The New Jersey Devils are only a season removed from having arguably the best system in the National Hockey League. However, with the recent graduates of Alexander Holtz, Luke Hughes, Simon Nemec, Akira Schmid, and Nico Daws, the system has become a lot more barren rightfully spiraling down league rankings. Despite this, there are still some intriguing names lining the bowels of the system.
Note, below are all prospects within the system aged 23 or younger with less than 25 games played at the NHL level.
Top-25 Rankings
- Arseni Gritsyuk
The 22-year-old former fifth-round pick by the Devils in 2019 has excelled at an extremely young age in arguably the second-best professional hockey league in the world (KHL). He has been on an extreme-heater recently, tallying 16 points (10 goals) over his last 10 games. He now has his point total up to 34 (18 goals) on the season in only 39 games. According to Dobber Prospects “NHLe Calculator” Gritsyuk would be on a 57-point pace in the NHL. Unbelievable stuff for a 22 year old in the KHL.
Note, he has one more year left on his contract in the KHL after 2023.
- Seamus Casey
The Devils’ 2022 second-round pick is projecting as a terrific offensive defenseman based off his results so far in college (NCAA). After 29 points in 37 games during the 2022 season, he has a staggering 33 across only 24 games so far this season for the University of Michigan. This point total is tied for the most in the NCAA among defenseman. Not to mention, Casey was a point-per-game player for the Gold Medal winning Team USA at the World Junior Championships.
- Lenni Hämeenaho
The 19-year-old Finnish winger was the first player selected by the Devils during the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Extremely early returns are very strong, as Hämeenaho is doing great things in the Liiga (top professional league in Finland). He has 11 goals for Ässät so far this season, a figure that is tied for the team lead as only a 19-year-old. His 50.23 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) this season also shows that while he is on the ice, his team is generating more than the opposition.
- Graeme Clarke
Graeme Clarke finally got to make his NHL debut this season at 22 years old. However, he only played one game before being sent back down. His 31 points in 37 games for Utica (AHL) this season is comfortably the best output for the Comets and he leads the team in goals (16, on pace for over 30 by season’s end) by a large margin. Clarke is extremely close to being NHL ready.
- Josh Filmon
The 2022 sixth-round pick by the Devils had a sparkling 2022-23 in the WHL with the Swift Current Broncos. He totaled 47 goals, the fifth-most in the WHL, a league that profiles as the strongest of the three Canadien junior leagues when it comes to defense. So far this season, he has 46 points in 42 games, a point-pace slightly below where he was last season.
- Jakub Málek
By far the highest riser on this list, Málek is a player, at a vital position, Devils fans need to familiarize themselves with. The 2021 fourth-round pick has been lights out this season in the Liiga. He has a 12-3-4 record and a starling .915 save percentage across 22 games for Ilves. This a year after terrific numbers in the Finnish minor league and decent numbers as a 20-year-old during his first taste in the Liiga.
- Nolan Foote
After suffering an undisclosed injury with the Devils in preseason, the 23-year-old Nolan Foote has unfortunately yet to appear in a game at any level this season. The former first-round pick was traded from Tampa Bay in the Blake Coleman deal and has posted so-so numbers in the Devils’ system since coming over.
- Daniil Misyul
The 23-year-old from Belarus played 184 games in the KHL before making the jump over to North America this season. Though 30 games for Utica (AHL) in 2023, Misyul has 11 points and 33 penalty minutes. A physical, but surprisingly strong-skating defenseman.
- Topias Vilén
Vilén was a fifth-round pick by the Devils back in 2021 and has excelled wherever he played since then. The 20-year-old left-handed defenseman posted 17 points in 41 Liiga games during the 2022-23 season, with nine points across 18 playoff games. This season, he has 10 points in six ECHL games and leads Utica (AHL) defenseman with a game score per game of 0.44 according to AHL Tracker. A very underrated prospects in the Devils’ system.
- Cam Squires
Is this another middle-round steal for the Devils? Selected in the fourth round of this past season’s draft, the 18-year-old Squires has put up strong scoring numbers in the QMJHL. Squires currently is scoring at a point-per-game pace, with 47 in 45 games. A slight improvement from where he was last season.
- Santeri Hatakka
The 23-year-old was a sixth-round pick of the San Jose Sharks back in 2019. Santeri Hatakka already has 77 games of AHL experience under his belt and has seen extended NHL time given all the injuries the Devils have suffered. Extremely early returns have been mixed for the defenseman that came over in the Timo Meier trade.
- Daniil Orlov
The 2022 fourth-round pick is enduring his first real full KHL season. The 20-year-old projects as a defensive defenseman but has put up some decent point totals in the MHL (junior Russian league). This includes six points in four games before a call-up this season and a four-point playoff stint last season.
- Chase Stillman
Unsurprisingly, the head-scratching decision that was selecting Chase Stillman in the first round back in 2021 still appears to be just that. Stillman finished his last season in the OHL with only 48 points in 59 games. This season, for Utica (AHL), he has 11 points in 32 games.
- Ethan Edwards
Edwards had a very strong season in 2022-23 with the University of Michigan, posting 14 points in 37 games. The smooth-skating undersized defenseman excels in transition but has missed a large chunk of the season this year due to injury. Luckily, he just returned a few nights ago and ended up tallying an empty-net goal.
- Xavier Parent
Another underrated and unknown prospect in the Devils’ system. Parent, an undrafted free agent, has scored wherever he has gone throughout his young career. He had a historic 2021-22 with the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the QMJHL where he posted 106 points (51 goals) in only 65 games following it up with 22 points in 11 playoff games. He was then a point-per-game player the following year in the ECHL and has the second most points as a 22-year-old for Utica this season.
Note, Parent is on an AHL contract.
- Samu Salminen
At one time, it appeared the 2021 third-round pick was going to be a steal. However, the now 20-year-old has struggled a bit since posting 44 points in only 40 games in an under-20 Liiga league. After putting up 17 points in 27 college hockey games in 2022-23, he has only 10 points in 25 games this season.
- Artem Schlaine
Now 21 years old, the former fifth-round pick is having the best season of his collegiate career. Schlaine has 18 points in 22 games for Northern Michigan University. He had 32 points in 38 games last season. Another underrated prospect within the system.
- Daniil Karpovich
The 19-year-old, left-handed defenseman was selected in the sixth-round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Karpovich had a terrific 2022-23 season where he was an assistant captain for his MHL (junior Russian league) team and posted 35 points across 47 games. Through 40 games in the top professional league in Belarus this season, he has 10 points and is a plus-17. Interestingly enough, when selected 186th overall in 2023 TopDownHockey was extremely high on the selection.
- Charlie Leddy
The 20-year-old Leddy was selected in the fourth-round pick in 2022. He currently plays at Boston College, one of the best programs in college hockey. He was also an invitee to the US Developmental showcase in 2023. The offensive output has not been there, but he certainly profiles more as a two-way defenseman.
- Isaac Poulter
The 22-year-old was an undrafted free agent who played his junior hockey in the WHL. His WHL production as a whole was not too great (.898 career save percentage) but had a terrific .911 save percentage across 49 games in his final season with Swift Current. Despite strong showings in the ECHL during the 2022-23 season (.910 save percentage across 22 games), his number with Utica were poor (.883 save percentage). However, he has a starling .913 save percentage through 19 games in Utica (AHL) this season. Maybe a late bloomer?
Note, Poulter is on an AHL contract.
- Petr Hauser
Hauser, a 2022 fifth-round pick, dominated minor and junior leagues in Czechia this year before being promoted to the top professional league. He had 11 points in only three junior games before seven points in nine minor league games. However, he only has seven points in 30 games in the top professional league.
- Chase Cheslock
Another collegiate athlete, the 19-year-old right-handed defenseman currently plays at the University of St. Thomas. The towering six-foot-three American was the captain of Omaha’s USHL team the last year-and-a-half before moving to the NCAA. The fifth-round pick in 2023 projects as another defensive defenseman given his size.
- Michael Vukojevic
The 22-year-old was a third-round pick in 2019 but has yet to show any real NHL-level flashes across his 143 AHL games. He profiles much more as a defensive defenseman as his point outputs since becoming a professional indicates.
- Tyler Brennan
Another goaltending prospect, Tyler Brennan was just selected by the Devils in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The large six-foot-four Brennan put up subpar numbers in the WHL, specifically a .898 save percentage, before being drafted. He has played seven games in the ECHL this season and owns an .899 save percentage.
- Zakhar Bardakov
Bardakov, a seventh-round selection in 2021, has played in Russia for the duration of his junior career. After a decent age-21 season in the KHL, his production has declined this year. Interesting, he has a staggering 70 penalty minutes in only 40 games this year. The tough-guy forward already has 145 career KHL games under his belt.
Missed the Cut
Below are the players who are outside the above top 25:
- Jaromir Pytlik, F
- Cole Brown, F
- Viktor Hurtig, D
- Artyom Barabosha, F
- Cole Brady, G
Analysis
Brown, a sixth-round pick in last year’s draft, has seen his offensive output take a step back in the OHL as he only has 22 points in 42 games played. Meanwhile, forward Artyom Barabosha (2022 seventh-round pick) is in the KHL with minimal output.
Defenseman Viktor Hurtig (2021 sixth-round pick) and goaltender Cole Brady (2019 fifth-round pick) both are playing college hockey with Michigan State and Massachusetts, respectively. Lastly, Jaromir Pytlik (2020 fourth-round pick) has seen his development stunted since 2020-22 with only 11 points in 35 Czechia games this season.