Our annual New Jersey Devils prospect rankings are back! Most of the prospects included in the Devils’ system are ranked and briefly analyzed below. Unlike last year, some players under strictly AHL or ECHL contracts are not being included. For last year’s rankings, click here.

Note, players aged 25 or older are excluded. Xavier Parent, Nico Daws, and Vladislav Kolyachonok are some notable players being excluded from the rankings due to their age. Lastly, the league denoted in parenthesis next to players below is where they are projected to play in 2026-27.

1. Alexander Command, F (SHL)

In a somewhat surprising selection, the Devils took Alexander Command with the 12th-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Command played very well in the under-20 junior Swedish league in 2025-26, posting 44 points in 30 games. The 18-year-old is slated to spend the whole 2026-27 season in the SHL this season. He projects as a strong two-way forward at the next level.

2. Anton Silaev, D (AHL)

Anton Silaev, 20, was the team’s 10th-overall pick in 2024. After 187 career KHL games, Silaev has made his way to North America and is expected to spend the year with Utica (AHL). Silaev is a hulking 6-foot-7 defenseman known for his elite skating abilities. It is worth noting, the production in the KHL, albeit in limited ice time, has been underwhelming (three points in 61 games in 2025-26)

3. Mikhail Yegorov, G (NCAA)

It was a down year for both Boston University and goaltender Mikhail Yegorov in 2025-26. Despite Boston’s struggles, Yegorov still posted a 0.904 save percentage across 35 games. Granted, a drop off from his 0.927 mark across 18 games in 2024-25. The 20-year-old was a second-round pick in 2024.

For those interested, Yegorov created his own website to track his statistics. You can find that here.

4. Amadeus Lombardi, F (NHL)

Amadeus Lombardi was acquired by the team in June from the Detroit Red Wings. The 5-foot-11 forward has excelled in the AHL the last couple of seasons, as he had 42 points in 47 games in 2025-26. The year prior he had 40 points in 44 games. Overall, across the last two seasons, his 0.90 point-per-game average ranks 40th among 1,036 AHL skaters to play at least 20 games.

Lombardi, 23, a former fourth-round pick, is expected to make the team out of training camp and may provide some solid offense in the team’s bottom-six.

5. Lenni Hämeenaho, F (AHL)

Rookie winger Lenni Hämeenaho made his NHL debut in 2025-26. The 21-year-old was held scoreless through his first nine AHL games to begin the season, however, he went on a run of 26 points over his last 28 AHL games before spending 33 games at the NHL level. Results were so-so and due to the team’s new-found depth as a result of a strong offseason, Hämeenaho has an uphill battle to make the team out of training camp.

6. Matias Vanhanen, F (NCAA)

Finnish forward Matias Vanhanen was an extremely intriguing pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Taken in the second round, Vanhanen was looked upon a reach by the consensus; largely due to him being an “over-ager” and his size (5-foot-11, 176 pounds). However, the offensive skill is off the charts. With the Everett Silvertips of the WHL in 2025-26. He posted 87 points across 62 games; a Silvertips record for rookies. That point figure ranked ninth and his 66 assists was second in the league.

He will be one of the most exciting prospect in the system to watch as he begins his college career at Boston College in 2026-27.

7. Daniil Orlov, D (KHL)

Russian defenseman, especially prospects who play in the KHL, can be difficult to project sometimes. However, former fourth-round pick Daniil Orlov appears to have been a solid find. Orlov scored 10 goals and posted 27 points in 66 KHL games last season while averaging the second-most ice time on the team (21:19). The 22-year-old is now nearly a point-per-game player through seven KHL games this year.

Orlov, described as an extremely strong skater, is under KHL contract until 2027-28, but someone certainly to keep an eye on.

8. Seamus Casey, D (AHL)

It was a lost season of sorts for 5-foot-10 defenseman Seamus Casey in 2025-26. Casey was injured for a large portion of the season and was limited to 29 AHL games (19 points, negative-13 rating) and two NHL games.

Casey, now 22 years old, is a dynamic offensive presence but the defensive side of things is still lacking. Hopefully, a full and healthy season at the AHL level can aid his development in 2026-27 and give a more clearer picture as to where he fits within the system.

9. Nikita Shcherbakov, D (KHL)

The Devils used their 44th-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Russian defenseman Nikita Shcherbakov. The 18-year-old is in his first full KHL season. Despite having four points in six games, he is playing less than 10 minutes a night. Coincidentally, the 6-foot-5 defenseman projects more as a defensive defenseman. Encouragingly, entering the draft, several outlets projected a NHL career for the current member of Salavat Yulaev Ufa.

10. Jakub Málek, G (AHL)

It was a season of two different stories for 24-year-old goaltender Jakub Málek. Málek performed so poorly to begin the season for Utica, he was sent to the ECHL. He returned to the AHL and ended the season well, encroaching on the starting cage from Nico Daws at points. In all, he posted a 0.895 save percentage across 31 games, however, over his last 26 games, after being called back up, he posted a 0.902 save percentage.

The net in Utica should be predominately Málek’s in 2026-27.

11. Matyas Melovksy, F (AHL)

After breaking out and dominating the QMJHL in 2024-25 (83 points in 57 games), Melovksy made his professional debut in 2025-26 with Utica. Across 55 total games he posted 10 goals, 16 assists, and 26 points. The 22-year-old should see a jump in production in his second full season with the Comets as he ended 2025-26 with 13 points over his last 16 games and points in each of his last seven.

A potential sixth-round (2024) gem.

12. Lavr Gashilov, F (MHL)

Lavr Gashilov is the fourth player from the Devils’ 2026 draft class to be ranked in the top-12 of this list. The 5-foot-11 center was selected in the fourth round after dominating the Russian junior league (69 points in 51 games). He started in the MHL again this year (seven points in four games), but time in the KHL at some point appears likely for the 18-year-old.

Gashilov is a dynamic offensive presence who has question marks about his size and 200-foot game. However, this appears to be more strong value later in the draft.

13. Ben Steeves, F (AHL)

The Devils brought in Ben Steeves via a piece of the Jacob Markström trade in the offseason. Steeves, 24, is only listed at 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds but posted 100 penalty minutes to go along with a career-best 45 points across 72 AHL games for Charlotte last year. The undrafted free agent out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth should provide a huge boost to a Utica team who is looking to return back to the playoffs.

14. Conrad Fondrk, F (NCAA)

Conrad Fondrk is one of three American-born forwards, who play college hockey, that the Devils drafted in 2025. He was also the team’s first pick in that draft (50th overall). The 6-foot-0 center has strong offensive skills but struggled in his first NCAA season in 2025-26, posting only eight points across 25 games for Boston University. Hopefully, the 19-year-old has a much better second season with the Terriers.

15. Shane Lachance, F (AHL)

The Devils acquired Shane Lachance from the Edmonton Oilers in March of 2025 for helping facilitate a deal between the Boston Bruins and Edmonton. Lachance had a strong final season with Boston University (30 points in 40 games) as the team’s captain and national champion runner-up. The 6-foot-5, 23-year-old had a chance to make he team out of camp in 2025-26, but instead spent the duration of the season with Utica where he struggled a bit, posting 25 points in 62 games.

Lachance, 23 years old, was a sixth-round pick in 2021 and is entering his second full season of AHL hockey.

16. Mason Moe, F (NCAA)

Another one of the triplet of American forwards the Devils drafted in 2025, Mason Moe arguably performed the best in 2025-26 of the group. The 6-foot-2 center had 12 points in 33 games for the University of Minnesota. One would expect those outputs to increase as the 19-year-old former third-round pick enters his second college season.

17. Benjamin Kevan, F (NCAA)

The third of the aforementioned trio of Americans taken by the Devils in the 2025 draft was Benjamin Kevan. Kevan, selected 63rd overall, only had 10 points in 34 games for Arizona State University last season. Kevan is described as a dynamic skater at 6-foot-1. Like Fondrk and Moe, the 6-foot-1 winger will hopefully take a big step forward in his second full collegiate season.

18. Topias Vilén, D (AHL)

Topias Vilén, 23, made his NHL debut in 2025-26 skating in two games. He also played in 61 for Utica (27 points). The former fifth-round pick is now a veteran of 173 AHL games. The ceiling for him is likely a seventh defenseman with potential bottom-pair upside.

19. Gustav Hillström, F (SHL)

Gustav Hillström got out to a red-hot start in 2025-26 at the under-20 junior level in Sweden. The scoring slowed a tad and he ended with 31 points in 25 games. As a result of the hot start, the 19-year-old center got a 27-game run at the SHL level but was held scoreless in extremely limited ice time.

Hillström, 6-foot-2, should spend a majority of the 2026-27 season in the SHL. He appears to not be bad value early on for a fourth-round pick (2025).

20. Ethan Edwards, D (AHL)

Former Michigan Wolverine, and teammate of Seamus Casey, played his first full professional season with Utica in 2025-26. Ethan Edwards, 24, posted 23 points (10 goals) across 69 games. The former fourth-round pick back in 2020 will play an important roll with Utica in 2026-27.

21. Veeti Louhivaara, G (NCAA)

Veeti Louhivaara was quietly one of the top movers in the system from last year. The 20-year-old goaltender had a strong season in the USHL where he posted a 0.905 save percentage and 12-6-4 record across 22 appearances. He also appeared in 11 under-20 junior games in Finland posting a 0.917 save percentage.

As a result of his strong performances, Louhivaara is slated to play college hockey with the University of Connecticut in 2026-27. He was a fifth-round pick in 2024.

22. Chase Cheslock, D (NCAA)

A 2023 fifth-round pick, Chase Cheslock, is entering his fourth season of college hockey, all with the University of St. Thomas. The 6-foot-3 defenseman increased his point output from 14 to 24 over the same amount of games (38) in 2025-26. He was named the team’s defensive player of the year as well following the season and is valued highly in that end of the ice.

23. Cam Squires, F (AHL)

Cam Squires has bounced up and down the organizational prospect rankings the last couple seasons. The 21-year-old spent time between the AHL (47 games) and ECHL (eight games) in his first full professional season last year. Across those 47 games for Utica he had 16 points. Squires, who posted 147 points over his final 124 QMJHL games, has an important 2026-27 coming up with Utica.

24. Cole Brown, F (NCAA)

Based off purely scoring, of all the Devils’ NCAA prospects in 2025-26, Cole Brown led the way with 21 points in 35 games for the University of Notre Dame. It was Brown’s first collegiate season after seeing his OHL output increase from 39 in 65 games in 2023-24 to 70 points in 67 games in 2024-25. For whatever it is worth, Brown, 6-foot-3, was second in college hockey in penalty minutes in 2025-26 (94).

25. Quinn McKenzie, F (OHL)

Quinn McKenzie was the Devils’ last pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. McKenzie, 18, is listed at a mere 5-foot-8 and 176 pounds. Despite this, he was decently productive across 65 games at the OHL level last season, posting 51 points (21 goals).

The extremely skillful forward is a very intriguing flyer to take that late in a draft. A big second season in the OHL for Soo in 2026-27 would not be the least bit surprising.

26. David Rozsíval, F (NCAA)

David Rozsíval, 19, was drafted by the Devils in the sixth-round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. He scored 23 goals across 57 games for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL this past season. Rozsíval is slated to play college hockey at the University of St. Thomas in 2026-27 joining the aforementioned Cheslock.

27. Daniil Rusakovich, G (MHL)

The first goaltender drafted by general manager Sunny Mehta was Daniil Rusakovich in the fifth round. Rusakovich posted a 0.913 save percentage in 20 Russian junior league games in 2025-26. That figure is impressive on the surface, however, the MHL is a very defensive league so that save percentage actually ranked 56th among 102 players.

Rusakovich, listed at 6-foot-4, is back in the MHL this year and has been more impressive across five games, posting a 0.934 save percentage across a perfect 5-0 start.

28. Mikaël Diotte, D (AHL)

The organization signed defenseman Mikaël Diotte as an undrafted free agent prior to the 2024-25 season. With Drummondville of the QMJHL the year before signing with the Devils’ organization, he posted a plus-55 rating and 42 points across 59 games and was named the league’s top defensive defenseman. After only skating in eight games in 2024-25, Diotte played in 53 AHL games for Utica in 2025-26.

29. Daniil Karpovich, D (VHL)

The Devils spent a 2021 sixth-round pick on 6-foot-4 defenseman Daniil Karpovich. Karpovich spent 2025-26 between the top professional league (KHL) and top minor league (VHL) in Russia. Karpovich has skated in four VHL games to begin this year. One would expect the 21-year-old to get some KHL time this season again at some point.

30. Kasper Pikkarainen, F (Liiga)

Kasper Pikkarainen played a full season in 2025-26 after missing nearly all of the 2024-25 season. Last year, he posted six points across 45 Liiga (top Finnish professional league) games playing only 11:12 of ice time per night. He is in the Liiga once again this year.

Given the throwaway 2024-25 season, it is hard to evaluate where exactly the 20-year-old former third-round pick is in his development. This season is an important one to say the least.

31. Étienne Morin, D (ECHL)

Along with picks, the Devils received prospect defenseman Étienne Morin in their deal with Calgary that sent Simon Nemec to the Flames. Morin, 21, was a second-round pick in 2023. He played in 42 AHL games and seven ECHL games in 2025-26. Morin had 58 points in 62 games his final junior season with Moncton in 2024-25.

The 6-foot-1 defenseman is likely to split time between Adirondack (ECHL) and Utica for the Devils this season.

32. Jeremy Hanzel, D (ECHL)

Jeremy Hanzel, 23, had a breakout 2025-26 campaign with the Adirondack Thunder in the ECHL. Hanzel posted 49 points in 72 games, ranking eighth among league defenseman in scoring. The 6-foot-1 defenseman was acquired by the Devils in the Erik Haula trade with Nashville.

It was a strong organizational debut season for him to say the least and as a result a run with Utica at some point in 2026-27 would not be surprising.

33. Charlie Leddy, D (AHL)

Charlie Leddy signed an AHL deal with Utica this offseason. The 6-foot-2 defenseman was a fourth-round pick in 2022. Now 22 years old, he played four total seasons of college hockey: two with Boston College and two with Quinnipiac University. In all, he has skated in 140 NCAA games totaling 33 points.

34. Josh Filmon, F (AHL)

After a massive 2022-23 season with Swift Current in the WHL (47 goals, 75 points in 64 games), it appeared that the Devils may have found their next steal by selecting Josh Filmon in the sixth round. However, the development hasn’t quite been there as Filmon has spent 76 games in the ECHL over the past two seasons. Across these games, he has 39 points. The 6-foot-3 winger did get a 31-game run in the AHL for Utica last year, posting six points.

35. Luke Wilfley, F (WHL)

Luke Wilfley is the final 2026 draftee on this list. The 18-year-old was taken by the team in the sixth round. He only had 15 points in 66 games in 2025-26 in the WHL. The power forward is once again playing for Portland of the WHL this season before being slated to join Arizona State University in 2027-28.

36. Trenten Bennett, G (OHL)

The Devils’ yearly goaltender pick was Trenten Bennett in the fourth round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. Bennett went 9-10-2 across 27 appearances for Owen Sound of the OHL last year posting a 0.896 save percentage. The massive 6-foot-8 goalie is with Flint of the OHL this year and is slated to joint St. Lawrence University in 2027-28.

37. Artyom Barabosha, D (VHL)

The Devils took Russian defenseman Artyom Barabosha in the seventh-round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Barabosha, 22, is still in the Russian minor leagues. In 2025-26, he played in 52 VHL games and contributed four points. He has only skated in 35 career KHL games.

38. Sigge Hollmgren, D (U20 Nationell)

There was not a lot known about the Devils’ 2025 sixth-round pick Sigge Holmgren at the time of the selection. Holmgren did not play in the 2024-25 season, but returned to action last year posting seven points in 34 Swedish under-20 junior league games. He is at that same level this year where he is closing on his point total for 2025-26 in a quarter of the games.

Notable Ineligibles: F Arseny Gritsyuk, F Marc McLaughlin, F Nikita Popugayev, F Colin White, D Vladislav Kolyachonok, G Nico Daws