Scott Wedgewood has been wonderful in his short time in the NHL. Only 4 games into his NHL career and he has shut down the like of Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. As Wedgewood’s success continues one can wonder what other future goalies the Devil’s have in their system. If you were to look at the goaltending prospect pool last year it was desolate. Wedgewood was playing well with Albany but besides him no other goalies were close to being NHL ready. Prospects Maxime Clermont and Anthony Brodeur were both released in the offseason – so who does that leave? Right now the Devil’s goaltending prospect pool consist of Scott Wedgewood, Mackenzie Blackwood, and Ken Appleby. These goalies have all shown that they are able to play at a high level. Only time will tell which one of them will be the next great Devil’s goaltender.

Scott Wedgewood was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in 2010. Wedgewood was a third round pick and promising Canadian goaltending prospect. Wedgewood played for the Plymouth Whalers in the OHL and represented his country at the 2012 World Junior Championships. Scott played in 3 games and ended the tournament with a 2.42 GAA and a .916 SV%. Wedgewood shutout the Czech Republic and followed that performance with a win over team USA. After these victories came a deafening defeat as Wedgewood was pulled versus Russia after surrendering 4 goals in 2 periods. Canada would lose the game 6-5 and be eliminated from the tournament. After the World Juniors Scott was signed to a 3-year entry level contract. From Plymouth Wedgewood would spend time in both the AHL and ECHL. In the AHL Scott continuously improved over about 3 years until he was finally given his shot. The 23-year old now has his chance to show what he can do with the best of the best and so far he has shown a lot. One of Wedgewood’s strengths is his ability to cover the lower portions of the net. His bottom half is extremely flexible and he is able to move his legs quickly to save low shots. Wedgewood also employs an active stick as he isn’t afraid to come out and poke check players approaching on a breakaway. Wedgewood’s game will hopefully continue to improve to the point where he can be a viable starting goaltender.

Mackenzie Blackwood was drafted last year in the second round. He came into the draft as the number one goaltender in North America according to Central Scouting. Many were left scratching their heads as an offensively starved Devil’s team picked a goaltender in the second round. Fans probably didn’t notice that the goaltending pool was equally as dry due to the recent success of Corey Schnieder and the lack of success from the offense. Blackwood plays in the OHL on the Barrie Colts. This season Blackwood has consistently played at an elite level and is considered one of the top goalies in the CHL. Blackwood represented Canada at the World Juniors, despite sitting the first two games due to a suspension for a brutal slash. He defeated Switzerland, but lost against Sweden. Canada entered tournament play against the hometown team Finland and would lose 6-5. A lot of the blame was pointed at Blackwood’s poor play.

For the second time in 5 years a Devils Canadian goaltending prospect with a last name ending in “Wood” lost their last game at World Juniors 6-5. Very weird.

Blackwood returned to the OHL and Blackwood has been able to shake off his WJC performance. He led Barrie to the playoffs behind his stellar play, ending the OHL regular season with a 2.72 GAA and a .921 SV%. Blackwood is a perfect example of the modern day goalie, standing 6’4″ and weighing 225 lbs. His athleticism is his main strength as it allows him to quickly move in the crease and help him move into position with calmly and smoothly. The praises sung from scouts are of his consistency. Blackwood regularly puts in hard work and plays well as a result. At 19, the young net minder is still refining his skills. Blackwood has vowed to improve his glove and blocker and hopefully over time Blackwood can refine himself into an elite goaltender. It will take time but with Kinkaid, Wedgewood, and Schneider holding down the NHL, there is no rush.

Ken Appleby is a name that keeps getting lost in the shuffle. I had written a previous article that gave an in-depth look at Appleby’s past play (http://njdab.com/articles/devils-sign-ken-appleby/). He played in the OHL last year for the Oshawa Generals, who went on a run in the CHL playoffs and defeated the likes Connor McDavid en route to a Memorial Cup. Appleby was stellar in the postseason posting a 2.24 GAA and a .922 SV% over 21 games. Yet at the end of it all, Appleby was passed over at the draft. Appleby attended a couple NHL training camps and was ultimately offered a contract by the Devils. This season, Appleby played split time between the ECHL and AHL. In both leagues he posted a sub-3.00 GAA. Appleby provides more to New Jersey than positional depth. He has the potential to be one of those players who teams look back on and wonder how they missed him. Like Blackwood, Appleby is an athletic specimen at 6’4″ 205 lbs. He uses his size to cover the net and has great reactions. He has an uphill climb being behind Wedgewood and Blackwood on the depth chart but Appleby could end up being a NHL caliber goalie.