The 2023 NHL Entry Draft came to a conclusion on Thursday as the offseason rapidly approaches the July 1 opening of free agency. The New Jersey Devils made five picks, all of which came on day two of the draft.
For the first time since 2013 the Devils did not have a first-round pick as it was dealt to San Jose in the Timo Meier deal. This also marked only the fourth time since 2013 that New Jersey did not own a top-10 pick. That’s what happens when a team turns in their best regular season in franchise history.
With all that being said, New Jersey still made five picks, as they traded their seventh rounder for a 2025 seventh. Who did they nab? How do these picks grade out?
Round 2, Pick 58: Lenni Hameenaho, F
Age: 18 (Nov. 2004)
Position: RW
Height/Weight: 6’1″, 185 pounds
Team: Ässät (Liiga)
Analysis:
The Devils spent their first pick of the draft on Lenni Hameenaho. The Finnish-born forward played in the Liiga last season, the top professional league in Finland, as an 18-year-old. He totaled 21 points (nine goals and 12 assists) in 51 games. He also ranked 13th (of 26) on the team with a slightly below average 47.8 Corsi-for percentage (CF%). However, Hameenaho‘s PDO was fourth-lowest on the team indicating a lot of bad luck for him and his linemates when he was on the ice.
Before that, Hameenaho came up in the Finnish system, scoring at a point-per-game plus pace in the under-18 league (60 points in 31 games). He then registered 21 goals in only 42 games at the under-20 level as a 16/17-year-old in 2021-22.
Scouting reports label Hameenaho as a very smart player who is sound at both ends of the ice. His offensive abilities may be a bit limited, but he projects out very strong defensively. For that reason scouts and pundits regard him as having a solid floor, but a lackluster ceiling given his potential difficulties to produce offensively as the competition improves. By far, his best ability is his hockey sense.
It seemed the pre-draft consensus on Hameenaho was an early second-round pick with some having him ranked in the mid-to-late 30 range. Overall, it appears the Devils got average-to-slightly-above average value with this selection.
Hameenaho is under contract with Ässät of the Liiga through the 2024-25 season.
Grade: B
Round 4, Pick 122: Cam Squires, F
Age: 18 (Apr. 2005)
Position: RW
Height/Weight: 6’0″, 165 pounds
Team: Cape Breton Eagles (QMJHL)
Analysis:
The Devils second pick in the draft did not come until the fourth round when they selected relatively undersized Canadian winger Cam Squires. Squires has played in the QMJHL the last two seasons for Cape Brenton. He was able to pot 30 goals for a team that finished 14th of 18. Squires was third on the team in both goals and points.
In the previous season, Squires totaled only 34 points in 64 games before improving that total by 30, finishing with the 30 goals and 34 assists in 67 games played this past year. As a result, he flew up NHL’s Central Scouting rankings, improving 58 spots from the midterm edition.
Worth noting, his offensive production in the QMJHL resemble pretty closely to what Dawson Mercer did in his draft and draft minus-one seasons. Of course, Mercer exploded in the “Q” the year after he was drafted.
Squires profiles as an offensive player with a strong shot. He also has been praised for his puck handling and control abilities. However, for his size he does not skate the best and still has some work to do defensively. He will certainly make his living offensively.
Overall, Squires was regarded by many as a top-100 pick. So it appears the Devils got great value here. It’ll be interesting to see his output as he readies for his third season with Cape Brenton. A large uptick may single a potential steal.
Grade: B-plus
Round 5, Pick 154: Chase Cheslock, D
Age: 18 (Oct. 2004)
Position: RD
Height/Weight: 6’3″, 207 pounds
Team: Omaha Lancers (USHL)
Analysis:
The Devils took their first of two defensemen in the fifth round. The Minnesota-born American played a majority of last season in high school at Rogers High in Minnesota. He was a point-per-game player totaling 31 points in 28 games. He finished off the year in the USHL with Akira Schmid‘s former team, the Omaha Lancers, where he impressed mightily (see blow) while posting five points in 15 games.
Cheslock has some size to him, as he already eclipsed the 200-pound mark and stands at six-foot-three. Despite this, he is praised for his terrific skating ability. The right-handed shot projects more as a defensive defenseman with his strong skating and physicality. He has played in all circumstances and captained his aforementioned high school team.
Like Squires, Cheslock was another riser throughout the season. He was ranked 146th by NHL’s Central Scouting midterm before finishing the year 99th. The consensus was all over, but it seems most settled on a top-135 player who some had a third-or-fourth-round grade on. He is committed to the Tommies of the University of St. Thomas for the 2024-25 season.
Here is an interesting read on Cheslock via a former coach. A lot of great insight into the type of player and individual he is.
Grade: B-minus
Round 6, Pick 164: Cole Brown, F (via San Jose)
Age: 18 (Apr. 2005)
Position: RW
Height/Weight: 6’2′, 179 pounds
Team: Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)
Analysis:
The Devils second-to-last pick in the draft was Canadian winger Cole Brown. Brown has spent the last two seasons in the OHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs. Last season, he posted 42 points in 60 games, while in 2021-22 he had only 21 in 49 games. Back in the 2019-20 season he led his under-15 team in points with 76 in 42 games.
There is not a ton on Brown out there. However, from what is gathered is he excels in transition and has a pretty strong shot. It appears he profiles as more of an offensive player. Brown was a part of the Hamilton team in 2021-22 that won the OHL championship.
Most boards had Brown as a top-150 prospect. Notably, Patrick Bacon of TopDownHockey had him ranked 115th overall. Another pick where it appears the Devils got some value. It will be interesting to see if his production in the OHL improves with more opportunity, given how good Hamilton has been, after a so-so offensive year last season.
Grade: B-minus
Round 6, Pick 186: Daniil Karpovich, D
Position: LD
Height/Weight: 6’3″, 209 pounds
Team: Avto Yekaterinburg (MHL)
Analysis:
The Devils’ last selection in the draft is by far their most intriguing. Belarusian-born Daniil Karpovich had a terrific season in the MHL (Russian junior hockey league) last year, totaling 35 points in 47 games as a defenseman. This number ranked fourth in the league (MHL) among defensemen. He also had great numbers in the Belarusian junior league, posting 31 points in 39 games during the 2021-22 season in the under-18 league.
Karpovich pretty raw and it is yet to be seen how his game will translate to the KHL. However, he had been great in the MHL flexing his professional-level frame. Offensively, he has a powerful shot and utilizes his smooth-skating abilities to create. Defensively, he has some physicality and the reach to be effective there as well.
Pre-draft projections were very kind to Karpovich. Scouts and pundits have praised his “NHL-ready” tool kit. He has the size, skating ability, and production through his junior career thus far. For these reasons, he was regarded as many as a top-100 prospect and was ranked as high as 36th by TopDownHockey. Specifically, their model gives him a 56 percent chance of becoming a NHLer which is a terrific number for any prospect let alone a sixth-round pick.
Of course, projections are just that and Karpovich has not been given the opportunity just yet to show if he can keep it up against stronger competition. Hopefully he will get a crack at the KHL level this season and show that his MHL performances were not a fluke. Based off pre-draft rankings, this was by far the Devils strongest pick from a value perspective.
Grade: A
Final Thoughts
Whenever you enter a draft without a first-round pick its tough to come out of the event as a winner. However, the Devils still had six picks to make and based off pre-draft projections it appears chief scout Mark Dennehy and staff did well with every single one of them.
Of the group, Daniil Karpovich is by far the most exciting. Whenever you get an early-round talent in the late rounds it’s always good business. Cam Squires appears to have strong offensive upside while the team’s second-round pick, Lenni Hameenaho, brings a decent floor with his advanced defensive game while already playing in a top professional league (Liiga). Lastly, Chase Cheslock is another interesting draftee who excelled greatly in a limited sample size with Omaha of the USHL. Hopefully he can build on that next year as he readies for college hockey.
Again, the Devils did a good job finding value with each pick. There is a direct correlation between drafting players that were held by the consensus in better regard than their drafting position. New Jersey did just that with arguably every pick. For that reason, given what they had to work with, instant reactions suggest a success.
Final Grade: B
Note, statistics and information via Elite Prospects. Advanced statistic via the Liiga website.