Introduction
Last year, after the New Jersey Devils’ season ended, we examined every Devils rookie from that season and ranked them in a two part article. Like last year, we will continuing the same series once again.
Of last year’s rookies that we analyzed five have graduated, three are no longer in the organization, three are returning members, and one did not play enough games to qualify. The criteria to be on this list is that you must have been on the ice for at least five games. Nine rookies fit that criteria for the Devils’ this season. With all the groundwork now laid out, let’s start.
#9 – Akira Schmid
Statistics: 6 GP, 4 GS, 0-4-0, .833 SV%
Akira Schmid, to put it lightly, struggled tremendously. On top of being winless in his four starts (and being pulled in one), he held a team-worst .833 save percentage (SV%). He also had a -2.37 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (GSAx/60). This number was one of the worst the whole league last season. Nonetheless, he performed well in the AHL this season, so he should not be written off just yet.
#8 – Alexander Holtz
Statistics: 9 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 PTS, 12:16 TOI/GP
This one is a little concerning. The former seventh overall pick was disappointing in his nine games this season. He collected just a couple points while averaging over 12 minutes of ice time a game. However, that’s not what’s worrisome. It’s that the 20-year-old had awful five-on five impacts. He owned a woeful Corsi-for percentage (CF%) of 37.65 and five-on-five expected goals percentage for (xGF%) of 36.54.
It would be unwise to put too much weight into nine games. Especially because he spent a lot of them buried on the third and fourth line. However, it’s definitely something to note for the future that could alter the Devils’ plans.
#7 – Nikita Okhotiuk
Statistics: 5 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 2 PTS, 15:05 TOI/GP
Nikita Okhotiuk had an impressive NHL debut, scoring a goal in the outing. However, he struggled in the following games. The rookie defenseman had a well below league-average 43.70 xGF% and a below-average 48.33 CF%.
#6 – Kevin Bahl
Statistics: 17 GP, 1 G, 3 A, 4 PTS, 15:45 TOI/GP
Kevin Bahl was slightly better in his 17 games this season than his seven last year, but that isn’t saying much. His five-on-five CF% went up from 39.13 to 44.68 and his five-on-five xGF% went up from 31.32 to 45.18. Those are still poor numbers, plus this year he doesn’t have the excuse of playing with Matt Tennyson. In fact quite the opposite.
Bahl spent a large majority of his minutes, especially down the stretch, with the Devils’ big offseason addition on the blue-line in Dougie Hamilton. In his time with New Jersey this season, Bahl looked stronger than last year, but definitely did not inspire a ton of confidence.
#5 – Nico Daws
Statistics: 25 GP, 23 GS, 10-11-1, .893 SV%
If this list was created in mid-March, Daws would probably be number two. However, since his appearance against Anaheim on March 12th, Daws was lackluster to say the least. In that stretch, the posted a record of 4-7-1 with a .861 SV%. In those 12 games, the young netminder only had two games with a positive GSAx (3/27 vs Montreal and 4/9 @ Dallas).
Although Daws showed some flashes of brilliance and lots of promise, he clearly was overworked and rushed. Maybe he’ll be a solid 1B goaltender in a few years.
Note: part II will be released tomorrow at 9:00 A.M. ET.
All statistics are via the NHL and Natural Stat Trick.