The NHL Entry Draft is quickly approaching. The two-day event is set to begin Friday in Buffalo, New York. The New Jersey Devils currently own the 12th-overall pick. Pending a trade, the Devils should have a plethora of strong options to expend their first round pick on.
Below are some of the names that should be available at this selection. Each are listed ninth through 15th on Sound Of Hockey’s consensus draft board. Both forwards and defenseman are listed below, despite the Devils seemingly being better suited to select a forward. Additionally, these may not exactly be the individuals at the top of our list. However, based off consensus, they are some options that are likely going to be contemplated in the area the team is selecting.
Daxon Rudolph
Daxon Rudolph is one of the better defenseman in the draft. The Canadien is listed at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds.
Rudolph broke out offensively this season for Prince Albert of the WHL. He had 78 points across 68 games, including 28 goals. He was third in the league in scoring among defenseman. This is a major improvement from a 41-point season the year before. However, to end that 2024-25 year, Rudolph had 12 points in 11 playoff games. He carried over that playoff success to this season as following his huge regular season he had a staggering 27 points across 19 playoff games. That figure ranked second in the league.
Rudolph should be able to development into a strong two-way defender at the next level. He has strong mobility and pairs that with a a strong hockey intelligence. His size allows him to be aggressive with his reach and mix it up along the boards. Offensively, his shot from the point is very strong and will only get better. He is just described as a strong all-around player. With that, the concern is that a truly elite ceiling may not exist, however he should be a really solid player at the next level.
Rudolph is set to play college hockey for the University of Denver next season.
Wyatt Cullen
The 17-year-old American, Wyatt Cullen, has played his junior hockey in the United States developmental system.
He played 40 games with the U.S. National Under-18 team in 2025-26 and posted 45 points in 40 games. While playing with the USNTDP Juniors in the USHL, he had 16 points in 15 games. Cullen also excelled at the under-18 World Junior Championships where he had nine points in five games. He led the tournament in points-per-game.
Cullen is looked upon as one of the stronger offensive players in the draft. The 6-foot-1 winger is an already dynamic puck handler and has strong skating abilities. He has all the tools to develop into an elite playmaker at the next level. He is still needing to develop his shot more and fill out his fast-growing frame. However, as one of the younger players in this draft, he still has a ton of time to get better.
Cullen is slated to play college hockey at the University of Minnesota next season.
Ethan Belchetz
If you want size, winger Ethan Belchetz is the player for you. He is listed at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds at only 18 years old.
Belchetz, a Canadien, played his junior hockey in the OHL the last two seasons. He improved on a 38-point season (56 games) in 2024-25 with a 59-point (34 goals) season across 57 games this past year. His 34 goals was tied for 12th in the OHL and he was second on his team in goal scoring. The team, Windsor, finished second in the OHL’s Western Conference. Worth noting, the former first-overall pick of the 2024 OHL draft did have his season cut short due to a broken clavicle.
Like is the case with several larger players, Belchetz’s skating is a work in progress. However, his shot is already outstanding, as evident by the 34 goals he scored this season. Additionally, he does have pretty strong puck skills for a skater of his size. It just comes down to how much he is able to elevate his skating abilities.
Belchetz is slated to play college hockey at Michigan State University next season.
Tynan Lawrence
What an interesting season it has been for 17-year-old Tynan Lawrence. Lawrence is the lone center on this list joining three other wingers.
Lawrence put up an extremely strong 2024-25 season as a 16-year-old in the USHL, posting 54 points (25 goals) across 56 games for Muskegon. In 2025-26, he started the season in the USHL once again, posting 17 points in 13 games. He then made a rare in-season transition to college hockey playing the rest of the season with Boston University. Unfortunately, his play with the Terriers dropped his draft stock considerably. He only scored twice and posted seven points across 18 games to end the season. Lawrence did also play in the under-18 World Junior Championships. He had six points in five games. This was tied for the second-most on Team Canada.
Lawrence likely has the highest floor on this list, there is no reason why he won’t be, at a minimum, a third-line center in the NHL. His 200-foot game is already developed thanks in large part to a very strong motor and constant high compete level. He is also a strong skater with terrific speed and should excel in transition. The concerns with Lawrence really comes with his performances when he transitioned midseason to the college-level. His offensive game was not consistent enough and given his age, he was tested a lot more physically in the NCAA.
Lawrence projects to be back at Boston University next season.
Oscar Hemming
Oscar Hemming is another 17-year-old. The Finnish-born forward played his junior hockey over in his native country.
In 2024-25, he had a sensational 63 points across 31 games in the under-18 junior league before making the move to the under-20 junior league where he had 10 points across 18 games. Of 16,517 under-18 seasons in that specific league, Hemming’s 63 points were the 20th-highest figure posted in any single season. Of the 19 players above him on the list, Hemming’s point-per-game rate was third-best. It was stronger than the likes of Sebastian Aho, Ville Koivunen, Lenni Hämeenaho, among others who played in that league.
Following 2024-25 is when things got interesting, and unfortunately, not in a positive way for his development. Due to issues with his Finnish club Hemming was not able to continue his junior career in Canada as he wanted. Hemming had to wait until a second semester at Boston College to resume play. He played in 19 games for the Eagles posting eight points.
Hemming’s game is of course built upon his 6-foot-4, 204-pound frame. His great size helps him to excel with puck protection, playing in front of the net, and playing physical along the boards. Hemming also already has a pretty well-developed shot. There are concerns about his playmaking abilities and he did have some troubles finishing during his first college action. Not to mention, there is also concern on what the tough beginning to last season has done for his development. However, he is one of the youngest players in the draft which should help alleviate some of those concerns.
Hemming is slated to continue with Boston College next season.
Ryan Lin
The first defenseman on this list is Ryan Lin. Lin is a smaller defenseman, listed at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds.
The Canadien has played his junior hockey in his native country, spending the last two full seasons in the WHL. He had a terrific 2024-25 season where he posted 53 points across 60 games. Last year, as the alternate captain of the Vancouver Giants, he posted 57 points across 53 games. Lin also posted six points in five games at the under-18 World Junior Championships and also played in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup where he was a point-per-game across five games for the Canadian under-18 team.
The 18-year-old is described by many as a lower risk investment. He has a higher floor as his game is already pretty well rounded. The offensive play is there in the form of strong puck movement and a decent shot from the point. He played a ton of minutes in the WHL last season, in all situations. This was made possible because of how well his defensive game is already developed. That part of his game is built upon a terrific hockey sense, one of his best strengths, as well as a sound skating ability. With that being said, there are some questions with Lin’s overall skating speed given his size. Additionally, there are some questions about how that size will translate at the next level and at the college level.
Lin is slated to join the University of Denver in 2026-27.
Malte Gustafsson
Malte Gustafsson is a towering 6-foot-4, 203-pound defenseman from Sweden. He has played his whole junior and no professional career in his native country.
Gustafsson played across four different levels of hockey in 2025-26. He played very briefly in Sweden’s under-18 junior league before playing 19 games in the under-20 junior league, posting 12 points. He finished the season playing in the SHL, Sweden’s top professional league; he had three assists across 27 games. Gustafsson did however have a terrific showing at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup where he had six points in five games as an alternate captain for Sweden’s under-18 team.
Gustafsson is described as your prototypical defensive defenseman. His frame helps him play physically which matches well with his high compete level. For his size, he also skates pretty well. Concerns with Gustafsson root in how much his offensive game is going to develop. If it doesn’t you should still get yourself a strong two-way defenseman.
Gustafsson is slated to open the season with HV71 in the SHL.