Kevin Bahl – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – CALGARY FLAMES – Team Preview/Player Preview/Predictions

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 20:41:59 +0000

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - APRIL 01: Calgary Flames left wing Jonathan Huberdeau (10) as seen during an NHL game between the Calgary Flames and The Utah Hockey Club on April 1, 2025 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, UT. (Photo by Aaron Baker/Icon Sportswire)

Although expectations weren’t very high heading into last season, things changed as the games wore on and confidence grew. Calgary finished the season with 96 points and missed out on the postseason only because the St. Louis Blues edged them out with the tiebreaker. The 15-point improvement was impressive, and the outstanding consistent play of rookie goalie Dustin Wolf (29-16-8, .910 save percentage in 53 games) helped spur them on. They were also good at doing a lot of little things right. They had the seventh best CorsiFor percentage at five-on-five in the league (51.7) and yet didn’t have anyone on the team reach 70 points and just one 30 goal scorer (Nazem Kadri with 35). It might seem like the Flames succeeded with a lot of smoke and mirrors, and surely 14 overtime/shootout losses helped points-wise as did their 19-2-14 record in one-goal games, but the collective “click” that happened within the group is something for them to build on. With a solid puck possession foundation and a good, young goalie, anything can happen.

What’s Changed?

The offseason was virtually silent. Calgary had no coaching changes, no major trades nor signings, and did everything to retain their own players. Defenceman Kevin Bahl signed a six-year, $32.1 million extension and forward Matt Coronato inked a seven-year, $45.5 million extension in May. They lost backup goalie Dan Vladar to Philadelphia and signed Ivan Prosvetov, formerly of the Arizona Coyotes, out of the KHL. Anthony Mantha signed with Pittsburgh as well.

What Would Success Look Like?

If the Flames can recreate what they accomplished last season but come out on the right side of the tiebreaker, they’ll take it. You could argue they hit above their weight in the standings a year ago, but teams generally don’t always trip and fall into a near 100-point season. There are areas of growth to be had and big decisions to be made. Impending UFA Rasmus Andersson will be a big target at the trade deadline whether Calgary is in the playoff race or not and what they can pull from another team in a trade will be important to their short- and-long-term future. That said, with prospect Zayne Parekh on the near horizon, he’s enough reason to feel good about the future. If Connor Zary can take a big step forward and guys like Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee can get their games back in full, a playoff appearance isn’t an unreasonable expectation.

What Could Go Wrong?

The razor’s edge the Flames had success living on last season could work against them this time around. Getting games to overtime worked very well for them to at least get one point but if Kadri is unable to score prolifically again and Jonathan Huberdeau goes cold and aren’t able to provide the proper guiding hand for the rest of the forward group, that would force Wolf and Prosvetov to be near perfect too often to be reasonable to keep playoff hopes alive. If Andersson’s situation becomes a distraction, that could be the sort of thing that sends a team into a rut that’s hard to escape from until a move is made. Although they have to deal with Vegas, Edmonton and Los Angeles within the division, if Vancouver, Seattle, Anaheim and San Jose make their own progress, it would make things much more difficult.

Top Breakout Candidate

We’ve seen extended glimpses of how good Zary can be over his first two seasons. Injuries wreaked havoc on him in each of those seasons, but he scored 27 goals with 34 assists (61 points) in 117 games, and he’ll continue to get a long look in the Flames’ top six. If he’s able to steer clear of injuries and lean on Kadri and Huberdeau to help generate chances, he’ll be able to cash in much more often with his own speed and skill.

FORWARDS

Nazem Kadri

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	29	31	60	0.73

Kadri is the closest thing the Flames have to a star, and if he produces like he did the last two seasons you could do worse. He’s coming off a career high in goals and is Calgary’s go-to guy for all things concerning offence. Since joining the Flames, he has been among the league leaders in controlled zone entries, as he always wants the puck on his stick and embraces the role as the undisputed 1C. The play almost always goes through him and he’s still got the speed to be a threat on the rush. The drawback with Kadri’s offensive game is that he will sometimes sacrifice some quality for quantity, not looking to pass when someone is open or taking a lot of quick shots without any puck movement or deception. Last season, his shoot-heavy style paid off with 35 goals and forming some much-needed chemistry with Jonathan Huberdeau at even strength. Kadri’s best seasons have always come when he wasn’t his team’s top center and that isn’t the case in Calgary right now. He produces enough to make you happy, but there is always something missing that keeps him from being considered a true 1c. He is good enough at most things to play at that spot, but you always wish his shooting, playmaking and defensive play were about 10% better if he’s going to be one of your best players.

Jonathan Huberdeau

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	24	40	64	0.80

With the cap rising and Calgary going through a retool, using Huberdeau is becoming less about justifying his $10.5 mil. salary and more about getting him producing like a first liner again. While he’s an elite playmaker, Huberdeau was never the easiest guy to plug-and-play into a lineup. He plays at a slower pace and is always two or three steps ahead of the play, which can be a game-breaker but also a detriment if his linemates aren’t on the same page as him. It was the latter for his first two years in Calgary, but last year was a major step to getting him back on the right track. He began to play as more of a complementary piece rather than someone who needs the puck to go through him, going to the net to jump on rebounds and cheating a little bit in the defensive zone to get breakaway opportunities. Also posing as more of a shooting threat from the left circle on the power play, which caught some teams off-guard early on. Huberdeau’s always been a high-percentage shooter, but he was so one-dimensional in how he played that it didn’t yield many goals. His newfound willingness to shoot along with how selective he is in how he gets his shots helped Huberdeau have his best season with the Flames so far. Even without it, there is some increased trust in Huberdeau as a key piece of the roster, as he was added to the penalty kill along with playing top line minutes at even strength for the entire year.

Joel Farabee

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	12	16	28	0.36

Just a year ago, Farabee looked like a reliable second- or third-line option as a speedy winger who could pitch in with some offence. He was one of the Flyers consistent bright spots in what’s been a dismal stretch of hockey for the franchise. Unfortunately, last year was one to forget for him. There wasn’t much that changed as far as his process went. He still was one of the better players on the team at carrying the puck into the zone and did an excellent job of getting chances off the rush. Farabee just couldn’t find the back of the net to save his life, and it wasn’t from a lack of trying as he was second on the team in dividual scoring chances at five-on-five. It’s something most expected to get better and it never did, not even stints on the top line with Konecny and Couturier could solve it. He was ultimately traded to Calgary and things didn’t get better. They started him on the Kadri line but he was shifted all over the lineup with stints on a checking unit with Mikael Backlund before ultimately finishing the season on the fourth line. Farabee isn’t far removed from a 50-point season, so there is hope that he can turn the corner with some better shooting luck next year. How much of a leash Calgary gives him in the top six will likely decide how he does. He’s paid more than some of their options, so they will try to get him going and his quick-strike ability off the rush gives him an element some of their other wingers don’t have.

Mikael Backlund

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	14	24	38	0.46

Now one of the longest tenured players in the league, Backlund has been the Flames bedrock through numerous coaches and roster reconstructions. He is the ideal iteration of the modern shutdown center, as he excels at flipping possession on his own through strong zone exits, setting the table for the next line to play their shift in the offensive zone. He brings this same level of aggression on the penalty kill as well, he is routinely one of the league leaders in shorthanded shots and zone entries, combine that with how reliable he is on faceoffs, and it’s hard to ask for much more from your shutdown center. Finding a replacement will be incredibly difficult for the Flames and they are seeing some of these problems now. Backlund is now 36 years old and still plays high-end second line minutes and scores like a third liner now. He’s capable offensively, but his game is very simple and straight-forward, which can work on the third line but less so when you’re playing 18 minutes a night in addition to being on the power play. Calgary just doesn’t have any better options and Backlund’s game is likely going to stay where its at or decline as he gets closer to 40. These are problems for further down the road, as Backlund currently plays an important role as a steady presence and easing some of Calgary’s younger forwards into the NHL.

Morgan Frost

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	15	25	40	0.49

Frost had an interesting start to his Flames career with nine of his 12 points coming on the power play and when you look at the clips of the goals, only or two came off a direct play from him. This isn’t to say he didn’t earn those points, because he did a lot to set the table for those goals by either getting the puck into the zone cleanly or moving it from high to low as the quarterback from the left side. Frost brings a lot of raw skill to the table and it’s not always easy to point out because so much of what he does involves things like that, building the play up rather than making the highlight reel pass or goal. He did score a couple nice goals off the rush and has excellent hands, but you don’t see a lot of dazzling or high impact plays from him. It’s tough for a player to carve out a role like this because he’s probably not going to be a point-producer and it’s easier to stick on the third line if you’re a more physical player or a defensive specialist, something Frost isn’t. Frost does fill the type of niche that could work in Calgary, though. With Backlund soaking up the defensive minutes, there is room for more a scoring-focused third line that Frost could slide into. The problem is Frost excels at setting the table for higher skilled linemates who can take advantage of the open space, something that you don’t always get on the third line. He did enough last year to warrant more of a look and the door is open for him to step into some kind of scoring role, even if it’s only on the second power play unit.

Matt Coronato

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	28	27	55	0.69

You don’t have to watch Coronato for long to figure out what his game is all about. He is all offence all the time, always skating downhill and usually leaned over in a shooting posture. It’s easy for a smaller forward like him to get lost in the shuffle, but he found a lot of creative ways to make time and space for himself to get his shot off. Coronato had a knack for corralling inaccurate passes or getting his own rebound off a block to score on a turnaround shot. He did a marvelous job of creating chances you don’t typically see a lot of in the NHL with how he would pull away from the net to create more of a swooping wrist shot that caught more than a few goaltenders off-guard. It was impressive enough for the Flames to re-sign him for seven years, making him part of their core for the long haul. Coronato excelled when the play was moving downhill, creating most of his offence off the rush with a good majority of them coming off turnovers in the neutral zone. This speaks highly of his ability as a game-breaker but also shows where he can improve, as his linemates had to do most of the work with the puck for him in the other two zones. From the blue line in, he was dynamite, developing a more all-around game offensively is the next step.

Blake Coleman

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	14	24	38	0.46

Coleman repeating his 30-goal season was a longshot and the Flames probably knew that going into last season. His returning to being a 15 goal/39 point guy wasn’t a huge blow as some other wingers in Calgary picked up the slack and Coleman brings so much more to the table. He’s one of the least appreciated two-way wingers in the league, which feels silly to say about a two-time Cup winner but even then you never heard his name thrown around for the Selke despite him checking most of the boxes for the award. Like Backlund, he is one of the most trusted forwards on the team, excellent at flipping possession through good zone exits and he does very well with playing the keep-away game in the offensive zone. He can also strike on the rush when the opportunity is there, as he’s deceptively good with the puck when playing with speed. He keeps the Flames at a decent base level with his solid defensive play, especially on the penalty kill, and it’s why he usually plays top six minutes even though he has more of a third line skillset. Coleman pushed to the third line would be good news for Calgary because he is more properly slotted there and they do need more proven scorers. He is also reaching the end of his contract, so he’s an interesting trade piece if Calgary opts to go that route.

Yegor Sharangovich

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	19	15	34	0.43

Sharangovich’s second year in Calgary was tough out of the gate, missing almost all of October after suffering an injury in the final preseason game. He struggled to follow up his 30-goal season as he went through prolonged cold spells and was even healthy scratched for a couple games late in the year. Goal-scorers like him aren’t immune to struggles but the problem was he wasn’t even creating chances, seeing his shot rate dip from 9.03 shots per 60 minutes to 6.39, the lowest rate of his career. Sharangovich is usually more of a high quality/low quantity shooter, but he was struggling to even get the high danger scoring chances this past season, going from 4.40 chances per 60 minutes to 2.67. What’s even more alarming is that both his shot and chance production have been steadily declining since arriving in Calgary and he’s only one year into a five-year contract. It’s uncertain how much injuries affected him, but it would explain a lot of what went wrong. He’s someone who plays more off the puck, focusing more on getting open and letting the higher-skilled linemates find him, but he has enough skill to make the build-up plays to help connect the dots with his linemates. This past year, he was much less involved overall, and Calgary is hoping a clean bill of health will get Sharangovich back on track.

Connor Zary

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	16	23	39	0.54

One could argue that Zary has shown the most potential out of the Flames young corps. He already has an impressive collection of highlight reel goals and isn’t shy about trying to stick-handle through defenders. His all-around play has also come around nicely as Calgary is usually on the right side of the scoring chance battle when he’s on the ice. He’s also been able to mold his game to fit what his linemates need, acting as more of a playmaker alongside Kadri and Pospisal and playing more of a direct, shoot-first game with a revolving door of linemates this past season. Zary is still figuring out his game at the NHL level, so the instability with linemates didn’t do him any favors. He didn’t have a lot of help with guys setting him up, so he had to be a one-man show for most of his offence. While impressive, it’s not the most sustainable way to stick in the NHL unless you’re a superstar. Zary showed he could be a good playmaker in his rookie season but didn’t have anyone to setup this year, so it was on him to carry the production on his lines. He also suffered two knee injuries in the second half of the year, which derailed most of his momentum. The good news from the off-season was that he won’t require surgery and should be ready for training camp, so this year is another fresh start for the young winger to take things to the next level.

DEFENCE

Mackenzie Weegar

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	9	41	50	0.61

An interesting way to look at Weegar is asking what it will take for him to represent Team Canada at the Olympics instead of only the World Championships, because he checks most of the boxes to be on their roster. As a right-handed defenceman who skates well, he’s already a wanted commodity and he has an underrated dynamic offensive skillset. Great at walking the blue-line, anticipating where the puck is going and getting shots through, Weegar fits the mold of the modern NHL defenceman to a T. Complementary to the forwards while having the mobility to cover for his mistakes when they happen. His 20-goal season in 2024 was likely a result of him carrying the burden of the offence and some of that was lessened this past year, taking fewer shots and being less involved in general from that scope. He made up for it by carrying the defence on his back, playing mostly with guys looking to break into the top four and making their jobs easier. Weegar is one of the most heavily taxed defencemen in the league with how many pucks he has to retrieve and he is one of the best at turning them into clean exits, a master at bumping the puck to himself off the wall to create a lane for himself or subtly poking the puck away from a forward to start an exit. He is great at attacking from angles, recovering on plays where he’s beat wide and patrols the front of the net well despite being a smaller defender. He is still the Flames “do it all” player for the foreseeable future.

Rasmus Andersson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	8	26	34	0.45

Along with Weegar, Andersson is one of the Flames rocks on the blue line. He’s a slower skater but covers more ground with his long stride and uses his upper body well to pick up speed when he needs to. He spent most of last season alongside a more aggressive-minded defenceman in Kevin Bahl, so Andersson had to be more selective with jumping into the play, as he doesn’t have the footspeed to recover if he gets caught. He was effective when he got to join the offence, posting another double-digit goal season. His defensive play was somewhat of a mixed bag, as he played somewhat of a passive role there. Andersson uses his frame well to square up on puck-carriers entering the zone, but once the puck got into the zone is where his skills were limited. Wanting Bahl to play physical, Andersson spent most of his time patrolling the front of the net and had to deal with a lot of forecheck pressure if he got a chance to move the puck. It was normal for him to have periods or entire games where the only time he got to touch the puck was to move it along the wall. Sometimes it paid off, as he did well as the late guy coming on counter-attack chances, but those only happen so often and most of Andersson’s ice time was spent trying to put out fires in his own zone. He still had a solid offensive season despite this, but the heavy workload and responsibility appeared to be too much for Andersson to handle at times and it will be interesting to see how teams value him when he hits the free agent market next year.

Jake Bean

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
74	4	10	14	0.19

Calgary seemed like a good landing spot for the former first round pick, a high-end offensive defenceman in WHL and AHL. There was an open top four spot that he could feasibly jump into and he filled a void on a team looking for a puck-mover. The offence still hasn’t come around for him, but there is a spot for a puck-mover with some size on any NHL roster and Bean was still somewhat of an unknown commodity after an injury-riddled stint in Columbus. His first year with the Flames was spent primarily on the third pair with some penalty kill duty mixed in. With power play time being hard to come by with Weegar and Andersson ahead of him on the depth chart, Bean had to toe the line between playing safe to stay in the lineup or showing the aggressive offensive side of his game. He is the type that wants to look for the extra pass or make a 50-foot breakout to spring a breakaway if nothing is open. Those risks don’t come back to haunt if you’re playing sheltered minutes as he did, but they did when he got a brief audition on Weegar’s partner late in the season. Thus, Bean had to play a safe game most of the time, and he had a modest season with okay numbers.

Kevin Bahl

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	4	21	25	0.30

Making the jump to a full-time top four defenceman made Kevin Bahl a very rich man this summer. His five year, $32.1 million contract was somewhat of a shock to the hockey world because points are usually what gets you paid and Bahl set a career high with only 20. It was also only his second full year in the league, but he showed a lot of value as a defensive presence. He also fits the trend the league is going in as a massive, physical defenceman who isn’t a butcher with the puck. Will he make a lot highlight reel plays? Probably not, but he can make the 10-15 foot passes to kickstart the breakout or help you re-enter the zone. There are pros and cons to how aggressive he plays because while he can kill a lot of cycles, shiftier forwards know how to get around him and there is a feast-or-famine element to his game because of that. This is especially true with how he defends his blue line, always looking to square up on the puck-carrier or go for the big hit. When it works, it’s great, when it doesn’t, it’s a fire drill. The bigger, physical defensemen started to get phased out of the league a few years ago, but the newer breed of players like Bahl offer more versatility to their games rather than being out there to deliver hits and block shots. Not a lot of defencemen of Bahl’s stature or point production get the minutes or the contract he did, so it will be interesting to see which similar players emerge.

Goal

Dustin Wolf

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
57	25	22	6	3	.906	2.80

The Calgary Flames just barely missed the postseason last year, but it certainly wasn't for lack of a star-powered goaltender. So, it appears they entered the off-season with the logic that things shouldn't be fixed unless they're broken - and while they did make a slight change with their backup options in net, they've officially given up-and-comer Dustin Wolf their vote of confidence as the team's clear-cut number one. They'll enter the 2025-26 season with one of the most economically friendly goaltending tandems in the entire NHL, offering Wolf as their starter still on his first post-entry level deal for just $850,000, and then recent North American returnee Ivan Prosvetov for only $100,000 more than Wolf.

Like Dan Vladar before him, Prosvetov will serve as a fun foil for Wolf in net; he's as lanky and fluid with his movement as Wolf is short, compact, and precise. After a tough go with Colorado during the 2023-24 season, though, Prosvetov made an interesting move; instead of continuing to attempt fighting it out in an NHL depth chart to prove himself, the Russian-born former Coyotes prospect opted to sign a one-year deal in the KHL and head back home. His numbers with CSKA Moscow suggest it was the right move; he put up one of his best seasons since coming to North America as a teen, and his play looked like he regained his confidence and rhythm enough to make this a clever educated gamble for Calgary. As a bonus, if he doesn't work out, they have an eager Devin Cooley waiting in the wings - and with Wolf's inevitable contract extension coming up, they aren't going to be strapped to pay their star what he wants. Now, it's just a matter of seeing just how good he can be this year - and if Calgary can finally return to the postseason.

MCKEEN’S 2024-25 NHL YEARBOOK – CALGARY FLAMES – Team Preview

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 20:00:44 +0000

_{ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 28: Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri (91) as seen during an NHL game between the Calgary Flames and the St. Louis Blues, on March 28, 2024, at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire)}

After failing to make the playoffs in 2022-23, the Flames changed coaches, but it didn’t reverse their fortunes. Calgary had a 38-39-5 record last season, and ultimately resigned to its fate by trading away veteran defencemen Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov as well as two-way center Elias Lindholm, primarily in exchange for a collection of picks, though the Flames did also pick up Andrei Kuzmenko in the Lindholm deal, which worked out nicely for Calgary with 14 goals and 25 points across 29 contests post-trade. The Flames also got a great campaign out of Nazem Kadri (29 goals, 75 points) while Yegor Sharangovich and Blake Coleman each hit the 30-goal mark for the first time in their careers, but Calgary’s offence was still mediocre due in no small part to lackluster production out of Jonathan Huberdeau (12 goals, 52 points), and those scoring woes were compounded by a leaky season from goaltender Jacob Markstrom (2.78 GAA, .905 save percentage).

WHAT’S CHANGED? Calgary continued to shed veterans during the summer, trading Markstrom to New Jersey in exchange for a 2025 first-round pick and 24-year-old defenceman Kevin Bahl, who might get a top-four role after Calgary dealt so many veteran blueliners during the 2023-24 campaign. The Flames also inked blueliner Jake Bean to a two-year contract after Columbus declined to present him with a qualifying offer and signed Anthony Mantha to a one-year deal to bolster the team’s secondary scoring.

WHAT WOULD SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? It would be shocking if the Flames make the playoffs, but stranger things have happened. Perhaps Dustin Wolf, who has struggled early in his NHL career but has looked great in the minors, might fill the void left by Markstrom. Maybe Kuzmenko’s first full campaign with the Flames will be a major success after he seemed to gel with the squad last year. Theoretically, Huberdeau might recapture some of his lost luster.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Those are big asks, though, and even if all that happened, it’s not clear that Calgary has the depth necessary to go far. Keep in mind, Coleman and Sharangovich had basically ideal campaigns last season, so some regression should be expected there, and there’s no guarantee that Kadri, who will turn 34 on Oct. 6, will put forth another 75-point campaign. Wolf is the real x-factor, but even if he performs admirably, will he be able to overcome the Flames’ defence after they traded away their top blueliners?

TOP BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: Calgary’s in that awkward phase where it’s not a contending team, but its roster is still comprised almost exclusively of veterans. Wolf is the most notable exception to that, and while he does have his work cut out for him, it should be interesting to see how he does. As touched on earlier, Wolf has excelled in the AHL. This will be a difficult campaign for him, but in the long run, the No. 214 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft might go down as a huge steal.

FORWARD

Nazem Kadri

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	26	42	68	0.83

A mid-season Elias Lindholm trade made Kadri “the guy” in Calgary, a position he hasn’t been in since pre-Auston Matthews years in Toronto. He was up to the task, as he had one of his best seasons from a point-production standpoint and he did while mostly playing with rookies instead of on Calgary’s top line. Kadri is a player you can count on to drive play regardless of where he is in the lineup, so he’s a nice luxury for the Flames to have while they’re in a transition period. He’s maybe one of the most underrated players in the league at leading the transition game, as he is usually among the league leaders in producing scoring chancers off zone entries. Finishing those chances is another story, because he takes a lot of shots from everywhere, but it has started to come around the last few seasons where he’s been above the 20-goal mark. His boxcar totals got a nice boost on the power play, where he was very good at getting tips from the slot and manipulating the penalty kill from the bumper position. The Flames don’t have a lot of insulation for him offensively this year, so he’s going to have to carry a heavy burden for the team offensively again. A slight step back might be expected as the team retools but a 25-goal, 40-point season should well be in reach.

Blake Coleman

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	24	20	44	0.54

Coleman had one of the more unnoticed 30-goal seasons in recent memory. His stats were a little inflated with six empty net goals, but it was still an impressive feat for someone who is primarily a checking line player. There was always more skill to Coleman’s game than that, as he has netted 20 before and he’s very quick to strike off the rush given the opportunity. That’s how he scored a majority of his goals last year, with a few of them coming shorthanded. He’s had wonderful chemistry with Mikael Backlund and the intensity he plays with gave that line some extra juice. Any production Calgary got out of them was secondary because they rarely lost any of their shifts. Whether it was flipping possession or generating chances, Coleman was as good of a utility player that you could ask for. With three years left on his contract and a lot of miles on his tires, it will be interesting to see how long the rugged winger can maintain this level of play. His shooting percentage jumped to 15.7 from a career average of 10.4 percent and should see a regression in goals. He remains a key contributor here and can hit 20 goals and 20 assists, closer to his career norms.

Jonathan Huberdeau

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	12	36	48	0.60

Huberdeau will be the victim of lofty expectations for the rest of his career. He was never going to be the 100+ point player the Flames traded for two years ago and living up to his $10.5 million AAV cap hit was going to be almost impossible. The hope was that his elite-level playmaking could add a boost to a Calgary lineup that has no shortage of play-drivers and shooters. Instead, they’ve gotten a good playmaker who is an awkward fit on almost every line, failing to develop any sort of long-term chemistry with anyone. It takes a certain level of rapport to blend with a more cerebral player like Huberdeau because he will usually look for the extra pass that a linemate might not be ready for. He had that for a stretch with Coleman and Backlund but ended up back in the line blender mid-season. Huberedau’s one-dimensional game puts a lot of the scoring burden on his linemates and that is something that has gotten worse since he arrived in Calgary. The high-level playmaking has also seen a dip in recent years, as he is still setting up chances at a decent rate, but not at the elite level he did with Florida. With Calgary’s lineup receiving another shake-up, a lot needs to go right for Huberdeau to get back to his old form, although at 31 years old this might be who he is now. While he saw a dip in his shooting percentage, his shot rate is still far too low for that to be a factor and expecting more than 15 – 20 goals would be a reach and with the current supporting cast he seems plateaued at 40 assists.

Mikael Backlund

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	13	27	40	0.49

Signing a two-year extension before last season even began, Backlund had another year where he was steady as ever. Holding the second/third line center spot down for the Flames with big penalty kill minutes thrown in on top of that. He plays the type of game where you’re happy with what you get from him even if he only puts up 20 points because he does so much outside of the scoresheet. At 35, he is still Calgary’s top defensive forward, always in the right spot to kill a play or find a route out of the zone to flip possession. Both him and Coleman were two of Calgary’s top forwards at generating controlled zone entries last year, doing so while starting most of their shifts in their own zone. The only downside is that his own offensive production is on the downward trend, which isn’t a big deal with the role he plays, but somewhat of a drag because they generated so much rush offence and Coleman was the only player who could score. This is something Calgary has to keep in mind when planning for the future. They know what they’re getting with Backlund, now it’s about planning for life after him as he enters the backend of his career.

Andrei Kuzmenko

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	30	29	59	0.74

A mid-season trade gave Kuzmenko a shot in the arm, scoring 14 goals in 25 games with the Flames after recording only seven with Vancouver. After being such a good goal-scorer in his first year, something didn’t click in his first season under Rick Tocchet, acting as more of a playmaker in between Pettersson and Mikheyev instead of a shooter. The switch to Calgary seemed to help, as he got back to what he does best, which was playing the net-front role and doing an excellent job of generating chances from close range. Showing great composure under pressure, he scored a lot of his goals from corralling loose pucks from awkward angles and getting deflections. His hands also make him a great playmaker from this area, and he can setup a lot of tap-in goals by making the extra pass from a typical shooting position. It was what Calgary needed in a lineup that has a lot of guys who can do the cycling and puck-handling along the perimeter. The honeymoon period couldn’t have worked out better for Calgary with Kuzmenko delivering 25 points in 29 games, so now it’s about getting the same level of play in a full season. He was helped by an inflated 24.1 shooting percentage while on the Flames but did see a similar spiked percentage as a rookie in Vancouver. He will be an intriguing trade deadline addition for a lot of teams around February with one year left on his deal. He has a prime offensive opportunity here, and a spot on the first power play is his to lose. 30 goals and 30 assists should be deliverable under these circumstances with potential for more.

Anthony Mantha

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
76	25	23	48	0.63

Solving the Anthony Mantha riddle has perplexed a few teams now. You see his big frame, strong play-driving numbers and how good his shot is at times and think there’s superstar potential, but he’s left teams frustrated more times than not. Last year in Washington might have been the first time a team was content with who he is, someone who uses his body to win puck battles and play a great possession game at five-on-five. Controlling the perimeter to eventually open up more offence for his linemates. He had consistent linemates for the first time during his stint with the Caps and scored 20 goals before getting dealt to Vegas at the deadline. Then the reset button happened. Mantha’s numbers at the end of the day were okay but they couldn’t find a spot for him and he was scratched after Game 3 in the first round. Now he’s onto Calgary where there’s a clear opportunity in their top six. Mantha still has a lot to offer even as someone who can play on the top-line, it’s just a matter of what teams expect out of him after years of similar results. Still only 29-years old, he should break 20 goals and 20 assists and is a UFA at the end of the season. Lots of motivation to put his career back on track.

Yegor Sharangovich

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	25	26	51	0.66

While not a breakout season for an established player, Sharangovich did enough for Calgary to make him part of their core going forward, earning a five-year extension after setting career highs in goals and points. His shot has always been a calling card, possessing a heavy wrister that makes him lethal when he gets the space. He was somewhat of a utility guy for the Flames last year, playing both forward positions and adding a game-breaking element to their aggressive penalty kill. He was among the league leaders in shorthanded points, only scoring three goals but always a threat to start a rush the other way. While the goals were nice, his all-around game was a mixed bag as Calgary was heavily outscored at five-on-five when his lines were on the ice, and it was a challenge to find the right spot for him in the lineup even if he was one of the team’s best shooters. He ended the season primarily playing as center with Jonathan Huberdeau, which was a line Calgary had to deploy almost exclusively in the offensive zone, so it’s unknown if it’s a long-term fit if Sharangovich’s shooting regresses. A return to 30 goals might be a challenge, but 25 to go along with 25 – 30 assists is a reasonable expectation.

Connor Zary

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	17	24	41	0.53

The youngest of Calgary’s Wranglers core ended up being one of the rookies who stuck with the big club. Riding a hot streak after getting called up in November, Zary’s Swiss Army Knife skillset made it tough for him to come out of the lineup even after the goals dried up. His strong play even earned him some modest recognition in a stacked Calder race. He’s a smaller guy, but willing to go to the net and it was easy for him to get lost in coverage. Also, he is very good at taking hits from pinching defencemen to help get pucks out of the zone, which is something young wingers always struggle with. Playmaking is where he shined, but the details of his game were ahead of where most 21-year-old rookies are. Becoming a more consistent shooting threat is the next step to his game, as his skillset as a netfront guy became somewhat redundant after the Kuzmenko trade and he is someone who will only shoot if he’s inches away from the blue paint. He figures to be a key piece for Calgary in what will be a transition year. Keeping fantasy expectations modest in his sophomore season, 15-20 goals and 20 -25 assists would be a good step next season.

Martin Pospisil

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
70	9	17	26	0.37

Arguably the most surprising rookie to crack Calgary’s roster, Pospisil proved to be a good running mate for Nazem Kadri. He could keep up with the better players in Calgary’s lineup and his hard-nosed style of play was a perfect complement in their top six. He didn’t have much production to show for it, and never has at any level, but he did a lot to help his lines drive play and keep opposing teams hemmed in their own zone. Always willing to go to the net, he generates a lot of high-quality chances and could be known as one of the more annoying guys to play against once he gets more experience. His downside is that he takes a lot of penalties due to the style of game that he plays, always looking to finish his check, and it even earned him a suspension late in the season. His hands aren’t bad, but he’s never been the best finisher at any level and that’s always a drawback if you’re on a top line. Still, his skillset fits the ideal model of a checking line player. Keep fantasy expectations modest as a result.

DEFENCE

Rasmus Andersson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	7	27	34	0.41

Andersson is the lone remaining member of Calgary’s old defence corps and last year was even an adjustment period for him after he was split from long-time partner Noah Hanifin. There was a lot of give and take with his new partnership with Mackenzie Weegar as the duo were on the ice for a high number of Flames goals and opposing goals to boot. This has been the case for Andersson for the majority of his career. He’s a very good passer who is an excellent complement to the forwards with seeing plays develop down low and he’s very good at getting his shot through. His game in the defensive zone, however, has always been best when it’s kept simple. When the pace of the game picks up, he’s better when he can stay home to protect the front instead of chasing a forward or a loose puck down. It’s what’s made him an awkward fit on the power play despite his great playmaking skills. Also, why he usually excels with a puck-mover instead of someone who plays a steadier game. He has the stamina to play big minutes, but maybe not the all-around game to be a true top-pair guy. Still, he will be a key cog on a Calgary blue line that is going through a major overhaul. Without consistent top power play time it is hard to see him reaching the 50-point level again and looks settled at 5 – 10 goals and 25 – 30 assists.

Mackenzie Weegar

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	11	34	45	0.56

One of only four defencemen to hit 20 goals last season, Weegar’s probably never going to get the credit he deserves as one of the league’s workhorses. Not only logging major minutes, but heavy minutes where he carries a huge burden as the guy retrieving most of the loose pucks and leading breakouts on his pair. One of the guys who makes his teammates job easier by doing the legwork with getting the puck out of the zone and continuing to support the play up the ice. There is some risk-reward to his game with how often he has the puck and how aggressive he is with joining the cycle in the offensive zone. Last year wasn’t one of his best in terms of preventing goals, as his pairing with Andersson gave up almost as much as they created, but it’s also part of the territory when someone is relied on to do most of the work on breakouts. Will be relied on heavily in Calgary again as their lone “do-it-all” defenceman on the roster. The goal scoring burst after never having exceeded 10 in past seasons was helped by an inflated shooting percentage of 9.6 versus a career average of 5.7 percent and can expect some regression. He did see an increase in power play time in the second half so will get the opportunity to match last season’s totals. However, dialing expectations back to closer to 10 goals and 30 – 35 assists is a safer bet.

Jake Bean

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	5	15	20	0.26

Looking for a fresh start, the former first-round pick of Carolina has a decent chance to find some kind of niche with the Flames. He showed promise in his first year with the Jackets, but a shoulder injury derailed his second season, and his third year was an attempt to get back on track. Paired with Erik Gudbranson, Bean still showed some of that offensive upside he had in both juniors and the AHL, but he was down in the pecking order as far as power play time goes and had to work hard to create any chances. His skillset is a little deceiving because he’s a very good skater with great offensive instincts, but not the best puck-mover under pressure. Pairing him with a stay-at-home guy sometimes compounds that problem instead of helping it, as he can get to a lot of pucks but not make the first pass if he has to deal with constant forecheck pressure. It’s uncertain if Calgary has the horses to utilize Bean’s skillset the right way, but it’s a chance for him to regain his form.

Kevin Bahl

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	2	10	12	0.15

After their top two defencemen, Calgary’s defence corps is basically an open competition. Bahl might not earn a regular top four spot, but his size and physical play could give him an inside edge on a full-time role. That and he’s a better puck-mover than what meets the eye. He’s not going to be a one-man breakout, but he can get the puck out of traffic and to the next layer of the exit well enough to be reliable in a high-leverage spot if you have to play him there. He’s also very good at shutting plays off at the blue line, not always looking for hits or standing guys up, but using his long reach to take away lanes on zone entries. He’s what you would call a “stabilizing presence,” as not much happens either way when he is on the ice. Will play heavy penalty kill minutes at the very least.

GOAL

Dan Vladar

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
32	12	16	3	1	0.898	3.28

Dustin Wolf

It's a new season, and the Calgary Flames are entering their New Goalie Era. After relying on proven veterans for their last handful of goaltender signings and trades, the Flames have moved on from Jacob Markstrom (and Cam Talbot, and Mike Smith, and Jonas Hiller) and are ready to debut a tandem with fewer than 100 games of NHL experience between the pair. Dan Vladar will be forced to sink or swim, following a mediocre year with limited starts, and Dustin Wolf - who has been dominating the AHL to an almost comical degree - will finally get his chance to shine in the big leagues as his partner.

The pair make for an interesting strategy in Calgary, serving as almost complete polar opposites in everything from style to stature. Dan Vladar tops out at 6-foot-5 and a whopping 210 pounds, playing a game reliant on loose movement and fluid lateral control. Dustin Wolf, on the other hand, almost missed out on being drafted altogether due to his small size; the 23-year-old California native is barely 6 feet even and doesn't crack 170 on the scale. He makes up for his more diminutive stature with superior depth management and game tracking, though. While Vladar brings more experience at the NHL level, Wolf is the goaltender many have higher hopes for when all is said and done. Calgary has made it clear they aren't exactly pushing for a Cup Final berth with this tandem, though, at least not immediately. Even Vladar, who has seen NHL action in each of the last seven seasons, made a career high in starts two years ago with a 27-game appearance. It's hard to tell just how the starts will end up breaking down this year, as a result - and if either Vladar or Wolf start to struggle, the Flames may be forced to make some changes before the year is up.

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW JERSEY DEVILS – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Sat, 07 Oct 2023 18:33:53 +0000

SAINT PAUL, MN - FEBRUARY 11: New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton (7) skates with the puck during the NHL game between the New Jersey Devils and the Minnesota Wild, on February 11th, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, MN. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire)

Review: After years of hardship, the Devils’ ship has been righted. New Jersey grew from the draft with home grown forwards Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Dawson Mercer combining for 133 markers to help the Devils tie for fourth in the league with 3.52 goals per game. The successful rebuild wasn’t just about developing prospects though. They’ve been proactive, snagging defenseman Dougie Hamilton as an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2021, who then came up big for the Devils last season with 22 goals and 74 points in 82 outings. New Jersey also acquired Timo Meier from San Jose on Feb. 26, adding to an already stacked offense. The one big potential issue the Devils still have is goaltending. Mackenzie Blackwood struggled while Vitek Vanecek started hot but slowed as the campaign dragged on. Rookie Akira Schmid emerged as the potential solution though. After the Devils earned a 52-22-8 record in the regular season, Schmid outplayed Vanecek in the playoffs, though neither goalie could stop Carolina from ousting New Jersey in five games in the second round.

What’s Changed? New Jersey lost some scoring depth when Tomas Tatar walked as a free agent, but having Meier for a full campaign should more than make up for that. The Devils further enhanced their already strong offense by acquiring Tyler Toffoli, coming off his career-high 73-point performance, from Calgary in exchange for Yegor Sharangovich.

What would success look like? The good news for the Devils is last year’s success was largely thanks to a young core that’s not only talented, but deep. Even if one or two key forwards struggle or are hurt for stretches, there are enough alternative scoring threats on the team to power through it. New Jersey didn’t tweak its goaltending, but Vanek has shown he can be solid at times, and if Schmid, who is still just 23, is able to build off his strong 2022-23 campaign, then the Devils will be set for a deep playoff run.

What could go wrong? With so much promise though, it’s a little concerning how heavily their fate is tied to two relatively unproven goaltenders. Schmid still has just 33 games worth of NHL experience, even after including the playoffs. Vanecek at least has 141 regular season and playoff contests under his belt, but he hasn’t shown he can be a sustained presence, and worryingly, he’s fallen apart in the postseason with a career 4.52 GAA and .834 save percentage.

Top Breakout Candidate: The promise of the Devils’ forward group has been realized, but New Jersey has a lot of untapped potential remaining on the blue line, especially with regards to Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec. Hughes in particular seems primed for a breakout campaign. This will be his first full NHL season after getting a taste last year, recording a goal and an assist in two regular-season games followed by two helpers in three playoff outings. He was also amazing with the University of Michigan, contributing 10 goals and 48 points in 39 outings. Although Hughes is still just 20 years old, he has the potential to serve in a top-four capacity this year while also receiving some power-play ice time.

Forwards

Jack Hughes

After erupting for 99 points in 78 games in his fourth NHL season, the 22-year-old playmaking center is ready to join the ranks of the elite. Hughes has great awareness of where everyone else is on the ice and has the confidence to create chances even when it looks like there is nothing available. Hughes scored a career high 43 goals even though his shooting percentage dropped from 15.8% the previous season to 12.8% last season, but he generated nearly an extra shot per game, going from 3.37 shots per game to 4.31 shots per game. That ability to generate shots and scoring chances at an elite level is why Hughes should be expected to keep scoring at such a high level. In his first 50 games of the season, Hughes recorded 67 points (35 G, 32 A), with 229 shots on goal, but then he suffered an upper-body injury which kept him out less than two weeks, but his production was not the same after that, as he put up 32 points (8 G, 24 A) in 28 games to finish the regular season. For all of his wonderful attributes, Hughes is laughably poor on faceoffs, winning 35.4% for his career, and he has shown no improvement, winning 35.3% of his draws last season. Maybe the biggest challenge when it comes to projecting Hughes’ scoring this season is related to his durability, or lack thereof. He has played an average of 61 games in four NHL seasons. While some of those seasons were shortened by the league, Hughes has still missed significant playing time. Healthy for a full season, Hughes has the upside to be a 120-point player, and there are not many of those, but taking injuries into account, it might be more reasonable to count on something closer to 90 points.

Nico Hischier

With Patrice Bergeron retiring, there may be an opening for someone new to take home the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward and Hischier is right at the top of the list of contenders after he finished as runner-up in 2022-2023. He also produced career highs of 31 goals and 80 points, increasing his shot output from 2.19 per game to 3.16 per game year over year. He started the season with 22 points (9 G, 13 A) in his first 18 games and finished the season with 19 points (3 G, 16 A) in his last 16 games. Hischier’s ability to take on more defensive responsibility helps free up Hughes to unleash his offensive game, so they really work well as a tandem down the middle of the ice for New Jersey. Hischier’s emergence offensively should only be enhanced by New Jersey keeping Meier and adding Tyler Toffoli because it gives the Devils more weapons up front. Considering his increased shot rate and significant role in the Devils lineup, Hischier should be in line for at least 75 points, with a chance to challenge or even exceed last season’s career-best output.

Timo Meier

A shot generating monster in San Jose, Meier was not as productive in New Jersey, with his shot rate dropping by more than one per game, and even though Meier struggled in the postseason, the Devils committed to signing him to a long-term contract extension. That seems more of a show of faith based on Meier’s previous performance in San Jose rather than what he did for New Jersey, when he contributed 14 points (9 G, 5 A) in 21 games, but he is a play-driving winger who is not afraid to use his size to create room in the offensive zone. Starting last season in San Jose, Meier did not score a goal in his first nine games, then tallied 27 goals in his next 38 games. Such is the power of shot generation – keep getting those shots and, eventually, they start to go in the net. Over the past two seasons, Meier has generated 1.20 expected goals per 60 minutes of five-on-five play, ranking second behind only Toronto’s Auston Matthews. When trying to project Meier’s production, consider that he will probably play less for a strong New Jersey team than he did in San Jose, and his teammates should still allow him to generate a high rate of shots. That would make 35 goals and 65 points a reasonable target for Meier, but he has a higher ceiling, too. If everything goes well, a point per game is not out of the question.

Jesper Bratt

The 25-year-old winger scored a career high 32 goals and tied his career high with 73 points last season and he is one of 27 forwards league-wide to have recorded at least 70 points in each of the past two seasons. Bratt has explosive speed and excellent puck protection skills. He has become increasingly comfortable as a finisher, which makes him a more serious threat overall. His defensive impact has been slipping in recent seasons. Not enough to be a major problem, because Bratt led the Devils with a Corsi percentage of 58.4%, but if his defensive play gets tidied up, he would be an even stronger all-around player. Bratt opened last season with 24 points (8 G, 16 A) in 19 games and it’s not like he collapsed after that, but it was tough to maintain that level. Even so, after back-to-back 73-point seasons, that remains a reasonable ballpark for this season, too.

Tyler Toffoli

A veteran who has excelled at every stop, Toffoli was a brilliant addition by the Devils. The 31-year-old right winger tallied career highs of 34 goals and 73 points for the Flames last season, with Calgary dominating play when Toffoli was on the ice, outscoring, out-shooting, and out-chancing the opposition. He is not the most graceful skater but has learned enough positional play over the years that he does not have to rely on speed to be in the right place to make things happen. Controlling play has been routine for Toffoli throughout his career, and moving to a Devils team that tends to push the puck in the right direction should allow him to thrive on a Stanley Cup contender. With the Flames striving, unsuccessfully, to reach the postseason, Toffoli finished the year with 17 points (8 G, 9 A) and 54 shots on goal in the last 14 games. Joining a Devils squad that controls play will not be an adjustment for Toffoli, who almost always has the puck moving in the right direction, but it should give him plenty of chances to score. He may not match his career-best numbers, set in Calgary last season, but it would not be a surprise to see 65 points from Toffoli. Last season’s 73 points was easily his career high, but as recently as 2020-2021, he tallied 28 goals and 44 points in just 52 games for Montreal. With high-end centers in New Jersey, Toffoli is again in position to be a very productive scoring winger.

Dawson Mercer

After starting his NHL career as a center who could not win faceoffs, Mercer spent most of his second season on the wing and turned into a strong finisher. There is some risk that his goal scoring will not be sustainable, because his shooting percentage jumped to 16.8% last season, but he had a phenomenal run starting in mid-February when he scored 11 goals and 20 points with 43 shots on goal in a 12-game span. Suddenly, he was a game-breaking offensive threat and while that was not going to last, it helped secure Mercer a spot in a scoring role with the Devils. Since he is still just 21, that offensive development offers a glimpse of what Mercer might be able to accomplish in the future. When it comes to projections, then, Mercer ought to keep making progress, but with last season’s goal-scoring surge lifting his shooting percentage to 16.8%, it’s fair to expect some regression. A 25-goal, 50-point season is well within Mercer’s grasp, with room to climb higher if, for example, he ended up on Hughes’ wing on a regular basis.

Ondrej Palat

Although his first season in New Jersey was marred by injury, missing 33 games due to groin surgery, Palat remained an excellent defensive presence. While he is well compensated relative to his limited offensive output, Palat also brings 150 games of playoff experience, including having played an integral role on two Stanley Cup winners in Tampa Bay. In the past four seasons, Palat has skated in 83 playoff games to lead the National Hockey League. His 30 playoff goals in that time ranks third, behind Nathan MacKinnon and Brayden Point. For a Devils team that has rising young stars in the middle of the ice, bringing in veterans like Toffoli and Palat in recent seasons adds a measure of stability that can help this team reach the next level. Palat’s only 20-goal season was as a rookie, in 2013-2014, and he probably won’t get there in 2023-2024, but he could score 15 goals and 45 points in a full season.

Erik Haula

Acquired in a trade for Pavel Zacha, Haula had bounced around quite a bit before landing in New Jersey with his seventh NHL team. Following a strong season, in which he surpassed 40 points for the third time in his career, Haula earned a three-year contract with the Devils, which might offer a dose of stability. The 32-year-old has versatility in that he plays mostly at center but can shift to the wing as well and he can be used in a checking role or can contribute secondary scoring. He is not a star, but a quality complementary piece for a contending team. Haula started last season with one goal in the first 30 games, which was not sustainable, given the chances he was getting. He finished the season on a high, however. In 20 games after the trade deadline, Haula contributed nine goals and 14 points. That early-season slump contributed to Haula finishing with an 8.5% shooting percentage, notably below his career mark of 11.8%, which should limit any potential regression, so a 15-goal, 40-point season should still be within Haula’s range in 2023-2024.

Michael McLeod

While he is offensively limited for a player who was drafted 12^th overall in 2016, McLeod is establishing himself as a fast and physical checking center. He has scored just 10 goals in 157 games over the past two seasons but has delivered 272 hits while winning 58.9% of his faceoffs. If he could finish at a higher rate, then maybe he would have a chance to climb in the lineup but until then the 25-year-old is a reliable depth option. Although McLeod did score a couple of goals and had six points in the playoffs, his last regular season goal was on January 4th, and after the trade deadline, he had no goals and three assists in 20 games. Given his spot in the lineup, expectations are modest, but surely McLeod can give the Devils more than that. It would be hard for him to score on just 4.4% of his shots again, so some positive regression could be coming in McLeod’s direction. A few more goals and a point total in the 25-30 range is a fair expectation.

Nathan Bastian

A 25-year-old depth winger who has never had 20 points in an NHL season, Bastian could possibly offer more than what he has provided to this point in his career. He has the size of a legitimate power forward and plays a sound defensive game while also showing some capability in the offensive zone. He has played more than 50 games once in his career and has mostly been used in a limited fourth-line role, but there are some intriguing signs related to goal-scoring and physical play. With his physical presence, Bastian could carve out a more significant role. If he does that, maybe double-digit goals and 200-plus hits could be part of his contribution.

Defense

Dougie Hamilton

A rare talent on the blueline, Hamilton has finished in the top seven in Norris Trophy voting in three of the past four seasons, and he burst through for career highs of 22 goals and 74 points last season. A smooth skater at 6’ 6”, Hamilton covers so much space on the ice that he frequently jumps into the attack to give his team an advantage. His play away from the puck has slipped in recent seasons but not to the degree that it overshadows his significant offensive contributions. Since 2015-2016, Hamilton has scored 115 goals, ranking third among defensemen, behind Brent Burns and Roman Josi. While Hamilton was fine early in the season, in his last 57 games, he tallied 58 points (16 G, 42 A) with 188 shots on goal. He can be a difference maker, and even though Hamilton had never scored more than 50 points in a season prior to 2022-2023, he should have a reasonable shot at exceeding 60 points this season. The Devils have a lot of talent and Hamilton has found his groove in terms of style, being able to attack and take advantage of his considerable offensive gifts.

John Marino

Even though he managed a modest 18 points (4 G, 14 A) in 64 games during his first season with the Devils, after being acquired from Pittsburgh, Marino established himself as an excellent top-four right-shot defender. A graceful skater, Marino might have more offensive upside, but is not likely to get significant offensive opportunities on a Devils blueline that boasts Hamilton and top prospects Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec. As excellent as Marino was defensively last season, he was a liability offensively, which is fine. Not everybody has to be a scorer. But that means that Marino might contribute 20-25 points in a full season and that is not going to move the needle very much.

Jonas Siegenthaler

The Devils invested in Siegenthaler when they acquired him from Washington, and he has rewarded them by filling a top-four role on defense. He produced a career high 21 points last season, logging more than 20 minutes per game while recording more than 100 hits and 100 blocked shots. While Marino is more about finesse, Siegenthaler brings a sturdy presence, and his no-frills game has value even if it can get overlooked in the presence of flashier teammates. Like Marino, Siegenthaler’s value is more tied to his defensive contributions. Not only did Siegenthaler have an expected goals percentage of 55.2%, but the Devils outscored opponents by 20 goals (78-58) with Siegenthaler on the ice during five-on-five play. With his track record showing minimal offensive output and a relatively high on-ice shooting percentage (10.0 OiSH%) last season, it would be a little surprising if Siegenthaler even matched last season’s total of 21 points.

Goaltending

Vitek Vanecek

The New Jersey Devils have finally parted ways with MacKenzie Blackwood, with the relationship between Blackwood’s rookie performances and the remainder of his time between the pipes never quite lining up. But while Devils fans have become a bit gun-shy about jumping headfirst into their enthusiasm for goaltenders, Blackwood’s departure leaves the team with a goaltender in Vitek Vanecek that should soothe at least some skittish supporters for the coming year.

Vanecek had arrived in New Jersey as one-half of the prospect pairing that the Washington Capitals moved on from wholesale last summer, heading in-division following two years of inconsistent performances and battles for the number one gig with fellow prospect Ilya Samsonov. Vanecek, who had been the ‘spare’ to Samsonov’s heir apparent role in Washington, proved almost immediately that Devils fans are in good hands moving forward – so he’ll kick off the upcoming season as the consensus starter, likely shouldering the majority of the workload with Akira Schmid serving as his number two. Vanecek’s game had previously been characterized by concerns over his game reads and depth management, but he adopted a more conservative approach for the Devils that helped the Metro Division club make their triumphant return to the postseason. The incremental positioning errors he seemed to make in Washington looked to be all cleaned up last year – and if he can prove that wasn’t a fluke, he’ll be a valuable piece for the Devils in the coming years as they attempt to hold their championship window open.

Projected starts: 55-60

MCKEEN’S 2023 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – #1 New Jersey Devils

Josh Bell — Sat, 27 May 2023 13:40:01 +0000

Prospect System Ranking – 1^st (3^rd last year)

What a difference a year makes, after finishing 28^th in the league with 63 points in 2021-22 to finishing third in the league with 113 points and advancing to the second round of the playoffs. Tom Fitzgerald took over in January 2020 and inherited a team that included two first overall picks in Jack Hughes (21-years-old) and Nico Hischier (23). Both arrived this season in spectacular fashion giving the Devils one of the best one-two punches down the middle in the league. In his first three drafts he had six first round picks, including two top five overall. Two of those picks, Jack Hughes and Dawson Mercer, are in the line-up and thriving. Simon Nemec (2^nd – 2022), Luke Hughes (#4 – 2021), and Alexander Holtz (7^th – 2020) should all join the team as soon as next season. They are all ranked in the top 10 of McKeen’s top 200 NHL prospects – Hughes- 2^nd, Nemec – 7^th, and Holtz – 10^th. While that is a large reason they rank as the top prospect pool in 2023, it is also because they are deep, with 10 total prospects in the top 200.

Following the 2021 draft Fitzgerald started adding critical pieces to this year’s success through free agency in signing Dougie Hamilton and Tomas Tatar in 2021 and trading for 26-year-old Jonas Siegenthaler and 27-year-old Ryan Graves on defense. In 2022 he signed Ondrej Palat in free agency and traded picks and prospects for 25-year-old John Marino on defense and 27-year-old Vitek Vanecek in goal. Then made a blockbuster for 26-year-old Timo Meier, a 40-goal scoring power forward entering his prime, but an RFA at season’s end. A solid core all entering their prime is completed by 25-year-old Michael McLeod and 24-year-old Jesper Bratt. Fitzgerald has built an exciting, fast transition team, that is poised to challenge for the Stanley Cup for the foreseeable future.

ELMONT, NY - OCTOBER 06: New Jersey Devils Defenseman Simon Nemec (5) during the first period of the National Hockey League game between the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders on October 6, 2022, at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY. (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire)

Luke Hughes

Selected fourth overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, it’s just a matter of time before Luke Hughes makes the jump to the NHL to join his brother Jack with the Devils. There may very well be a point where, looking back at this draft, Luke Hughes emerges as the top player. Drafted as the clear No. 1 defender with the USNTDP, he made the jump to the NCAA’s University of Michigan in 2021-22, where he had a very strong year as one of the most productive defenders in the league. He was honoured as a Hobey Baker finalist, the Big Ten Rookie of the Year, and named to numerous All-Star Teams. This year, he had an even better season, including captaining Team USA to a Bronze Medal at the World Juniors. He’s a poster child for the modern-era defenseman, with a transition game that will translate effortlessly to the NHL. He’ll be a top-two defender for the Devils.

2. Simon Nemec

Yet another potential game-breaking defender in the Devils’ system, Simon Nemec was selected second overall in the 2022 NHL Draft after an incredible 2021-22 season. His draft year included being named MVP of the Hlinka Gretzky, an Olympic Bronze medal, and a World Championship appearance, on top of a dominant regular season and playoff run with HK Nitra. His introduction to North America started off slow but he’s found his game as the season has progressed and seems to be back to his exceptional ways. He’s a very mature, calm player that can surprise you with his speed and creativity. He drives the play, quarterbacking his team from the back end. He’s a very strong puck mover, using his feet or his hands to make plays. He’s also solid in his own end, showing off impressive defensive awareness too. He has top-two potential and could very well become one of the best offensive defenders in the league.

3. Alexander Holtz

With many top players from the 2020 NHL Draft already impacting at the NHL level, patience has seemed to grow thin for seventh-overall pick Alexander Holtz. Selected from Djurgardens in the SHL, he spent just one more season in the league before coming overseas. He joined the AHL’s Utica Comets full-time in 2021-22, playing at nearly a point-per-game pace throughout the season. He’s about there again this season while seeing time in the NHL in both seasons as well. Holtz is very likely to make the shift to full-time NHLer next season, thanks to his hard, accurate shot, his impressive movement of the puck, and his improving ability to get to the high-danger areas, which has been a work in progress for him thus far. He has the potential to be a top-line sniper and could be one of the best goal-scorers in the league in his prime.

4. Arseni Gritsyuk

Drafted way down at 129th overall in 2019, Arseni Gritsyuk has continued to outplay that selection. When the Devils drafted him, he had just finished his rookie season in the MHL but had helped Team Russia to a bronze medal at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and a silver medal at the Unider-18s. He’s spent all four seasons post-draft in Russia as well, working his way up to the KHL where he’s become a full-time player the past two seasons. He also won KHL Rookie of the Year in 2021-22. The forward boasts a hard, deceptive shot but can dish it out as well, doing well to drive the puck to the middle via passing or carrying it in himself. He’s very light on his feet and is fearless in his pursuit. He should be an excellent secondary-scoring winger in the NHL. His contract with Avangard Omsk is up at the end of this season, so he may be heading to North America soon.

5. Reilly Walsh

After splitting his draft year between the USHL’s Chicago Steel and Prep school Proctor Academy, the Devils bet on Reilly Walsh and selected him 81st in the 2017 NHL Draft. He then moved on to the NCAA with Harvard University where he spent three years, playing consistent, productive hockey without shining too brightly. He signed with the Devils and jumped to the AHL in 2020-21 where he’s continued that trend of consistency. He was apparently on the trade block this past trade deadline but remains a Devil for now. He’s an offensive defender that moves very well with the puck on his stick, isn’t afraid to jump up into the rush, and has a great shot. He has quick edges and a level of deception in his game. The defender likely caps out as a bottom-line defender, but a contributing one that could see time on the power play as well.

6. Kevin Bahl

A player that will be graduating from this list very soon, Kevin Bahl was acquired by the Devils in the Taylor Hall to Arizona trade back in 2019. The 6-foot-6, 229-pounder was originally drafted back in 2018, 55th overall from the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s. After the trade, he didn’t waste any time, making the jump to the AHL in the 2020-21 season, even getting time in the NHL that season. That’s been the trend since, where he gets more and more time in the NHL every season. While his size would suggest he’s on the slower side, that’s not the case at all. He’s a very mobile defender that also brings physicality and an excellent defensive game to the ice. With his reach and strength, he’s just so hard to beat. He doesn’t have a ton of offensive upside, but he should be a solid, bottom-paring, shutdown defenseman.

7. Seamus Casey

Seamus Casey has the potential to be the steal of the 2022 NHL Draft. His draft year was a little up and down with the USNTDP, resulting in him being selected 46th overall despite early thoughts of him as a first rounder. Now with the University of Michigan in the NCAA, he’s back to the play that earned him first-round consideration. He’s an excellent quarterback, using great vision to scan the ice and lead his team’s attack. He plays a very fluid game that makes it seem like the game comes easily to him. His four-way mobility stands out in the offensive end, where he can surprise teams with his agility and creativity. There have been some concerns regarding his processing and decision-making, but he’s taken great strides in these areas this season. He’s well on his way to outplaying his 46th-overall selection and becoming a top-four defender in the NHL.

8. Josh Filmon

It’s not often that a player drafted in the sixth round is signed and makes the jump to the next level the following season, but that’s exactly what Josh Filmon has done. Selected 166th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft from the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos, Filmon returned to the Broncos as an alternate captain, putting up 75 points and 47 goals in just 64 games. The Devils’ brass saw all they needed to, signing him to his entry-level deal and bringing him up to the AHL. He’s a winger that seems to do all the little things right, playing a really smart, consistent game. His skating is an area that does need to improve if he is to succeed in the AHL and NHL. Still, he’s long seemed like a player that would translate easily to the next level. He could carve out a bottom-six role for himself, but it’s more likely that he’s a depth option.

9. Nolan Foote

Another top-10 player in the system that the Devils acquired via trade, Nolan Foote was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019, 27th overall. Foote went back to the WHL and the Kelowna Rockets in 2019-20 as the captain of the team, and the Devils landed him that season and didn’t waste any time. They had him up in the AHL in 2020-21 and he’s spent the last three seasons there, with brief looks in the NHL each season. He’s taken notable steps forward each season, improving his speed, his awareness, and his hands. He hasn’t taken over the AHL as has been hoped, but he’s been looking better and better and his production does show that. While he no longer looks like a top-six option, he still has middle-six potential and should be a reliable secondary scoring option. Now it’s just a matter of when.

10. Topias Vilen

The Devils have had an excellent run in recent drafts in the later rounds, and Topias Vilen might be the poster child for that. The Devils called his name 129th overall in 2021 from the Liiga’s Pelicans. Looking at his stats, it can seem that he hasn’t taken huge strides forward in his development. However, Vilen is more of a defensive defender, and his mature style of play is enough to carry him to the AHL and potentially the NHL. He plays big minutes, his angling out on the rush and his active stick are very impressive, and when he needs to, he can kick off transition with a solid first pass. He’s shown this season that he can contribute on the scoreboard too, a nice addition to the package he brings. His ceiling isn’t overly high, but like Bahl, he could come in as a bottom-pairing, shut-down d-man that is used heavily on the penalty kill.

NHL PLAYOFF PREVIEW: NEW YORK RANGERS VS. NEW JERSEY DEVILS – The team that controls the rush will win the series

Jesse Marshall — Sat, 15 Apr 2023 16:07:57 +0000

NEWARK, NJ - MARCH 30: New York Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller (79) skates with the puck during the National Hockey League game between the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils on March 30, 2023 at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire)

For the first time since 2012, the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils will re-ignite their post-season animosities. That Eastern Conference Finals matchup seems like a lifetime ago, it's close to one. In this dance, it's the Rangers with the edge in experience as they look to forge their way further than they made it last season when the Tampa Bay Lightning knocked them off in six games, one step away from the Stanley Cup Final. On the other hand, the Devils are led by a group of core players that will be making their post-season debut. While the playoffs are certainly a different beast, you can't discount the dominance that some of the younger Devil forwards exhibited throughout the course of the year.

Let's jump into a few of the finer points of this matchup before making a series prediction.

Offensive Breakdown

Both of these teams can effectively attack off of the rush, but the Devils have made it a core tenet of what they do offensively. In fact, in the data Corey Sznajder has tracked in his All Three Zones project, no forward in the league has taken more shots off of the rush than the Devils' Jack Hughes, leading the way behind the philosophy boasted by the entire forward core. That, combined with the off-the-rush efficacy of the Devils top line featuring Tomas Tatar, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer, means the Devils take a significantly larger portion of their shots off of zone entry rushes than the Rangers do. This enables them to move the puck laterally in dangerous fashions that get talented goaltenders moving side-to-side and the puck moving into high-danger scoring chances. The Devils breakout is so often bolstered by their mobile defense that can get the puck up-ice quickly and join in the rush as a bit of a fourth forward. Defending those breaks are difficult and lead to a good amount of entries with possession per the data Corey is tracking.

The Rangers do most of their work off of the rush as well, but it hasn't born out the same kind of fruit as the Devils have experienced. Most notably, the Rangers have struggled to consistently find the net-front area in the offensive zone. As a result of those struggles, they grade out 22nd in the league with regards to their ability to generate quality scoring chances. The good news for the Rangers is the Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad combination has been wonderful regardless of who the third wheel is, and the third wheel just so happens to be Patrick Kane in this instance. The aforementioned duo of forwards spend upwards of 60-percent of their time in the offensive zone. Keep an eye on the Rangers stretch pass. With a quick group of forwards, they're able to break off of puck battles quickly to gain an edge on the opponent and sprint behind them for a deep bomb through the neutral zone that sends them off to the races.

The biggest mismatch here is the Devils 2nd line of newly acquired Timo Meier, Hughes, and Jesper Bratt versus the Rangers 2nd line of Artemi Panarin, Vince Trocheck, and Vladimir Tarasenko.

Defensive Breakdown - A Series Full of Puck Movers

These teams are a lot more even defensively than they are offensively, but I am still giving the advantage to the Devils here based on the quality of their depth.

On the Rangers side, Adam Fox is so good, teams are avoiding his side of the ice entirely when attempting to enter the offensive zone. In the games tracked via the All Three Zones project, Fox has been supremely successful at controlling zone entries from opponents in the limited opportunities he does see at even-strength. That means a great deal of testing has befallen his parter, Ryan Lindgren, and Lindgren has not found the same amount of success his partner has at preventing zone entries. The Fox and Lindgren pairing is the only pairing for the Rangers with more than 200 minutes at even-strength that has been able to keep its head above the 50% mark on expected-goal generation.

The Devils have a bit more of an even contribution with regards to quelling zone entries across the board. Kevin Bahl, John Marino, and Jonas Siegenthaler lead the way with regards to putting a stop to the opponents offensive attacks before they get started. The Devils overload approach to playing defense and their overall team speed give them a much better set of results in defending the net front area than the Rangers can boast. It's not by a significant margin, but it's one worth mentioning in this preview.

I mentioned that offensively both of these teams like to attack using the rush and, unfortunately, that isn't an area where the Rangers have been able to keep up with the Devils this year. I look for the Devils forwards to find space on zone entries and force some difficult situations as a result. The Rangers best bet will be to try and elongate their offensive zone possessions and keep the rush chances to a minimum.

Special Teams

I mentioned team speed as an important element of the Devils game and it drives their power-kill style of penalty-killing. That aggressive, up-tempo approach to annoying the opposing power-play quarterback into coughing the puck up as given them an 82.6-precent success rate this season, good for fourth in the NHL.That fourth-best ranking also extends to their ability to prevent shot-attempts and scoring chances as well. The Rangers trail that at 81.2-percent and play a much softer penalty-kill strategy than the Devils do, thusly allowing more in the way of zone entries and quality scoring chances. Keep an eye on Jacob Trouba for the Rangers penalty-kill, he is an underrated presence in preventing puck carriers the opportunity to enter the zone with possession of the puck.

On the power-play side, the Rangers boast the advantage at a 24.1-percent success rate. On the man-advantage, it's all about the work of Zibanejad. His cross-ice presence and roaming ability for the Rangers power-play has netted him 39 total power-play points this season as a complement to the great work Fox is doing carrying the mail. The Devils have only converted 21.9% and have scored just 49 power-play goals all season. That's the 12th lowest total in the league. They lack the ability to get to the front of the net that the Rangers boast, generating a great bit of their shot-attempts from the exterior of the offensive zone.

Goaltending

This is the area where the Rangers boast a distinct advantage, but is it enough to overcome all of the other advantages we've said the Devils hold in this series? The Devils haven't gotten poor goaltending from Vitek Vanecek this season. He turned in an 82 goals-against performance on 92.6 expected goals-against this season. It was a performance slightly better than expected. Igor Shesterkin allowed 102 goals, but it was on an 126.4 expected goals-against performance. He was significantly above the line with his results.

We also can't ignore the fact that Shesterkin is battle tested in the playoffs. This proves to be a huge advantage for the Rangers as he has the experience and ability to pull off another strong run this season, starting with this very series.

Prediction

I'm saying this will go seven games right out of the gate. Despite the advantages the Devils hold at even-strength, the Rangers are opportunistic, have a great power-play, and a distinct advantage in goaltending. That being said, there's a speed element here at work for the Devils in how they attack that I can't move beyond. I am taking the young, inexperienced Devils team to surprise the Rangers and create a number of systemic issues for them between the blue lines. Devils win this series in an arduous but entertaining seven games.

Data for this piece was obtained by:

Corey Sznajder - All Three Zones

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW JERSEY DEVILS – Top 20 Prospects

Sun, 18 Sep 2022 19:31:17 +0000

NEWARK, NJ - OCTOBER 04: New Jersey Devils right wing Alexander Holtz (10) skates during the first period of the pre-season National Hockey League game between the New Jersey Devils and the Washington Capitals on October 4, 2021 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)

1 - Luke Hughes D

While the NHL at large may be more familiar with the two Hughes brothers currently playing in the NHL, Jack, and Quinn, there’s another Hughes brother on the horizon, and he’s got a strong chance to be just as much of a star as his brothers are. Luke Hughes, the fourth-overall pick of the 2021 draft, is among the most gifted defensive prospects in hockey. Hughes’ last season was his freshman year at the University of Michigan, and he led all blueliners in the entire NCAA in scoring. Again, he did that not only as a freshman but also as one of the youngest players in college hockey. Hughes, next to 2022 second-overall pick Simon Nemec, is the face of a next generation of Devils blueliners that looks more and more promising with each passing year. The core of Hughes’ on-ice profile is his skating. Hughes is as close to a mechanically perfect skater as one can be, with a stride that’s as smooth as butter. There’s an efficiency to the way he moves that also forms the foundation to his offensive game. The manipulation of his own speed, timing, and stop-and-start ability lets him create space on the ice. He’s active offensively both with the puck on his stick and without it. With the puck on his stick, he aggressively looks to make plays for his teammates, and he’s extremely good at getting pucks to the net and finding ways to score goals from the blueline. Without the puck on his stick, Hughes has shown an ability and willingness to leverage his mobility to clear room on the ice for his teammates. His overall offensive toolbox is so refined that it makes for an easy projection to the NHL level. His defense, while more of a work-in-progress, has made great strides since his days at the National Team Development Program. He may not end up a shutdown force at the NHL level, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he finds his way onto an NHL penalty kill. In total, Hughes is an extremely promising defenseman who matches both raw talent and careful polish. He has a real chance to become a number-one defenseman in the NHL. - EH

2 - Simon Nemec D

Nemec broke all sorts of records for U20 defensemen in the Slovak men’s league and then led all defensemen in postseason points. After a successful season, he became the 2^nd overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and the highest-drafted defenseman in his draft class. The young Slovak has played among men for the past three seasons and represented his country internationally at two World Championships and one Olympics. He is an extremely mature player for his age. Whether he gets a shot with the New Jersey Devils at the start of the season should be within his grasp, however it is more likely he will spend the majority of the year in the AHL, due to the full right-side of the Devils´ defense. Nemec is a two-way defenseman who likes to join the attack and play offensively. He is a capable powerplay option, an extremely smart player with great vision and passing game. He is not overly physical but is quite strong and can stand his own. A notable weakness is his shot, especially given the lack of strength he puts to it. Nemec has really good hands for a defenseman and enjoys having the puck on his stick. He is not as flashy as some of other top choices in the recent draft, but his floor is among the highest in his entire draft class. He projects as a top-pairing defenseman who should contribute offensively and run the PP. - MD

3 - Alexander Holtz RW

If you are the New Jersey Devils, do you make room on the roster this year for one of the best prospects in the NHL after his encouraging performance in the AHL last year? After bringing in Ondrej Palat and Erik Haula this offseason, their forward ranks are extremely crowded. Yet Holtz (and a few other prospects) proved that they are ready for the NHL with their performance in Utica last year. Holtz’s game is built to be a top six, complementary offensive weapon at the NHL level. Not only does he possess an excellent shot, but he also has great scoring instincts. The puck seems magnetically drawn to him within ten feet of the crease and he rarely whiffs on his opportunities. Holtz supports play in the offensive zone well too, with a game predicated on quick touches meant to keep plays alive deep in the zone. As he continues to upgrade his speed and his strength on the puck, he should develop into a consistent 30 goal scorer at the NHL level. So, what do the Devils do with him this season? If he plays in the NHL, it will likely be on a scoring line, and he will have a very real shot at putting up the kind of numbers required of a Calder Trophy winner. Otherwise, New Jersey probably sends him to the AHL for another year (until an injury dictates his call-up) or negotiates a loan to Sweden for a year until a few contracts come off the books (like Haula, Tatar, Johnsson, and Wood). - BO

4 - Arseni Gritsyuk RW

It would be fair to say that Arseny Gritsyuk has established himself as a top KHL prospect over the last season, even though he really had to earn the trust of coach Bob Hartley and has also received a few trophies to back up that claim, including the KHL rookie of the year award and the Olympics silver medal. Furthermore, Gritsyuk played a major role in making that silver medal happen for the Russian team, scoring the winner in the nerve-wrecking semifinal shootout. Looking at the coming season it should be a near lock for him to take on a top six role for his KHL team and even though a sophomore slump is a possibility, it doesn’t feel likely in this case, as Gritsyuk has the smarts and creativity in addition to a rich skillset. It should also be mentioned that he is in the final year of his contract and if everything goes well there is a good chance that he will be able to crack the NHL roster short thereafter. There are plenty of reasons for Devils fans to be excited and follow Gritsyuk closely this season, not to mention the parallels in his development with that of another recent Russian 5th round pick in Kirill Kaprizov. Not that we expect Grisyuk to be another Kaprizov, but this is a fun prospect to be excited about and the hype train is picking up speed. - VF

5 - Shakir Mukhamadullin D

A surprise first round pick by the Devils in 2020, Mukhamadullin has already signed with New Jersey. After finishing last year in the AHL with Utica, he returned to Salavat Yulayev of KHL this season under loan. He's a huge defender who is confident in his mobility and readiness to join the rushing game. He is someone who is extremely confident on the ice; he knows his role and plays it. Mukhamadullin is aggressive physically as a defensive player and will step up to make plays. He also knows how to keep his man in front of him by exhibiting good gap control and positioning. Offensively, his biggest weapon is a strong shot from the point. As a puck mover, he is not extremely dynamic, and his decision making will need to improve for him to be a point producer at the NHL level. Mukhumadullin is spending the upcoming season at Salavat Yulaev (as mentioned on loan), after which he will probably move on to the NHL. More should be known about his upside after this current season, as the Devils will be looking for him to take on a larger role as a puck carrier in the KHL. If he can continue to make adjustments, he has the physical tools to be a strong two-way, second pairing defender. - DB

6 - Fabian Zetterlund LW

It might shock people, but Zetterlund is more likely to earn a permanent roster spot with the Devils this year than is top prospect Alexander Holtz. The reason is two-fold. Firstly, Zetterlund has progressed extremely well at the pro level, improving each of his three seasons in the AHL, and even scoring 8 points in 14 games with New Jersey last year. Secondly, he is no longer exempt from waivers, which forces the hand of the Devils unless they want to lose him for nothing. The reality is that Zetterlund is also built to play a checking line role (at least to start) more effectively than Holtz. Zetterlund has a game built to excel in a high energy, bottom six role. He consistently chases down and battles for pucks, using his strong lower body to keep plays alive. He brings it physically and is an excellent forechecker. He plays with pace and crashes the net, excelling in high traffic areas, rather than steering clear of them. His offensive upside is higher than that of your basic fourth line grinder, but it might be a role that he has to start at this coming season. The former third round pick (back in 2017) has emerged as a quality pro prospect and one of the best in a strong and deep New Jersey system. - BO

7 -Reilly Walsh D

A former standout with Harvard, Walsh has positioned himself well to challenge for a roster spot this coming season. The Devils’ blueline group largely struggled to contribute offensively last year and Walsh would go a long way to helping with that. An offensive standout, he can have a profound impact on the transition game. He can skate the puck out of trouble with his quick feet and he is a natural at quarterbacking the powerplay. Coming out of college, there were some concerns about his ability to defend at even strength, but his positioning, engagement, and overall effectiveness in his own end has improved considerably. Interestingly enough, the Devils acquired John Marino this offseason, who was one of Walsh’s defensive partners at Harvard. Is it possible that New Jersey sees the two of them pairing up this coming year in a third pairing role (with Walsh QB’ing the second powerplay unit behind Dougie Hamilton)? Walsh does have minor league options remaining, though, and that means he may be a numbers casualty due to the terrific blueline depth New Jersey has accrued. The smooth skating, offensive rearguard is definitely trending in the right direction and looks like a future top four defender for the Devils…at least at some point in the near future. - BO

8 - Nolan Foote LW

The son of former NHL defender Adam Foote, Nolan is coming off of his second pro season in the Devils’ system after being acquired for Blake Coleman. The big power forward has performed well at the AHL level and even in two cups of coffee with New Jersey. This is especially true of last season, where he scored three goals in seven games with the Devils. Foote will never be confused with a speedster, but he has worked hard to become a little quicker so that he can keep pace at the NHL level. He understands his role as a complementary piece and plays it to a tee. He drives the net with his stick on the ice and can be a fearsome net front presence. He is physical in pursuit of the puck and can dominate shifts down low, below the goal line. Foote is more than just a grinder, however, as he possesses great finishing ability because of his quick release and smooth hands. It is easy to see him becoming a long time middle six option at the NHL level, so long as he continues to improve his skating. The issue, much like was stated with Alexander Holtz, is that New Jersey’s forward group is currently crowded and that probably means Foote gets caught in a numbers game again this season. Another year in the AHL wouldn’t hurt his development as he can hopefully become one of Utica’s top scoring options and get closer to the point per game mark there before fully taking that next step. - BO

9 - Nico Daws G

It is not too often that you see a first year pro netminder thrust into NHL action, but injuries thrust Daws into significant time with the Devils last year. He handled it pretty well too, given the state of New Jersey’s defense and rebuild. The former OHL late bloomer has given New Jersey fans a lot of hope for the future with his strong rookie pro performance, however he should be given more time to develop at the AHL level this year. The Devils traded for Vitek Vanecek to pair with Mackenzie Blackwood, allowing Daws to split time with Akira Schmid at Utica. Of course, Daws could be recalled again as an injury fill-in, but at least the Devils now know that he can handle it. The 6’4 netminder can be a brick wall at times because of his positioning and play reading ability. He tracks the play extremely well and has worked hard over the last few seasons to improve his quickness, allowing him to challenge shooters more consistently. He has also worked hard to improve his ability to cleanly corral rebounds, transforming from more of a pure stopper into a true goaltender. With another strong performance at the AHL level this year, Daws could put himself into serious consideration as one of the best goaltending prospects in the NHL and push Mackenzie Blackwood as the team’s netminder of the future. - BO

10 - Seamus Casey D

Seamus Casey’s fall to 46th overall at the 2022 NHL draft was a bit of a surprise, as multiple outlets had placed late first-round or early second-round grades on the talented blueliner, who was among the best defenders at the U.S. National Team Development Program last season. But it made sense based on the defenders who went before him, as for all the attention the changing expectations of NHL defensemen get many NHL teams still prefer their blueliners to come with a bit of size. Standing at five feet and ten inches tall, Casey doesn’t have that. But he makes up for his lack of size with a few standout tools. First and foremost, Casey’s skating sets him apart. He weaves his way through the neutral zone with the puck on his stick, and his upside as a puck-moving defenseman at the NHL level is clear. Casey also can work as a power play quarterback, with the vision and hockey IQ to be a strong facilitator of play in the offensive zone. Casey’s defensive game has some holes, but that’s not due to a lack of effort. Casey is a diligent defender in his own zone, and his skating gives him value there as he can make it easier for his team to exit the zone, something that carries real defensive value. That being said, it’s simply too easy for more talented forwards to create chances with him on the ice, and Casey’s issues in the size and strength department are evident when he’s tasked with disrupting a bigger forward looking to create a scoring chance. Casey might need to be placed in a more sheltered role as a pro, but his offensive tools are definitely good enough to give him NHL upside. As a power play threat and puck mover, Casey could fashion a nice NHL career for himself after a few years of development in college. - EH

11 - Tyce Thompson

The first full season at the pro level for the former Providence star was a grind. A shoulder injury limited him, but he finished the year strong with Utica. Thompson is a power center who excels down low and near the crease. He could be a full time NHL’er by season’s end.

12 - Kevin Bahl

The hulking blueliner continues to develop nicely in the Devils’ system and has positioned himself to be in contention for an NHL role this year. He continues to work on his four way mobility.

13 - Michael Vukojevic

A potential stay at home defender for the Devils, Vukojevic just finished his second pro season with Utica. His skating and confidence with the puck continue to improve and with it, so does his projection as a future #4-6 defender.

14 - Nikita Okhotyuk

Another strong defensively oriented blueliner with Utica and former OHL’er, Okhotyuk hits like a truck and is fairly mobile for the game he plays. His upside is limited, but his strong defensive acumen makes him a potential NHL player in some regard.

15 --Chase Stillman

Thus far, Stillman’s development has not gone according to plan. His offensive game took a step back and not forward last OHL season. This season the Petes will be counting on the former first rounder to step up and be a consistent scoring threat.

16 - Graeme Clarke

The older brother of Kings’ top prospect Brandt Clarke, Graeme is a scoring winger with similar skating concerns. Adapting to the pace of play in the AHL has been a challenge, but Clarke is talented enough to eventually figure it out.

17 - Daniil Misyul

After three full years at the KHL level, Misyul’s offensive game is still non-existent. However, his combination of length and mobility does give him intriguing defensive potential. The 21 year old blueliner will spend another year in the KHL this season.

18 - Jakub Malek

A big Czech netminder Malek will be moving to Finland this season to play in Liiga with Ilves. This will be a great test for the former fourth round selection.

19 - Aarne Talvitie

Talvitie, a former Penn State product and Word Juniors standout, played well for Utica last year in his first full pro season. His NHL upside might be limited, but the competitive forward is a strong two-way presence and should carve out a career as a penalty killer and depth player.

20 - Akira Schmid

The Swiss netminder was a surprise standout for Utica this past season and has pushed his way into New Jersey’s plans. A strong athlete at 6’5, Schmid’s development has given New Jersey great depth at the goaltending position moving forward.

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW JERSEY DEVILS – NHL Player Profiles

Scott Cullen – Forwards and Defense, Catherine Silverman - Goaltending — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 20:15:27 +0000

VANCOUVER, BC - MARCH 15: New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes (86) looks up ice during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on March 15, 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire)

FORWARDS

Jack Hughes

A rising star, the first pick in the 2019 Draft, has been rapidly improving and busted out for 56 points in 49 games last season. Hughes had started generating chances but could not finish early in his career and as his shot improved, the point production followed. Extraordinary confidence is part of what makes Hughes special and is what should drive him to greater heights, but he also needs to get more durable as he matures. A dislocated shoulder and a knee injury contributed to Hughes missing 33 games last season, but the 21-year-old came out of the Christmas break and produced 48 points in his last 36 games. If the Devils are going to be a competitive team, some of that will come from riding Hughes’ development to stardom. A point-per-game over a full season is an entirely reasonable expectation and Hughes if one of the rare players who has 100-point upside.

Jesper Bratt

A 24-year-old who has provided phenomenal value as a sixth-round pick, busting out offensively last season for 73 points in 76 games. Bratt is a consistent offensive threat, and his results last season were outstanding – his 2.90 points per 60 minutes ranked 17^th and his 1.22 goals per 60 minutes ranked 39^th. This production does not come by accident. Bratt has excellent anticipation and is strong on the puck in the offensive zone, equally adept at setting up plays or burying the puck in the back of the net. Bratt’s shooting percentage has varied significantly (13.0%, 8.8.%, 15.8%, 6.9%, 13.2% in his five NHL seasons) so that will play a role in setting expectations for his 2022-2023 season. The trend would be for it to fall this season so 60 points would be a reasonable low-end but a point per game over a full season is not out of range, either.

Nico Hischier

The Devils’ 23-year-old captain broke through for a career high 60 points last season, but he is known as much for his strong two-way play and that reliability makes him a strong complement to Hughes down the middle of the ice. Hischier could be more aggressive as a shooter, but his overall skill and defensive conscience makes him more valuable than might be widely known and his confidence with the puck is growing, which allows him to control the puck more effectively in traffic. That defensive conscience means that Hischier will get more difficult checking assignments and start more shifts in the defensive zone, so he is not deployed as favorably as Hughes, but that makes sense. Hughes has the higher offensive ceiling and Hischier can play the 200-foot game. Staying healthy has been an issue for Hischier, as he has missed at least a dozen games in each of the past four seasons. He might be able to match or surpass last season’s 60 points but that will be dependent on whether he can stay in the lineup.

Ondrej Palat

Consistent and dependable throughout his career with the Tampa Bay Lightning, which included playing a prominent role on two Stanley Cup champions, the 31-year-old winger has finished with at least 40 points in seven of his nine NHL seasons. As a proven performer who has played tough minutes, Palat will be a big help to the Devils’ young forward core. He won’t be fazed by any high-pressure situations and if he plays with Hughes, a 50-point season would be within Palat’s grasp, maybe a little lower if he skates on Hischier’s wing. While Palat was overshadowed at times by the stars in Tampa Bay, he also rose to the occasion in the playoffs, scoring 27 goals in 71 playoff games over the past three seasons. If the Devils can get to the postseason, it would be nice to have someone like Palat, who knows what to do when they get there.

Dawson Mercer

A promising rookie season ended with Mercer tallying 42 points in 82 games, though he managed just one goal in the last 11 games of the season. Mercer played a good portion of his rookie season at center, and won just 35.4% of his faceoffs, but moved to the wing and, despite his late-season slump, that should allow him more offensive freedom because he has good vision and should thrive with skilled linemates. If that means skating on Jack Hughes’ wing, that’s a pretty good place for a second year forward looking to break out offensively. As a young player, Mercer offers a higher degree of potential variance when forecasting his point totals for this season. Some improvement on his rookie season, maybe to around 50 points, would be a quality step forward, but if he is a really good fit in that spot, maybe he could score even more.

Yegor Sharangovich

After a strong finish to his rookie season and a quality sophomore campaign, the 23-year-old winger has put up 31 goals in his past 90 games, and his 1.11 goals per 60 minutes of even-strength ice time last season had him scoring at the same rate as Evgeni Malkin and Tomas Hertl. Sharangovich has a quick release and goes hard to the net, so his opportunities to score are based on positioning, anticipation, and then linemates that do a good job feeding him the puck in scoring position. Sharangovich deserves credit for putting himself in good positions to score and the 24-year-old should be expected to contribute 25 goals and 45-50 points.

Tomas Tatar

A heady veteran winger, Tatar struggled in his first season with the Devils, producing 30 points in 76 games, the lowest per-game scoring rate of his career, thanks in part to an 11-game scoreless drought in the middle of the season. The 31-year-old is still a solid play driving winger, and that can’t be ignored, but for a Devils team that sorely needed contributions from skilled wingers, Tatar’s performance was disappointing. He can still fill a complementary role and the opportunity should still be there for him to produce, maybe not like his best years in Montreal, but better than last season. Taking into account that Tatar has recorded three seasons with more than 55 points, counting on more than 40 points this season would appear to be entirely reasonable.

Erik Haula

Getting traded to New Jersey lands Haula with the seventh team of his career and comes after he scored 18 goals and 44 points for the Bruins last season, both the second highest totals of his career. He had a strong finish to the season, with 10 goals and 19 points in his last 19 games. Haula also recorded a career-high 129 hits, and the ability to provide secondary scoring as well as play with a bit of an edge makes him a nice fit in a third-line center role for the Devils. Last season was one of Haula’s best seasons so it would be optimistic to count on that production again. If he stays healthy, though, 35 points would be an achievable target for the veteran forward.

Andreas Johnsson

Although the 27-year-old winger contributed 35 points last season and it seems like he is still going to be battling for ice tme, Johnsson has enough speed and skill to play a complementary role on a scoring line. His instincts are decent but his play without the puck needs improvement and that could prevent him from handling a bigger role, especially now that the Devils have improved forward depth. That uncertainty over Johnsson’s role on the team tempers any expectations for his production, so a total around the 35 points that he produced last season should be a fair baseline for expectations, with room for variance in either direction.

DEFENSE

Dougie Hamilton

A prized free agent signing a year ago, Hamilton is a rare talent, a smooth skating 6-foot-6 right shot defenseman. Although he had just nine goals last season, Hamilton averaged more than three shots on goal per game for the fifth straight season. He gets hammered by accusations of being soft and it doesn’t help matters if his defensive performance slips, as it did in his first season with the Devils, but Hamilton is typically an elite offensive defenseman whose puck-moving ability tends to offset anything that he gives back on the defensive end. Injuries have caught up to Hamilton in two of the past three seasons, but he was very durable before that, so if he is relatively healthy this season, he should be relied upon to score at least a dozen goals and 45-50 points, with potential to go significantly higher. In his last two seasons with Carolina, for example, Hamilton put up 82 points in 102 games.

Damon Severson

A 28-year-old right shot defenseman who just put up a career-high 46 points last season, Severson is a potential free agent in the summer of 2023. The Devils typically get better results with Severson on the ice, at least in terms of shots, but he has yet to have a season in the NHL in which his team outscores the opposition during 5-on-5 play. Severson has been very durable, and in a contract year should be poised for significant production, in the range of 40 points, maybe a little more.

Ryan Graves

Even though Graves is 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, he is not an especially physical option on the blueline, but he is a steady top-four defenseman and that matters a lot for a team that is seeking a path to credibility. His ice time has climbed steadily since he arrived in the league, reaching a career-high 20:43 time on ice per game last season. Graves recorded a career-high 28 points last season and with 135 hits, he did fill the stat sheet a little bit. Scoring is not necessarily going to drive Graves’ value, but he ought to be capable of 25 points and then add to that with hits and blocked shots to make him worth considering in deep leagues.

John Marino

Acquired in a trade that sent Ty Smith to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Marino is a strong skater and capable puck handler who gets the breakout started with a quality first pass but is not much of a factor in terms of physical play. At the same time, he is particularly adept at defending the blueline, and that reliability should make him a valuable contributor in New Jersey. Unless he seizes a bigger role than anticipated, Marino will likely produce 25-30 points this season and without significant peripheral stats, that will serve to limit his fantasy appeal.

GOALTENDING

Mackenzie Blackwood

The New Jersey Devils are growing dangerously close to turning Mackenzie Blackwood into the next John Gibson; after debuting at the NHL level with an impressive game and an admirable confidence level, he’s struggled more and more behind the lottery-dwelling New Jersey lineup each season. This past year was perhaps the worst of all; plagued by a lingering heel injury that left him ginger in the crease and slow to move, Blackwood was limited to just 25 games all year and spent months at a stretch on the team’s long-term injured reserve list.

The club gave very little information regarding what exactly was nagging at Blackwood, so it’s hard to get a read on just what kind of a timetable he’ll need to return to full form. With everything from calcaneal fractures to achilles damage and plantar fasciitis up for grabs as possible problems the goaltender could have faced, the Devils could have Blackwood back at his best as soon as the year begins, or they could be looking at a lengthy return-to-form timeline for the formerly-established number one. The good news is that the team brought Vitek Vanecek in to ease the workload, offering both a younger source of reinforcement (therefore one less likely to get hampered by wear and tear issues) and a goaltender who has more promise to remain a legitimate tandem option than some of the major-minor tweeners the team has tried to deploy in the last few years. There’s less pressure for Blackwood to play through health-related troubles with Vanecek sitting on the bench than there was with backups like Keith Kinkaid and Jon Gillies, which should hopefully ease some of the pressure he faced and allow him to perform at peak capacity. That’s good news for fans – because when he was at full strength, Blackwood’s game forced shooters to show their hands and come to him in a way that made him hard to trick and overthrow.

Projected starts: 55-60

Vitek Vanecek

Washington fans likely hadn’t predicted that they’d spend their 2021-22 season hotly debating whether the team was in better hands with heir apparent Ilya Samsonov or fellow draft-and-developee Vitek Vanecek. And worse, they likely hadn’t predicted that they’d be debating it so hotly not because both goaltenders were doing so well, but because both were continuing to struggle so consistently.

The lukewarm outcome of their year left the Capitals opting to cut ties with both of their starters this summer, though, and New Jersey was one of the two teams that decided to step in and offer their services to attempt a reclamation project. They’ll enter their 2022-23 campaign hoping that Vanecek, who fell shy of recording quality starts in over half his games last year, can bounce back and offer some consistent support behind MacKenzie Blackwood. There’s a hope that the addition of some experience in Blackwood will give Vanecek some direction, and that taking some of the pressure off should enable him to take a step back and tighten back up some of his game moving forward. But it’s hard to really figure out just how much of Vanecek’s game was growing pains, and how much was struggles to read the plays happening in front of him; while he didn’t get quite as goaded into oversliding and shifting out of the net as Samsonov did behind the Washington defense, his issues in coverage had more to do with missed positioning and inconsistent work with his hands. His missed goals came in inches, which make it harder to discern how many were mistakes and how many were simply the result of getting set and positioned off-angle from where he really needed to be.

Projected starts: 25-30

2021-22 TOP 15 PROSPECTS: NEW JERSEY DEVILS – RANK: #7 – TIER II

McKeen's Hockey — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 16:28:03 +0000

New Jersey Devils

#7 New Jersey - The top of this system is less dynamic than others in this tier, but New Jersey's system doesn't have the steep dropoff after the top ten either.

Luke Huhges

Luke Hughes

In many ways, Luke Hughes is like his older brothers, Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes, and New Jersey’s Jack Hughes. The easy comparison begins with his feet. The speed is elite, but so are the edges/ The sharpness and tightness of his turning capacity. The comparison continues with the way young Luke reads the ice. He sees the play develop a few seconds before it actually does, so he is able to do things that no one else sees coming. It will certainly be interesting to see Luke develop alongside his brother Jack in New Jersey. The sheer joy and elation shown by Jack when Luke was selected was a draft day highlight.

One of the youngest players selected in 2021, Luke may take time to develop. Unlike some of the other highly ranked defenders on this list and in the 2021 draft, he has far from a polished product. At the University of Michigan, he will look to improve both physically, and in his own end. Just how much Luke’s game can improve defensively will dictate how high his upside is, as he may not be as innately skilled with the puck as his brother Quinn is. It is likely that Luke plays a couple seasons for the Wolverines before turning pro. However, he does possess top pairing upside. - McKeen’s Draft Guide 2021

Alexander Holtz

The seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft, Holtz basically did more of the same in the 20-21 season. A player expected to one day be a sniper in the NHL, Holtz had a hard time finding the back of the net this past season, as did much of the Djurgarden line-up. In addition, his star took a bit of a back seat to thi summer’s seventh overall, William Eklund, who happened to be his center for much of the 20-21 season. All in all, Holtz totaled the same nine goals he had the season before. He increased his point total from 16 to 22 but needed eight more games to do so. In addition, he entered the WJC tournament as one of Sweden’s go-to players but couldn’t manage to make anything resembling the impact his nation would have needed in order to medal, granted his two most likely centers were absent due to Covid-related reasons. Three points in five games put him at about the same pace as the five points in the seven games he had the winter before, but his lack of production was a key reason Sweden bowed out earlier than was expected of its star-studded line-up.

At the conclusion of his SHL season, the Devils assigned Holtz to their AHL affiliate in Binghamton, where he managed to get into 10 games and gain valuable experience while collecting three points. Improving game after game, he took 28 shots in those 10 games and showed a quick propensity to find holes quicker on the smaller ice as the games passed by. In the coming years, New Jersey will continue to be looking for all types of offense and currently boasts three centers with above-average playmaking attributes in Jack Hughes, Nico Hishier, and even Pavel Zacha. Holtz is supposed to be the beneficiary of their passes in the years to come, so he’ll continue to be given every bit of developmental direction in the immediate future and remains one of New Jersey’s absolute top prospects. - CL

Dawson Mercer

2020/21 was a superb season for the young Newfoundland player. He finished 4th in the league in points per game, registering 19 goals and 17 assists in 23 games. He was excellent in the playoffs as well, finishing with 17 points in just nine games. At the World Junior Championships, Mercer performed well for Canada in a variety of roles, making the best of any scoring chance he earned, showing he can be a clutch player when needed. We saw the versatile player he can be, and he seemed less raw than in the seasons past.

His QMJHL career is likely finished because he can graduate to AHL next season as he turns 20 in October and honestly, he's ready to take the leap (AHL). He's very mature in his game and he's smart on the ice. He is not a risky player and he can adapt his game quickly to the style of play.He projects to become a second line winger capable of being used in any way. He has the potential to produce offensively while helping his team on defensive tasks and during special teams. Look for him to be an immediate impact player in the AHL and push for playing time quickly in New Jersey. - BB

Nolan Foote

Nolan Foote's game has really evolved since his draft year. Drafted as a shooter with a good-sized frame and power forward tendencies, he has grown to add more depth to his offensive game. His production at the AHL level earned him some minutes at the NHL level where he has already collected his first goal and assist in just six games. His size makes him a great wall and cycle player. He uses his frame well for puck protection and generating space for his excellent, elusive shot that jumps off his stick giving goalies real trouble, even from a distance. As a draft eligible player, he was more of a triggerman who would set up in the offensive zone and needed to shoot from a stand still. However, he has added more dynamics to his shooting ability now.

He is also a much better puck handler than he was in his draft year and has confidence with the puck to make a play rather than just shoot the puck. He can make some good passes out of the cycle and is able to find guys as he moves off the wall. Additionally, Foote is willing to drive to the net and compete for space once he gets there. There is still a bit of a concern about his feet, but his speed and explosiveness has improved to at least an average level, so it is less of a hindrance than it looked like in his draft year. Foote could start in the NHL this year with a middle six role depending on his performance at training camp, though the addition of Tomas Tatar could hurt his chances. - VG

Shakir Mukhamadullin

Mukhamadullin was a rather surprising first round pick for the Devils last year, as there were a lot of opinions about him as being kind of a raw player with a lot of things needing to get improved to play at the pro level, particularly in terms of his decision making and defensive play. This past season showed that he is perhaps further along in his development than was believed, as he became a rather consistent and regular KHL player and performed well at the World Junior Championships. Unfortunately, in February he suffered a shoulder injury and is still recovering from it.

Due to the injury and rehabilitation, Mukhamadullin may have to start from scratch as a KHL player this coming season, because he has to re-establish himself at the KHL level now. He is also expected to be among the leaders at the World Juniors. His current KHL contract ends after the coming season and some big decisions will have to be made about where to continue his development. The Devils will likely want their first-round selection in North America as soon as possible. His potential is trending upwards, pending a full recovery from his shoulder injury. Mukhamadullin is a potential top four defender for the Devils. - VF

Chase Stillman

Chase Stillman, the brother of Chicago Blackhawks defender Riley, and the son of former NHL’er (and current NHL assistant coach) Cory, is an intensely competitive forward. He makes a consistent impact every game with his physicality and can be the perfect complementary piece on a scoring line due to his aggressive nature. Stillman played very well for Canada at the U18’s in this role, likely raising his draft stock and making him a first round selection by the Devils.

This is a player who loves to get under the skin of opponents and who seeks out contact consistently. Stillman also drives the net and seems to live for the joust in front, showing little fear of having to take a hit to make a play. His anticipation in the offensive zone is also good. While his physicality is a major weapon for him, his awareness and positioning are also components to his game that make him a great support player to more individually skilled linemates. He slips through traffic and coverage well and also has shown improvement in his vision and playmaking ability. However, his game does still have some limitations. His shot will need to improve. Additionally, Stillman does not possess the sort of one-on-one creativity to be an offensive focal point. That is not to say that these things cannot be improved. At worst, Stillman is likely a high-end checking line player and at best he could be a complementary piece on a scoring line. He will look to establish himself as a more consistent, go-to offensive player in Sudbury (OHL) this season. - McKeen’s Draft Guide 2021

Kevin Bahl

The former center piece of the Taylor Hall trade with Arizona, Bahl is a massive two-way defender who has progressed well thus far as an NHL prospect since being drafted in the second round. No doubt, the part of his game that has progressed the most is his skating. By working hard to improve his four-way mobility, Bahl has been able to transform himself into one of the NHL elite stay at home defender prospects.

In his rookie pro season, Bahl played well in Binghamton, establishing himself as a physical presence in the AHL. The offensive production was limited, but as his confidence grows, that could change (just as it did at the OHL level). Bahl also earned a short stint in the NHL with New Jersey, where he played well to close out the 2020/21 season. With the acquisitions of Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Graves, and Jonas Siegenthaler, the Devils have shored up their defense heading into this season, meaning Bahl is likely given the opportunity to play in the AHL all year to allow him to fully adapt to the speed of the pro game, which in turn could see his offensive production increase. Even if it does not, Bahl still projects as a quality #4-5 defender who can anchor New Jersey’s penalty killing unit and be a long-time contributor to the team. - BO

Reilly Walsh

An oft-overlooked holdover prospect from the middle of the otherwise failed Ray Shero regime, Reilly Walsh has shown steady, if slow, improvement in his overall game since he was drafted out of the USHL in 2017. A right-handed blueliner, who has recently filled out his frame to approximately NHL average size, he does everything well, but is mostly known for his offensive game. As a rookie pro with Binghamton, he was the team’s top offensive producer among defenders, playing at a good pace and with an understated, yet effective physical game to boot. That latter component will be key to establishing himself in the next two years as an NHL’er.

As promising as his offensive game is, the likelihood of Walsh supplanting the likes of newly signed Dougie Hamilton, or 2018 first rounder Ty Smith – who had a similar season to Walsh last year from a number’s standpoint, only Smith did it in the NHL as a rookie pro – as power play options is slim. Walsh’s path to the NHL lies in combining puck moving flair with grit away from the puck, proving to his coaches that he can play effectively at both ends. Of course, he could also continue to demonstrate steady improvements to his game, and really force the issue, but at some point, the growth will stop. He is already looking like a good #4 without further growth. - RW

Michael Vukojevic

This season was supposed to be a big one for Vukojevic. He was going to be a workhorse for the Kitchener Rangers and the expectation was that his offensive game would finally take that next step forward as he received more powerplay time and offensive responsibility. It was going to be great for his confidence. With the OHL on hiatus, that never came to fruition. However, when one door closes, another opens. Vukojevic was part of a handful of U20 OHL players who got to play in the AHL early and he really surprised the Devils with how well he played and how easy the transition was.

Drafted as a strong stay at home type, Vukojevic’s confidence with the puck and his ability to start the breakout has really improved the last few seasons. The same can be said for his four-way mobility, as he has worked hard to improve his quickness to close gaps and retrieve pucks faster and more effectively. A strong and intimidating physical presence, he can be a suffocating defensive player, which is why his bread and butter will always be his effectiveness in his own end. Last year, the majority of his production and responsibility came at even strength, playing a lesser role. This coming year, expect him to be given more ice time as a sophomore. Likely still a few seasons away from contributing for New Jersey, he profiles as a strong and reliable #4 defender. - BO

Graeme Clarke

The transition to the pro game a year earlier than expected (due to the OHL season’s cancellation) certainly was not seamless for Clarke. However, it was not expected to be after playing so sparingly the year prior in the OHL due to shoulder surgery. This past season was supposed to be his breakout year in the OHL, where he would emerge as one of the league’s most talented offensive producers. Instead, he was thrust into AHL action early. Consistency was an issue, but Clarke did his best to prove that he could play at the pro level, even as a U20 player.

In terms of individual offensive skill and creativity, Clarke would rank near the top of all Devils’ prospects. As an offensive player, his skill set is extremely complete. He thinks the game at a high level. He is a wizard with the puck. He can shoot it with the best of them. However, his lack of dynamic skating ability has previously held him back from fully utilizing these gifts. This year in the AHL, he did look quicker and was able to be more of a factor in transition, rather than operate purely as a powerplay specialist. Moving forward, he will need to continue to get quicker and stronger to realize his potential as a top six winger at the NHL level. - BO

Nikita Okhotyuk

A former standout with the Ottawa 67’s, Okhotyuk is a physical, stay at home defender who can make quick decisions with the puck and provide a stable presence. He received a lot of ice time and responsibility in his first AHL season and will look to build upon that this coming year.

Tyce Thompson

After three solid seasons at Providence College, the skilled centerman turned pro at the conclusion of this season, even earning a limited look at the NHL level with New Jersey. It seems likely that he plays the majority of this season in the AHL, but he should move quickly through the system as a possible middle six forward.

Nico Daws

Rather than return to the OHL for another season (thanks to the hiatus), Daws used his German heritage to secure a spot with ERC Ingolstadt of the DEL last year, serving as the back-up to former AHL’er Michael Garteig. Daws performed admirably but will start his North American pro career this year, battling Akira Schmid for the back-up role behind Scott Wedgewood in the AHL.

Arseni Gritsyuk

A speedy and creative offensive winger, Gritsyuk has yet to establish himself as a KHL regular, but definitely still possesses a high upside as a pro. He has two more years on his KHL deal with Omsk, so New Jersey can be patient.

Jaromir Pytlik

With the OHL on hiatus, Pytlik left the Soo Greyhounds to play in his native Czech Republic this past season, however injuries wreaked havoc on his year and caused him to miss the majority of the World Juniors. Still unsigned by the Devils, the big, rangy, playmaking forward has signed on with KaIPa of Liiga this year.

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: New Jersey Devils Top 20 Prospects

Sat, 05 Dec 2020 15:37:00 +0000

McKeen's Top 20 New Jersey Devils prospects for the 2020-21 season. You can read an organizational assessment prior to the draft in Ryan Wagman's article found here. Following the draft we provided a review on each teams performance based on our rankings found here.

Alexander Holtz, RW (7^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

The prized tool in Holtz’ scouting report is his shot. His wrist shot is incredibly powerful and accurate and comes with a quick trigger. He can additionally make you play with a slap shot, or a tip. He also has high end puck skills and can pull off daring maneuvers at his best. He can make skilled zone entries using speed and quick touches. He doesn’t force plays but utilizes his linemates to drive scoring chances. Holtz is well-built, with a mature, muscular frame. He gives a good effort across all three zones and can play angry, using his strength and aggression to keep defenders at bay while he works the puck. Holtz has very good top speed, without overly exerting himself to get to full throttle, as he seems to glide. He is agile with four-directional mobility and good balance. It should also be noted that Holtz is able to tie all of those physical skills and characteristics together with through a refined hockey brain and doesn’t take his skills for granted. He is very close to being NHL ready and he has the makings of a high-end first line winger who can pot 35-40 goals a season regularly. – RW

Ty Smith, D (17^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 1)

Smith has all the intangibles that you want in a player beyond his talent. His skating stride is high end, and he is incredibly comfortable with the puck on his stick. He drives the play a lot for a defender and is a constant threat to jump into the rush. He is able to generate so much offense because of how quick he makes reads and moves the puck. His movement without the puck make him difficult to track and he can quarterback from the blue line very efficiently. His passing from the top of the blue line is lethal, with excellent vision to see plays and gaps as they develop. He finds open ice very well and makes himself available to receive the puck. He is a boss on zone exits where his puck carrying and vision enable him to keep teams guessing. In his own zone, Smith is improving and his strength is becoming less of an issue as he matures physically. He engages and uses his quickness and elusiveness to strip pucks and avoid forecheckers. With a little work on his defensive game, he will be an effective player on the Devils’ blue line for many years. – VG

Dawson Mercer, RW (18^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

While his game is polished and mature, Mercer’s physical tools are still raw and improving as he has only recently begun to focus on conditioning and strength. He is such a versatile player because of his high IQ. He excels in any role asked of him, wing or center, offensive driver, or shutdown backchecker. He brings energy and tenaciousness in puck pursuit, always in the right place at the right time. He excels physically, especially on the forecheck and in retrievals. He has the lower-body strength to win puck battles consistently and knows how to maintain possession. Offensively, Mercer plays a simple game, making quick decisions, with the hands to go through defenders. His shot is also an asset, with a quick release. Mercer’s skating still needs work before he reaches the NHL. His lateral mobility and edges are fine, but he lacks explosiveness. A quality two-way workhorse whose offensive game still has more room for growth as his physical tools mature, Mercer’s ceiling is lower than some other first rounders, but his floor is higher, making him an ideal complementary player on a scoring line. – BO

Nolan Foote, D (27^th overall, 2019 [Tampa Bay]. Previous ranking: 2)

Foote’s shot has long been elite in terms of power, accuracy and quickness of release. Since being drafted, he has added multiple levels to his game. His playmaking isn’t ever going his main strength, but he is becoming a very effective passer, helping him make better decisions when his shot is taken away. His foot speed remains a knock, but he is fine for the type of game he plays. Foote is a big body that can get in on the forecheck and disrupt opponents leaving the zone. He can be a net front guy but really excels cycling the puck and coming off the wall, shooting from around the circle. He also has a good one timer. Foote is a complementary player, and when matched with the right center, (which the Devils have a nice collection of these days) should be a top six winger with 25-30 goal potential. – VG

Shakir Mukhamadullin, D (20^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Mukhamadullin was chosen to represent his country as an underager at last year’s WU18 and again this year at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup as well as the WJAC. Playing against his peers, he flashed first rounder tools and ability. His time in the Russian junior league (MHL) was even more impressive, making up for his scant ice time in the KHL. He can display agile, four-way skating, with plus acceleration for a player of his size. Playing with the puck, he shows a good set of hands and the ability to set up teammates for chances in the offensive zone. Even his shot is strong, if unrefined. The challenge to scouting Mukhamadullin was that in the KHL, anything that could be linked to confidence was gone. He played a very passive, tentative game, and that absence of fluidity led to more mistakes than one can easily excuse due to youth. He has the raw ingredients to be cooked up into a tasty player down the road, and his early play this season is a hint of that, but patience will be required. – RW

Janne Kuokkanen, LW (43^rd overall, 2016 [Carolina]. Previous ranking: 3)

Kuokkanen is a rare fully adaptable players, gifted with a simple playing style as both a grinder and power forward, driven enough to carry the top powerplay unit, and reliable enough to kill penalties as well. A master of simplicity, he finds space by either staying high or carrying the puck deep. His skill set is strong and his hands and individual play help to distinguish him from other forwards. Not that he is a selfish player, but he is a skilled one at doing the individual things he needs to do to get the job done. Kuokkanen will have to improve his consistency at the next level regarding the amount of effort he puts in throughout the entirety of a game as there are periods where he seems unnoticeable, in addition to question about his ability to win board battles. He is a highly skilled player capable of executing under pressure, and with top six upside. - SC

Kevin Bahl, D (55^th overall, 2018 [Arizona]. Previous ranking: 4)

Acquired in the Taylor Hall trade Bahl is a mountainous presence in the defensive end. Throughout his OHL career, he has improved his mobility, decision making, and offensive confidence considerably. He has also learned to manage the puck better in his own end, improving his breakout pass and his confidence in handling the puck in the face of forecheckers. Of course, his bread and butter is his ability to shut down the opposition’s best by smothering them with his size, reach, and physicality. He hits to hurt and is an intimidating presence who makes skilled players wary of bringing the fight to the middle of the ice. He is also very intelligent in his own end. He does a good job using his long reach to break up passes, anticipating the play around him. He will not quarterback a powerplay or be a high point producer who leads the rush; however his puck skills are good enough to play top four minutes. I would expect him to move quickly through New Jersey’s system, after adjusting to the processing speed required of him at the pro level. - BO

Reilly Walsh, D (81^st overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 6)

Walsh was drafted in the third round after spending four years in prep school at Proctor Academy in New Hampshire. As a senior, he was an alternate captain and averaged over two points per game. He also spent time during his senior year with Chicago of the USHL, where his dynamic elements convinced scouts that he wasn’t simply beating up on high schoolers. Upon concluding his career at Proctor, he went straight to Harvard as a true freshman, where he was named to the ECAC All-Rookie team thanks to his immediate impact. Walsh is a high-scoring offensive defenseman who netted 31 points and 12 goals as a sophomore. He plays on the power play, puts power behind his passes and moves skillfully in the offensive zone. Defensively, Walsh still has to improve. He has soft hands to cleanly take the puck from opponents and he uses his long reach well. He is patient but sometimes too patient in the defensive zone, which allows opponents to beat him. Walsh projects as a middle-pairing defender at maturity. - JS

Arseni Gritsyuk, LW (129^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 7)

A smallish winger with a lot of quickness in his game. Gritsyuk moves both his hands and feet quickly. He is electrifying to watch and scores beautiful goals. He has explosive speed and can separate himself impressively from opponents. He is also very slick with the puck in the offensive zone. He has a quick released wrist shot as a weapon to use as well. Most of his goals come from near range, though. He is effective on breakaways and it is dangerous to leave him any room in the offensive zone. That said, he will also battle to lose pucks in front of the net. Gritsyuk is offensively smart and is a strong zone entry player with his speed. I would say he is more of a transition player that needs to play at high speed to be successful rather than a playmaker that controls the play at varying pace. His defensive awareness is good, and he works hard without the puck. He has top six forward potential but will play at least one more year in Russia. - JH

Tyce Thompson, RW (96^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 8)

After playing prep hockey at Salisbury School in Connecticut, Thompson spent a season in the USHL. He netted a modest number of points, but it wasn’t until college that Thompson broke out as a prospect of note. Specifically, not until his sophomore season, when he was tied for third in scoring nationally and ranked second on the team behind only Jack Dugan, who led the country. Thompson isn’t exactly small at 6-0”, but he is only 165 pounds. He uses his size to his advantage with a long reach, but he lacks physicality in his game. He may be lean, but he can outskate his opponents. He excels as a two-way forward with his calm demeanor. Thompson, who played on both the penalty kill and the power play for Providence, also skates well employing sharp turns. As a fourth-round draft pick, Thompson is turning out to be a steal and projects as a potential second-line forward if his recent gains can be maintained. - JS

Michael McLeod, C (12^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 9)

Time is getting tight for McLeod, whose first-round status may not be enough to save him from slipping through the cracks of New Jersey’s system. He still has the skill, size and talent to play at the NHL level, but it is just up in the air as to whether or not he will be playing for the Devils in the future or for another club. To start, McLeod is a strong forechecker and good at keeping the puck on his stick. He makes plays, passes and gets it deep. A downside however comes when he holds onto the puck too long or fails to finish which causes turnovers, especially in the neutral zone, which then leads to him taking a few too many penalties. It will be McLeod’s last chance at staying up as a call up this season with hopes of ending his time in the AHL, but he will have to prove to New Jersey that he really wants to be there, and will do what it takes as a bottom six forward to start. - SC

Michael Vukojevic, D (82^nd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 10)

An assistant captain with the Kitchener Rangers, Vukojevic is a hard-nosed stay at home defender with great size at 6-3”, 215lbs. He is one of the more difficult defenders to match up against in the OHL because not only is he highly intelligent, but he is aggressive and assertive when it comes to taking away space. His lateral and backwards mobility are also good for a player of his ilk. As Vukojevic returns to the OHL next year, the expectation is that he can round out his game by becoming a more confident offensive player. As is, he probably projects as a quality third pairing defender who can help anchor a team’s penalty kill. However, if he can improve his play with the puck and his forward skating stride, it is possible that he could play higher up in the lineup. - BO

Nikita Okhotyuk, D (61^st overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 11)

If there is one market that the New Jersey Devils have cornered, it is elite stay-at-home defenders from the OHL. Okhotyuk may not have the elite size that Bahl and Vukojevic possess, but he is the best skater of the bunch, while being just as physically assertive. He had a tough year battling a gruesome finger injury but was extremely effective for the first place 67’s playing as Kevin Bahl’s usual defensive partner later in the year. While the underlying offensive numbers are not eye popping, Okhotyuk is actually a confident player with the puck who will jump up in the play occasionally. He will turn pro this year and could also move quickly as long as he can stay healthy (something he had had a difficult time doing in his three years in the OHL). He projects as a third pairing shutdown defender, similar to Vukojevic. – BO

Nico Daws, G (84^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

In his third year of draft eligibility, Daws’ improvements could not be ignored. He got in better shape and his results were astounding. From start to finish, Daws was the best goaltender in the OHL, with a .924 save percentage was tops in the league. He has the size that NHL scouts covet in the position, and with the weight loss, his movement in the crease had greatly improved, allowing him to be more aggressive in challenging shooters. His ability to read the play is also a major asset, as he shows good anticipation and play tracking, especially noteworthy on the penalty kill. His ability to cover his posts and find point shots through traffic is very impressive. He also excels as a puckhandler, acting as a third defenseman at times. While projecting goaltenders can be a difficult endeavor, Daws’ progression and development is encouraging and suggests that he has the ability to be an NHL netminder. – BO

Jaromir Pytlik, C (99^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Pytlik is a mature two-way forward who plays a very heavy, pro-style game. He excels playing through traffic, prolonging possession along the wall, and finishing off plays tight to the crease. He competes hard at both ends and shows high end anticipation as a defensive forward and penalty killer. He has also proven to be versatile with the ability to play center and wing for the Soo Greyhounds. Although he had been seen as a potential first rounder heading into last season, his game has unfortunately proven to lack dynamic qualities, lowering his projection. His offensive skill set is average in almost every way and that likely limits his upside at the NHL level. Additionally concerning is that he plays a rather perimeter-centric game, despite carrying a bigger frame than most in his age group, to the extent that he was called on to play against men in his native Czech Republic as a 17 year old. With an additional gear to his stride and more assertiveness, he might have a higher ceiling than he has yet let on. – BO

Nikola Pasic, RW (189^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 12)

Pasic is a strong skater who plays a good two-way game and can play both center and wing. He is a strong puck carrier, has nice hands and works intensely. Last season he stepped up from junior hockey to the senior level in Allsvenskan as an 18-going-on-19-year-old. He scored an impressive 35 points in 45 games in his first senior season. That said, he played on a high scoring team and had six players ahead of him in team scoring, but he showed that his game translated well from junior to senior hockey. He almost exclusively played wing and could have created more shots and goals. He scored only seven goals but didn’t have that many shots on goals either. He has a good wrist shot and should use it more. He is a decent middle six prospect and will play in the SHL next season. - JH

Daniil Misyul, D (70^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 13)

A tall and strong defensive defenseman. Misyul is a good skater who gets to the corners fast and is strong in winning puck battles, even at the KHL level as a junior-aged defenseman. He plays physical and is strong one-on-one in the defensive zone and is a strong defenseman in front of his own net. His skating is not perfect though and with better lower body balance he would be able to use more of his reach. His offensive game is limited, and he rarely gets involved in the offensive zone. He is a good puck mover, though, and has good puck control and a solid first pass. He plays a smart and simplistic game and is effective defensively. He did not get a ton of ice time with Yaroslav but played a third pairing role well and was effective for his team when called upon. His NHL projection is probably in that same role and I would say he is ready to step over soon and compete for a spot, but he has three more years left on his contract with Yaroslav. - JH

Eetu Pakkila, LW (203^rd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 14)

Pakkila split the 2019-20 season between the Liiga and Mestis, Finland's second-highest league. He played a very good two-way game in Mestis. He also played well for Ilves in the Liiga and showed that he can hold his own against tougher competition. He is a hard-working, purposeful winger with great skating ability. He has a quick first few strides and can reach top speed in a hurry. He was a proficient point producer in the junior level. With his good scoring touch, potent shot and skating speed, he has the potential to score goals at the pro level, too. His versatility is another asset. He can play up and down the lineup and in a number of roles. His checking game is effective, and he does many things that do not show on the scoresheet. He has progressed well and become a more complete player since being drafted two years ago. He could break out in the upcoming Liiga season. - MB

Patrick Moynihan, RW/C (158^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 15)

Moynihan lately a teammate of fellow Devils’ prospect Tyce Thompson, was drafted in the same season, albeit two rounds later than his older teammate. Unlike Thompson, Moynihan spent his pre-Providence College time with the USNTDP. Moynihan also won gold at the U17 World Hockey Championship. That said, the program was stacked in his class, and he didn’t get the ice time his skills may have otherwise deserved. Last year he was part of a solid group of underclassmen who propelled Providence’s offense while Moynihan netted his own fair share of goals as well. He is a good skater with speed. Moynihan isn’t physical or big – he is only 5-11” - but he carries more weight on his frame than it looks. He also makes up for his lack of size with his speed, shot, skills, and smarts. He has power on his shot and quick hands. Moynihan also has good hockey sense. He is a skill forward, but time will tell whether the skill set is dynamic enough to play top six minutes at the highest level. – JS

Graeme Clarke, RW (80^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 16)

Although injuries cut into his draft year, and almost ended his post draft season before it had really begun, Clarke returned late and produced like he never had in the OHL before. One would like to see him actuate all of his occasionally stellar offensive tools at once, and for a more prolonged period, but what he has flashed makes him a hidden gem in this system. He is still physically immature, which may be part of the cause for his lack of staying power, but at his best he shows a high-end sniper’s shot and scintillating puck skills. His reads and vision are even more scattershot, although it is fairer to attribute that to the injuries that have kept him off the ice for so long. More than most, Clarke needs a full season of health to find his true level and ensure that the Devils extend an ELC before they lose his rights. - RW

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Top 300 Prospect Rankings

McKeen's Hockey — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 17:09:56 +0000

These are our final prospect ranking prior to the start of the season. As a subscriber you can download the list in an excel chart and can link to the player pages in the chart found here. As always, the rankings you see below are based on our 20-80 scouting system looking at five categories for skaters (Skating, Shot, Puck Skills, Hockey Smarts, Physicality) and six for netminders (Athleticism/Quickness/Speed, Compete/Temperament, Vision/Play Reading, Technique/Style, Rebound Control, Puck Handling). Our prospect team spent large portions of their last few months pre-COVID in the rinks, watching the players below and many others, and further work on video (Instat Hockey has been a terrific resource in recent days) before passing judgement on their future projections.

The 20-80 scouting system is meant to allow players from different leagues in different parts of the world to be compared to one another, such that grades on a player in the OHL can be directly compared to grades from an AHL player, and to grades of someone playing in the MHL.

PROSPECT CRITERIA

Players under 26 years of age as of the September 15th prior (Sep. 15, 1994) to the season in question who have appeared in less than 60 NHL games (30 for goalies) and less than 35 in any one season – or 25 last year (20 for goalies, 15 last season) are considered prospects

RANK	PLAYER	NHL	POS	AGE	HT/WT	ACQUIRED
1	Alexis Lafreniere	NYR	LW	19	6-1/195	`20(1st)
2	Tim Stutzle	Ott	C	18	6-1/185	`20(3rd)
3	Quinton Byfield	LA	C	18	6-4/215	`20(2nd)
4	Trevor Zegras	Ana	C	19	6-0/170	`19(9th)
5	Kirill Kaprizov	Min	LW	23	5-10/200	`15(135th)
6	Lucas Raymond	Det	LW	18	5-11/170	`20(4th)
7	Dylan Cozens	Buf	C	19	6-3/185	`19(7th)
8	Bowen Byram	Col	D	19	6-0/195	`19(4th)
9	Peyton Krebs	VGK	C	19	5-11/180	`19(17th)
10	Jake Sanderson	Ott	D	18	6-1/185	`20(5th)
11	Moritz Seider	Det	D	19	6-3/185	`19(6th)
12	Jamie Drysdale	Ana	D	18	5-11/175	`20(6th)
13	Igor Shesterkin	NYR	G	25	6-1/190	`14(118th)
14	Alexander Holtz	NJ	RW	18	6-0/190	`20(7th)
15	Cole Perfetti	Wpg	LW	19	5-10/180	`20(10th)
16	Marco Rossi	Min	C	19	5-9/185	`20(9th)
17	Vasili Podkolzin	Van	RW	19	6-1/190	`19(10th)
18	Victor Soderstrom	Ari	D	19	5-11/180	`19(11th)
19	Nick Robertson	Tor	LW	19	5-9/160	`19(53rd)
20	Cole Caufield	Mtl	RW	19	5-7/165	`19(15th)
21	Yaroslav Askarov	Nsh	G	18	6-3/175	`20(11th)
22	Spencer Knight	Fla	G	19	6-3/195	`19(13th)
23	Philip Broberg	Edm	D	19	6-3/200	`19(8th)
24	Jack Quinn	Buf	RW	19	6-0/180	`20(8th)
25	Matthew Boldy	Min	LW	19	6-1/190	`19(12th)
26	Nils Lundkvist	NYR	D	20	5-11/180	`18(28th)
27	Seth Jarvis	Car	RW	18	5-10/175	`20(13th)
28	Ty Smith	NJ	D	20	5-10/180	`18(17th)
29	Grigori Denisenko	Fla	LW	20	5-11/185	`18(15th)
30	Barrett Hayton	Ari	C	20	6-1/190	`18(5th)
31	Alex Newhook	Col	C	19	5-10/195	`19(16th)
32	Thomas Harley	Dal	D	19	6-3/190	`19(18th)
33	Alex Turcotte	LA	C	19	5-11/185	`19(5th)
34	Vitali Kravtsov	NYR	RW	21	6-3/185	`18(9th)
35	Philip Tomasino	Nsh	C	19	5-11/180	`19(24th)
36	Connor McMichael	Wsh	C	19	5-11/175	`19(25th)
37	Dawson Mercer	NJ	C	19	6-0/180	`20(18th)
38	Ilya Sorokin	NYI	G	25	6-2/180	`14(78th)
39	Gabriel Vilardi	LA	RW	21	6-3/200	`17(11th)
40	Ryan Merkley	SJ	D	20	5-11/170	`18(21st)
41	Alexander Romanov	Mtl	D	20	5-11/185	`18(38th)
42	Kaiden Guhle	Mtl	D	18	6-2/190	`20(16th)
43	Samuel Poulin	Pit	LW	19	6-1/205	`19(21st)
44	K'Andre Miller	NYR	D	20	6-3/205	`18(22nd)
45	Scott Perunovich	StL	D	22	5-10/175	`18(45th)
46	Evan Bouchard	Edm	D	21	6-2/195	`18(10th)
47	Braden Schneider	NYR	D	19	6-2/200	`20(19th)
48	Juuso Valimaki	Cgy	D	22	6-2/205	`17(16th)
49	Cam York	Phi	D	19	5-11/175	`19(14th)
50	Anton Lundell	Fla	C	19	6-1/185	`20(12th)
51	Morgan Frost	Phi	C	21	5-11/180	`17(27th)
52	Owen Tippett	Fla	RW	21	6-1/200	`17(10th)
53	Albert Johansson	Det	D	19	5-11/165	`19(60th)
54	Liam Foudy	CBJ	C	20	6-0/175	`18(18th)
55	Kieffer Bellows	NYI	LW	22	6-0/200	`16(19th)
56	Arthur Kaliyev	LA	RW	19	6-2/190	`19(33rd)
57	Oliver Wahlstrom	NYI	RW	20	6-1/205	`18(11th)
58	Nils Hoglander	Van	RW	20	5-9/185	`19(40th)
59	Matias Maccelli	Ari	LW	20	5-11/170	`19(98th)
60	Tobias Bjornfot	LA	D	19	6-0/200	`19(22nd)
61	Jacob Bernard-Docker	Ott	D	20	6-0/180	`18(26th)
62	Connor Zary	Cgy	C	19	6-0/180	`20(24th)
63	Dominik Bokk	Car	RW	20	6-1/180	T(StL-9/19)
64	Ryan Suzuki	Car	C	19	6-0/180	`19(28th)
65	Dylan Samberg	Wpg	D	21	6-3/190	`17(43rd)
66	Jake Bean	Car	D	22	6-1/175	`16(13th)
67	Josh Norris	Ott	C	21	6-1/195	T(SJ-9/18)
68	Rasmus Kupari	LA	C	20	6-1/185	`18(20th)
69	Jakob Pelletier	Cgy	LW	19	5-9/165	`19(26th)
70	Drake Batherson	Ott	RW	22	6-1/190	`17(121st)
71	Jan Jenik	Ari	RW	20	6-1/180	`18(65th)
72	John-Jason Peterka	Buf	LW	18	5-11/190	`20(34th)
73	Kirill Marchenko	CBJ	LW	20	6-3/190	`18(49th)
74	Bode Wilde	NYI	D	20	6-2/195	`18(41st)
75	John Beecher	Bos	C	19	6-3/210	`19(30th)
76	Tyler Madden	LA	C	21	5-10/155	T(Van-2/20)
77	Jack Studnicka	Bos	C	21	6-1/170	`17(53rd)
78	Jake Oettinger	Dal	G	22	6-4/210	`17(26th)
79	Alex Formenton	Ott	LW	21	6-2/165	`17(47th)
80	Matthew Robertson	NYR	D	19	6-3/200	`19(49th)
81	Calen Addison	Min	D	20	5-10/180	T(Pit-2/20)
82	Ty Dellandrea	Dal	C	20	6-0/185	`18(13th)
83	Akil Thomas	LA	C	20	5-11/170	`18(51st)
84	Mavrik Bourque	Dal	C	18	5-10/180	`20(30th)
85	Ian Mitchell	Chi	D	21	5-11/175	`17(57th)
86	Jason Robertson	Dal	LW	21	6-2/195	`17(39th)
87	Hendrix Lapierre	Wsh	C	18	5-11/180	`20(22nd)
88	Brendan Brisson	VGK	C	19	5-11/180	`20(29th)
89	Theodor Niederbach	Det	C	18	5-11/175	`20(51st)
90	Zac Jones	NYR	D	20	5-10/175	`19(68th)
91	Robert Mastrosimone	Det	LW	19	5-10/160	`19(54th)
92	Joe Veleno	Det	C	20	6-1/195	`18(30th)
93	Rodion Amirov	Tor	LW	19	6-0/170	`20(15th)
94	Jake Neighbours	StL	LW	18	5-11/195	`20(26th)
95	Julien Gauthier	NYR	RW	23	6-4/225	T(Car-2/20)
96	Justus Annunen	Col	G	20	6-4/215	`18(64th)
97	Egor Zamula	Phi	D	20	6-4/175	FA(9/18)
98	Shane Pinto	Ott	C	20	6-2/190	`19(32nd)
99	Noel Gunler	Car	RW	19	6-2/175	`20(41st)
100	Ridly Greig	Ott	C	18	5-11/165	`20(28th)
101	Jesse Ylonen	Mtl	RW	21	6-1/185	`18(35th)
102	Samuel Fagemo	LA	RW	20	6-0/195	`19(50th)
103	Mattias Norlinder	Mtl	D	20	5-11/180	`19(64th)
104	Olli Juolevi	Van	D	22	6-3/200	`16(5th)
105	Kristian Vesalainen	Wpg	LW	21	6-3/205	`17(24th)
106	Raphael Lavoie	Edm	RW	20	6-4/195	`19(38th)
107	Jan Mysak	Mtl	C	18	5-11/180	`20(49th)
108	Cayden Primeau	Mtl	G	21	6-3/180	`17(199th)
109	Pavel Dorofeyev	VGK	LW	20	6-1/170	`19(79th)
110	Morgan Barron	NYR	C	22	6-2/200	`17(174th)
111	Ville Heinola	Wpg	D	19	5-11/180	`19(20th)
112	Dylan Holloway	Edm	C	19	6-0/205	`20(14th)
113	Jack Dugan	VGK	RW	22	6-2/185	`17(142nd)
114	Alexander Khovanov	Min	C	20	5-11/195	`18(86th)
115	Jacob Perreault	Ana	RW	18	5-11/195	`20(27th)
116	Jake Evans	Mtl	C	24	6-0/185	`14(207th)
117	Adam Beckman	Min	LW	19	6-1/170	`19(75th)
118	Jett Woo	Van	D	20	6-0/205	`18(37th)
119	Nolan Foote	NJ	LW	20	6-3/190	T(TB-2/20)
120	Logan Brown	Ott	C	22	6-6/220	`16(11th)
121	Martin Kaut	Col	RW	21	6-1/175	`18(16th)
122	Jack Rathbone	Van	D	21	5-10/175	`17(95th)
123	Ozzy Wiesblatt	SJ	RW	18	5-10/185	`20(31st)
124	Ryan O'Rourke	Min	D	18	6-0/180	`20(39th)
125	Lukas Reichel	Chi	LW	18	6-0/170	`20(17th)
126	Jordan Harris	Mtl	D	20	5-11/180	`18(71st)
127	Lukas Dostal	Ana	G	20	6-1/170	`18(85th)
128	Egor Afanasyev	Nsh	RW	19	6-3/205	`19(45th)
129	Conor Timmins	Col	D	22	6-1/185	`17(32nd)
130	Lassi Thomson	Ott	D	20	6-0/190	`19(19th)
131	Eeli Tolvanen	Nsh	RW	21	5-10/175	`17(30th)
132	Kasper Simontaival	LA	RW	18	5-9/180	`20(66th)
133	Roni Hirvonen	Tor	C	18	5-9/165	`20(59th)
134	Thomas Bordeleau	SJ	C	18	5-9/180	`20(38th)
135	Benoit-Olivier Groulx	Ana	C	20	6-1/195	`18(54th)
136	Tyler Kleven	Ott	D	18	6-4/200	`20(44th)
137	Tyson Foerster	Phi	C	18	6-1/195	`20(23rd)
138	Helge Grans	LA	D	18	6-2/205	`20(35th)
139	Jonathan Dahlen	SJ	LW	23	5-11/185	T(Van-2/19)
140	Marat Khusnutdinov	Min	C	18	5-11/175	`20(37th)
141	Alexander Alexeyev	Wsh	D	21	6-3/200	`18(31st)
142	Pierre-Olivier Joseph	Pit	D	21	6-2/170	`17(23rd)
143	Topi Niemela	Tor	D	18	5-10/160	`20(64th)
144	Oskari Laaksonen	Buf	D	21	6-2/165	`17(89th)
145	Filip Hallander	Tor	LW	20	6-1/185	T(Pit-8/20)
146	Serron Noel	Fla	RW	20	6-5/205	`18(34th)
147	Martin Chromiak	LA	LW	18	6-0/185	`20(128th)
148	Shakir Mukhamadullin	NJ	D	18	6-3/180	`20(20th)
149	Mattias Samuelsson	Buf	D	20	6-3/215	`18(32nd)
150	Janne Kuokkanen	NJ	LW	22	6-1/190	T(Car-2/20)
151	Ryan Johnson	Buf	D	19	6-0/175	`19(31st)
152	Sean Farrell	Mtl	C	19	5-8/175	`20(124th)
153	Martin Fehervary	Wsh	D	21	6-1/190	`18(46th)
154	Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen	Buf	G	21	6-4/195	`17(54th)
155	Will Lockwood	Van	RW	22	5-11/175	`16(64th)
156	Isac Lundestrom	Ana	C	21	6-0/185	`18(23rd)
157	Michael DiPietro	Van	G	21	6-0/195	`17(64th)
158	Jonatan Berggren	Det	RW	20	5-10/185	`18(33rd)
159	Kevin Bahl	NJ	D	20	6-6/230	T(Ari-12/19)
160	Aliaksei Protas	Wsh	C	19	6-5/205	`19(91st)
161	Reilly Walsh	NJ	D	21	5-11/180	`17(81st)
162	Nick Abruzzese	Tor	C	21	5-9/160	`19(124th)
163	Tyler Tucker	StL	D	20	6-1/205	`18(200th)
164	Arseni Gritsyuk	NJ	RW	19	5-10/170	`19(129th)
165	Klim Kostin	StL	C	21	6-3/195	`17(31st)
166	Brayden Tracey	Ana	LW	19	6-0/175	`19(29th)
167	Joel Hofer	StL	G	20	6-3/160	`18(107th)
168	Joey Anderson	Tor	RW	22	6-0/195	T(NJ-10/20)
169	Yegor Spiridonov	SJ	C	19	6-2/195	`19(108th)
170	Sam Colangelo	Ana	RW	19	6-1/205	`20(36th)
171	Joey Keane	Car	D	21	6-0/185	T(NYR-2/20)
172	Jared McIsaac	Det	D	20	6-1/195	`18(36th)
173	Jamieson Rees	Car	C	19	5-10/175	`19(44th)
174	Ivan Morozov	VGK	C	20	6-1/180	`18(61st)
175	Rem Pitlick	Nsh	C	23	5-11/200	`16(76th)
176	Tyce Thompson	NJ	RW	21	6-0/170	`19(96th)
177	Michael McLeod	NJ	C	22	6-2/195	`16(12th)
178	Jaret Anderson-Dolan	LA	C	21	5-11/190	`17(41st)
179	Dustin Wolf	Cgy	G	19	6-0/165	`19(214th)
180	Antti Tuomisto	Det	D	19	6-4/190	`19(35th)
181	Brett Berard	NYR	LW	18	5-9/155	`20(134th)
182	Luke Evangelista	Nsh	RW	18	5-11/170	`20(42nd)
183	Joel Blomqvist	Pit	G	18	6-1/180	`20(52nd)
184	Joni Ikonen	Mtl	C	21	5-10/170	`17(58th)
185	Olivier Rodrigue	Edm	G	20	6-1/165	`18(62nd)
186	Lucas Elvenes	VGK	RW	21	6-0/175	`17(127th)
187	Anthony Angello	Pit	RW	24	6-5/205	`14(145th)
188	Tuukka Tieksola	Car	RW	19	5-10/160	`19(121st)
189	Declan Chisholm	Wpg	D	20	6-1/190	`18(150th)
190	Cole Koepke	TB	LW	22	6-1/195	`18(183rd)
191	Valtteri Puustinen	Pit	RW	21	5-9/185	`19(203rd)
192	Ty Smilanic	Fla	C	18	6-1/175	`20(74th)
193	Patrik Puistola	Car	LW	19	6-0/175	`19(73rd)
194	Justin Barron	Col	D	19	6-2/190	`20(25th)
195	Andrew Peeke	CBJ	D	22	6-3/210	`16(34th)
196	Michael Vukojevic	NJ	D	19	6-3/210	`19(82nd)
197	Alec Regula	Chi	D	20	6-3/200	T(Det-10/19)
198	Connor Corcoran	VGK	D	20	6-1/185	`18(154th)
199	Jeremy Swayman	Bos	G	22	6-1/190	`17(111th)
200	Pyotr Kochetkov	Car	G	21	6-1/175	`19(36th)
201	Mikey Anderson	LA	D	21	6-0/195	`17(103rd)
202	Carter Savoie	Edm	LW	18	5-9/190	`20(100th)
203	Samuel Walker	TB	C	21	5-11/160	`17(200th)
204	William Wallinder	Det	D	18	6-4/190	`20(32nd)
205	Jack Drury	Car	C	20	5-11/180	`18(42nd)
206	Emil Andrae	Phi	D	18	5-9/185	`20(54th)
207	Cal Petersen	LA	G	26	6-3/190	FA(7/17)
208	Jeremie Poirier	Cgy	D	18	6-0/200	`20(72nd)
209	Tarmo Reunanen	NYR	D	22	6-0/180	`16(98th)
210	Simon Holmstrom	NYI	RW	19	6-1/185	`19(23rd)
211	Aleksi Saarela	Fla	RW	23	5-11/200	T(Chi-10/19)
212	Anton Johannesson	Wpg	D	18	5-9/155	`20(133rd)
213	Lauri Pajuniemi	NYR	RW	21	6-0/185	`18(132nd)
214	Morgan Geekie	Car	C	22	6-2/180	`17(67th)
215	Shane Bowers	Col	C	21	6-2/190	T(Ott-11/17)
216	Sasha Chmelevski	SJ	C	21	5-11/190	`17(185th)
217	Ruslan Iskhakov	NYI	C	20	5-8/155	`18(43rd)
218	Cole Schwindt	Fla	RW	19	6-2/185	`19(81st)
219	Hugo Alnefelt	TB	G	19	6-3/195	`19(71st)
220	Nikita Okhotyuk	NJ	D	20	6-1/195	`19(61st)
221	Sampo Ranta	Col	LW	20	6-2/205	`18(78th)
222	Alexander Volkov	TB	LW	23	6-1/190	`17(48th)
223	Alexander True	SJ	C	23	6-5/205	FA(7/18)
224	John Leonard	SJ	C	22	5-11/190	`18(182nd)
225	Carl Grundstrom	LA	LW	23	6-0/195	T(Tor-1/19)
226	Dmitri Semykin	TB	D	20	6-3/200	`18(90th)
227	Cal Foote	TB	D	22	6-4/215	`17(14th)
228	Jean-Luc Foudy	Col	C	18	5-11/175	`20(75th)
229	Alex Barre-Boulet	TB	C	23	5-10/165	FA(3/18)
230	Tristen Robins	SJ	RW	19	5-10/175	`20(56th)
231	Max Gildon	Fla	D	21	6-3/190	`17(66th)
232	Nikita Alexandrov	StL	C	20	6-0/180	`19(62nd)
233	Michael Benning	Fla	D	18	5-9/180	`20(95th)
234	Justin Sourdif	Fla	RW	18	5-11/175	`20(87th)
235	Tanner Laczynski	Phi	C	23	6-1/200	`16(169th)
236	Eamon Powell	TB	D	18	5-11/165	`20(116th)
237	Kaedan Korczak	VGK	D	19	6-3/190	`19(41st)
238	Drew Commesso	Chi	G	18	6-1/180	`20(47th)
239	Nikolai Kovalenko	Col	RW	21	5-10/175	`18(171st)
240	Pius Suter	Chi	C	24	5-11/170	FA(7/20)
241	Wade Allison	Phi	RW	23	6-2/205	`16(52nd)
242	Bobby Brink	Phi	RW	19	5-10/165	`19(34th)
243	Lukas Cormier	VGK	D	18	5-10/180	`20(68th)
244	David Farrance	Nsh	D	21	5-11/190	`17(92nd)
245	Roby Jarventie	Ott	RW	18	6-2/185	`20(33rd)
246	Dmitri Voronkov	CBJ	LW	20	6-4/190	`19(114th)
247	German Rubtsov	Phi	C	22	6-2/190	`16(22nd)
248	Vitaly Abramov	Ott	RW	22	5-9/175	T(CBJ-2/19)
249	Alex Laferriere	LA	RW	19	6-0/175	`20(83rd)
250	Trey Fix-Wolansky	CBJ	RW	21	5-8/185	`18(204th)
251	Isaac Ratcliffe	Phi	LW	21	6-5/200	`17(35th)
252	Kale Clague	LA	D	22	6-0/180	`16(51st)
253	Landon Slaggert	Chi	LW	18	5-11/180	`20(79th)
254	Wyatt Kalynuk	Chi	D	23	6-1/180	FA(7/20)
255	Mikko Kokkonen	Tor	D	19	5-11/200	`19(84th)
256	Kevin Mandolese	Ott	G	20	6-4/180	`18(157th)
257	Daniil Tarasov	CBJ	G	21	6-5/185	`17(86th)
258	Evan Barratt	Chi	C	21	6-0/190	`17(90th)
259	Tyler Benson	Edm	LW	22	6-0/200	`16(32nd)
260	Yegor Korshkov	Tor	RW	24	6-4/215	`16(31st)
261	Hunter Skinner	NYR	D	19	6-2/175	`19(112th)
262	Riley Damiani	Dal	C	20	5-9/165	`18(137th)
263	Ryan McLeod	Edm	C	21	6-2/205	`18(40th)
264	Ilya Konovalov	Edm	G	22	6-0/195	`19(85th)
265	Will Cuylle	NYR	LW	18	6-3/205	`20(60th)
266	Evan Vierling	NYR	C	18	6-0/165	`20(127th)
267	Emil Heineman	Fla	LW	19	6-0/180	`20(43rd)
268	Zayde Wisdom	Phi	RW	18	5-10/195	`20(94th)
269	Hunter Jones	Min	G	20	6-4/195	`19(59th)
270	Ty Tullio	Edm	RW	18	5-10/165	`20(126th)
271	Jordan Spence	LA	D	19	5-10/165	`19(95th)
272	Dmitri Zavgorodny	Cgy	LW	20	5-9/175	`18(198th)
273	Alex Beaucage	Col	RW	19	6-1/195	`19(78th)
274	Matiss Kivlenieks	CBJ	G	24	6-2/190	FA(5/17)
275	Artyom Zub	Ott	D	25	6-2/200	FA(5/20)
276	Urho Vaakanainen	Bos	D	22	6-0/185	`17(18th)
277	Dmitri Samorukov	Edm	D	21	6-2/180	`17(84th)
278	Michal Teply	Chi	LW	19	6-3/185	`19(105th)
279	Colby Ambrosio	Col	C	18	5-8/170	`20(118th)
280	Mads Sogaard	Ott	G	20	6-7/195	`19(37th)
281	Jeremy Lauzon	Bos	D	23	6-3/205	`15(52nd)
282	Dennis Gilbert	Col	D	24	6-2/200	T(Chi-10/20)
283	Trent Frederic	Bos	C	22	6-4/215	`16(29th)
284	Lucas Carlsson	Chi	D	23	6-0/190	`16(110th)
285	Zack Macewen	Van	RW	24	6-3/205	FA(3/17)
286	Brandon Hagel	Chi	LW	22	6-1/175	FA(10/18)
287	Vasily Ponomarev	Car	C	18	5-10/180	`20(53rd)
288	Jakub Zboril	Bos	D	23	6-1/200	`15(13th)
289	Garrett Pilon	Wsh	RW	22	5-11/190	`16(87th)
290	Jeremy Bracco	Car	RW	23	5-9/180	FA(10/20)
291	Dylan Sikura	VGK	RW	25	6-0/170	T(Chi-9/20)
292	Kyle Capobianco	Ari	D	23	6-1/180	`15(63rd)
293	Sami Niku	Wpg	D	24	6-0/175	`15(198th)
294	John Farinacci	Ari	C	19	5-11/185	`19(76th)
295	Jackson Lacombe	Ana	D	19	6-1/170	`19(39th)
296	David Cotton	Car	LW	23	6-3/205	`15(169th)
297	Erik Portillo	Buf	G	20	6-6/210	`19(67th)
298	Jacob Truscott	Van	D	18	6-1/170	`20(144th)
299	Mikhail Berdin	Wpg	G	22	6-2/165	`16(157th)
300	Cam Hillis	Mtl	C	20	5-10/170	`18(66th)

Kevin Bahl – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – CALGARY FLAMES – Team Preview/Player Preview/Predictions

FORWARDS

DEFENCE

Goal

MCKEEN’S 2024-25 NHL YEARBOOK – CALGARY FLAMES – Team Preview

FORWARD

DEFENCE

GOAL

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW JERSEY DEVILS – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Forwards

Jack Hughes

Nico Hischier

Timo Meier

Jesper Bratt

Tyler Toffoli

Dawson Mercer

Ondrej Palat

Erik Haula

Michael McLeod

Nathan Bastian

Defense

Dougie Hamilton

John Marino

Jonas Siegenthaler

Goaltending

Vitek Vanecek

MCKEEN’S 2023 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – #1 New Jersey Devils

NHL PLAYOFF PREVIEW: NEW YORK RANGERS VS. NEW JERSEY DEVILS – The team that controls the rush will win the series

Offensive Breakdown

Defensive Breakdown - A Series Full of Puck Movers

Special Teams

Goaltending

Prediction

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW JERSEY DEVILS – Top 20 Prospects

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW JERSEY DEVILS – NHL Player Profiles

2021-22 TOP 15 PROSPECTS: NEW JERSEY DEVILS – RANK: #7 – TIER II

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: New Jersey Devils Top 20 Prospects

Alexander Holtz, RW (7th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Ty Smith, D (17th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 1)

Dawson Mercer, RW (18th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Nolan Foote, D (27th overall, 2019 [Tampa Bay]. Previous ranking: 2)

Shakir Mukhamadullin, D (20th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Janne Kuokkanen, LW (43rd overall, 2016 [Carolina]. Previous ranking: 3)

Kevin Bahl, D (55th overall, 2018 [Arizona]. Previous ranking: 4)

Reilly Walsh, D (81st overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 6)

Arseni Gritsyuk, LW (129th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 7)

Tyce Thompson, RW (96th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 8)

Michael McLeod, C (12th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 9)

Michael Vukojevic, D (82nd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 10)

Nikita Okhotyuk, D (61st overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 11)

Nico Daws, G (84th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Jaromir Pytlik, C (99th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Nikola Pasic, RW (189th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 12)

Daniil Misyul, D (70th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 13)

Eetu Pakkila, LW (203rd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 14)

Patrick Moynihan, RW/C (158th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 15)

Graeme Clarke, RW (80th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 16)

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Top 300 Prospect Rankings

Alexander Holtz, RW (7^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Ty Smith, D (17^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 1)

Dawson Mercer, RW (18^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Nolan Foote, D (27^th overall, 2019 [Tampa Bay]. Previous ranking: 2)

Shakir Mukhamadullin, D (20^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Janne Kuokkanen, LW (43^rd overall, 2016 [Carolina]. Previous ranking: 3)

Kevin Bahl, D (55^th overall, 2018 [Arizona]. Previous ranking: 4)

Reilly Walsh, D (81^st overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 6)

Arseni Gritsyuk, LW (129^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 7)

Tyce Thompson, RW (96^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 8)

Michael McLeod, C (12^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 9)

Michael Vukojevic, D (82^nd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 10)

Nikita Okhotyuk, D (61^st overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 11)

Nico Daws, G (84^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Jaromir Pytlik, C (99^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Nikola Pasic, RW (189^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 12)

Daniil Misyul, D (70^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 13)

Eetu Pakkila, LW (203^rd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 14)

Patrick Moynihan, RW/C (158^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 15)

Graeme Clarke, RW (80^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 16)