in 39 games with the Prince George Cougars. Worth pointing out, Prince George had a 24-39-4-1 record. So, that underwhelming save percentage may be misleading.
Regardless, the 102nd overall pick was rated as the top goaltender in the draft by most outlets. Several had a third, even second-round grade on Brennan. Seeing how he rebounds in his second full WHL season will help fully evaluate his potential. Hopefully, both Brennen and Prince George as a team will be much improved this season.
Grade: B+
Anytime you can get who most rated as the top goaltender in that draft in round four, it’s a win. Even though he’s super raw, Brennan is held in high regard by many for a reason.
Round 4: Daniil Orlov, LD (MHL)
Orlov continued the trend of defenseman for the Devils at 110th overall. The six-foot-two, 181-pound Russian was New Jersey’s only left-handed defenseman taken. He has spent his whole junior career in Russia, most recently playing in the MHL (top Russian junior league). Last season, he tallied a solid 30 points in 54 games. The previous season, he had 17 points in 58 games.
He is a smooth-skating, offensive-leaning defenseman. A solid puck-mover which fits the mold of the two defenseman picked by New Jersey before him. Several had a late-fourth, early-fifth round grade on him. As the above shows, he projects out pretty strongly. It will be interesting to see how he progresses in the coming years, likely seeing the KHL at some point.
Grade: B
The Devils drafted Orlov at about where several had him going. The chances he sees the NHL is a little less than 50/50. About an average pick.
Round 4: Charles Leddy, RD (USDP)
The final of the Devils’ three fourth round picks was another defenseman. Charles Leddy is a six-foot-one, 185-pound Connecticut-born defenseman. The 126th overall pick is slated to attend Boston College after spending last season with the United States Developmental Program where he had 17 assists in 55 games.
Leddy profiles more as a steady, defensive-first defenseman. He appeared to be one of the more “reach” picks made by the Devils. This given several had him as a late-fifth, maybe even sixth-round pick. Nonetheless, always interesting to see how college-bound defenseman develop.
Grade: C+
The first defensive-first defenseman the Devils took. Appears scouts were all over the place on him, as he doesn’t appear to be a flashy player. New Jersey probably reached a tad on this one.
Round 5: Petr Hauser, RW (Czechia U20)
The Devils finally took a forward for the first time in the draft in the fifth round. Petr Hauser is a right wing with great size. He is listed at six-foot-four and 205 pounds. Hauser has spent his junior career in his home country, Czechia.
Last season, he played 41 games in the under-20 Czechia league where he totaled an impressive 59 points in 41 games played. This total ranked 11th of 617 player to appear in the league last season. His 71 points in 38 Czechia under-17 league games back in 2019-20 was the highest mark in the league of 791 players.
The 141st overall pick profiles as a power forward who has a knack for scoring. As his junior totals point out. Certainly, one of the more interesting prospects the Devils selected. Expect him to take a next step and either play in the top professional league in Czechia or the country’s second-tier professional league next season.
Grade: B+
Personally, one of the more intriguing picks New Jersey made. Couple Hauser’s size with his junior scoring rate, maybe he can turn into a special prospect one day.
Round 6: Josh Filmon, LW (WHL)
New Jersey scooped their second and last forward of the draft at 166th overall in the sixth round. He is a six-foot-two, 159-pound Winnipeg native. Filmon has played his whole junior league career in Canada, most recently in the WHL.
For the Swift Current Broncos last season, he had 45 points in 67 games played. The Broncos were one of the worst teams in the WHL last season. The 18-year-old Filmon was still able to finish third on the team in scoring.
Several believe Filmon has a ton of potential but has yet to put it all together. This most likely explains why several outlets had a top-100 grade on him. Some others, a little later in the fourth-round. Nonetheless, looks like nice value for the Devils. A big season for Filmon upcoming in the WHL next season.
Grade: A-
Several loved this pick by the Devils. Despite being really raw, Filom allegedly has the tools to be a real solid asset in the Devils’ system. Given where he was rated by most, really nice value.
Round 7: Artyom Barabosha, RD (MHL)
The last pick of the 2022 NHL Draft was a fitting one for New Jersey as they went with another right-handed defenseman. The six-foot-two and 190-pounder is from Omsk, Russia. He has spent the past two seasons in the MHL (top Russian junior league). Most recently, posting 11 points in 45 games played.
Barabosha appears to be more of a defensive defenseman. Seventh round picks rarely see NHL time, let alone sign with the team that drafted them. Nonetheless, interesting to see the Russian defenseman progresses throughout the Russian system.
Grade: B
Seventh round picks rarely see the light of day. Barabosha has a lot of experience already, which should help his upside.
Overall Grade: B+
New Jersey snagged a terrific talent with the second overall pick who should help the franchise tremendously. They followed that up with nice value picks in Casey and Filmon. Meanwhile, also landed a potentially exciting prospect in Hauser. Overall, New Jersey also really didn’t make any horrific reaches which is always good to see.
Now, the subtraction of a third-round pick did hurt the overall depth of the class. Which prohibited this group from the ’A-‘ territory. The grade itself is subjectively probably somewhere between a ’B’ and ’B-plus’, moreso favoring the latter. Nonetheless, appears to be a nice group for general manager Tom Fitzgerald and his staff.