Our second installment of a three-part series grading every draft pick under general manager Tom Fitzgerald is below. You can read part one of this series right here.
2022 Draft
Round 1, Pick 2 – Simon Nemec (Defenseman)
Notable Players Picked After: Logan Cooley, Shane Wright, Cutter Gauthier
This is an interesting one. On one hand, Nemec looks like he could be a very good defenseman in the NHL one day. After struggling in the regular season last year, Nemec looked like a new player in April and has once again shown flashes early this season. Some may be doubters, but Nemec certainly can be an impact player.
However, the Devils do have a gaping hole in their top six, and wouldn’t one of Logan Cooley, Shane Wright, or Cutter Gauthier help fill that? Only time will tell.
Grade: B-
Round 2, Pick 46 – Seamus Casey (Defenseman)
Notable Players Picked After: Jani Nyman
Back in 2022, we ranked Casey as the 19th-best player in the 2022 draft, mostly because of his incredible upside derived from his elite offensive tools and shifty skating ability. It was a great pick when Casey fell to 46 at the time, and it’s still a great pick now.
While Casey’s defensive ability at the NHL level left much to be desired, his elite puck skills and surprisingly high-end shooting ability made him formidable offensively. At 46, Casey would have to provide nothing more to the Devils for this to be considered a bad pick.
Grade: A-
Round 4, Pick 102 – Tyler Brennan (Goaltender)
Notable Players Picked After: None
Tyler Brennan has been in a bit of a logjam in the Devils’ minor league system, but he also hasn’t done much to play higher than the ECHL level. In 29 ECHL games last year, Brennan held an .878 save percentage (SV%). Not great, but the 2022 fourth round has been pretty baron thus far so it saves this pick from being a complete failure.
Grade: D
Round 4, Pick 110 – Daniil Orlov (Defenseman)
Notable Players Picked After: None
Daniil Orlov is a really interesting prospect. At the time he was selected there was a lot of raw talent to unlock with time in Russia. Over the past three years, it seems as if Orlov is getting there.
The Russian defenseman had 15 points in 52 KHL games last season, and has kicked things off this year with 10points in his first 13 games. If the Devils can get any NHL production out of this pick, that’s a win, and things are definitely trending in that direction.
Grade: B+
Round 4, Pick 126 – Charlie Leddy (Defenseman)
Notable Players Picked After: Frederic Brunet, Nikita Grebenkin
Charlie Leddy has some upside with his smooth skating and solid defensive ability. However, with just three goals and 26 points in 111 NCAA games split between Boston College and Quinnipiac University, the ceiling here is probably limited to an AHL defenseman if the Devils even choose to sign him.
Grade: C-
Round 5, Pick 141 – Petr Hauser (Winger)
Notable Players Picked After: None
Petr Hauser is probably never going to come over to North America and that’s just fine. Over parts of five seasons in the top Czechia league, Hauser has just one goal and 12 points over 70 games. Last spring, the Devils traded Hauser in a deal to retain part of Trent Frederic’s salary where in exchange they got a much better prospect in Shane Lachance.
Grade: D
Round 6, Pick 166 – Josh Filmon (Winger)
Notable Players Picked After: None
There was a point in time when some considered Josh Filmon one of the better prospects in the Devils system. However, last season has changed that.
In 2024-25, Filmon spent a majority of the season in the ECHL where he totaled just 36 points in 65 games. There’s still some upside here with a good scoring touch that helped Filmon to 47 goals in 64 games during the 2022-23 season when he took the WHL by storm. He has begun this season in the AHL with the Comets.
Grade: B-
Round 7, Pick 198 – Artem Barabosha (Defenseman)
Notable Players Picked After: Kirill Kudryavtsev
General manager Tom Fitzgerald threw a Russian flyer on Barabosha with his last pick of the draft and it didn’t hit. Barabosha has played some in the KHL, but for the most part has stalled out in the VHL, which is the Russian minor league.
Grade: C-
2023 Draft
Round 2, Pick 58 – Lenni Hämeenaho (Winger)
Notable Players Picked After: None
Since being selected as the Devils’ first pick in 2023, Lenni Hämeenaho has become a top-five prospect in the team’s system. Over two full seasons in the Finnish Liiga, Hämeenaho has 34 goals and 82 points in 104 games. Great numbers for the young Finn who has shown great offensive abilities and now will be able to bring those over to North America.
While Hämeenaho did not start the season in New Jersey, it wouldn’t be a shock if he gets a look at some point later in the year. He is skating on Utica’s second line along with other top prospect Shane Lachance and Utica captain Ryan Schmelzer.
Grade: A-
Round 4, Pick 122 – Cam Squires (Winger)
Notable Players Picked After: Luca Cagnoni
Cam Squires was a high upside pick in the fourth round after scoring 30 goals and 64 points over 67 games in his draft year. Over the past two seasons, Squires’ offensive abilities has not exactly sky-rocketed, posting 75 points in 58 games last season.
Following a brief playoff for the Cape Breton Eagles of the QMJHL, Squires played his first batch of professional games with Utica (AHL) scoring a goal along with three assists in three games. Surprisingly, he will be starting the season in the ECHL.
Grade: B
Round 5, Pick 154 – Chase Cheslock (Defenseman)
Notable Players Picked After: None
Cheslock’s upside is probably a sixth/seventh defenseman in the NHL, but he has a lot of work to do in order to get there. While the physical and defensive presence is certainly there, the offense and puck-moving hasn’t quite clicked. Cheslock should get a look in the AHL at some point over the next few years if the Devils choose to sign him, and that will be more telling of where his game’s at.
Grade: C
Round 6, Pick 164 – Cole Brown (Winger)
Notable Players Picked After: Filip Eriksson
Cole Brown has always had offensive talent, but was finally able to put it all together in his draft-plus-two season last year. His 70 points was almost 30 more than his previous career high of 42. The now 20-year-old Brown will make the transition to college hockey with Notre Dame this upcoming season where is starting on the team’s first line. The NCAA is definitely a step up from the CHL, so this year should be a good test for Brown.
Grade: B
Round 6, Pick 186 – Daniil Karpovich (Defenseman)
Notable Players Picked After: None
Daniil Karpovich has spent time in both the KHL and VHL over the past two years. He hasn’t accomplished much in either league, but Russia doesn’t prioritize developing young talent. As with many late-round Russian draft picks, it will be hard to tell if anything can come of this selection for even another year or two from now. Similar to Barabosha in 2022, it’s a fine shot in the dark for the team’s last pick.
Grade: C-
Additional Content
If you missed our recent series analyzing other work of Tom Fitzgerald, those articles can be found below:
Trade Series:
Signing Series:
Draft Series:
- Part I (Oct. 8)