Special thanks to my colleague, Blake Benzel of HockeyPrimetime.com, for his help on developing a comprehensive scouting report system.
With the draft bearing down on us, every team’s fan base is ripe with excitement and expectation to see which direction the team will go with their draft pick. Devils are no different. After being upset at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes, we have an off season that will be full of soul searching by the players, and answer searching by the management and the draft will be the first step in providing some answers.
What the Devils Have
I’ve been saying for quite some time that we need a shutdown defenseman, which is something that they haven’t had since the retirement of Scott Stevens. Looking at the organization, though, this is more of an immediate need better filled through free agency or a trade rather than a long term need. With Matt Corrente (67 GP, 6-12-18, 161 PIM) and Tyler Eckford (72 GP, 2-25-27, 59 PIM) showing solid progression in Lowell, we have some help on the horizon. They also have Brandon Burlon, Mark Fayne and T.J. Miller in their system adding to the bright future of their blueline.
What the Devils Need
The Devils have two needs that they have to address during this season’s draft. Lacking significant depth in nets and lacking a wealth of elite prospects at forward, I would expect us to try to fill these needs. Past last season’s draft pick, Mattias Tedenby, they don’t have a whole lot of players in their system that could be considered “elite” prospects. While Nicklas Bergfors, Nick Palmieri and Alexander Vasyunov all look like they could be solid contributors down the line, the team lacks a prospect that could truly be considered “elite,” like they got in ’03 with Zach Parise. One large part of our team that could see significant turnover in the coming years is their checking line, but our current prospects could easily fill that hole.
On top of the forward position, they also have a large, large organizational hole at goalie. This has been a position that we have had the luxury of being able to ignore with Brodeur in net, but if the last playoffs and last season taught us anything, it’s that goaltending is one area that you can’t have too much depth. Currently, the only prospect at goalie in the Devils’ system that even remotely projects NHL potential is Jeff Frazee, and even that is debatable at times. Frazee put up good numbers for Lowell this last season (28-22-6, 2.62 GAA, .920 Sv Pct), but still lacks the maturity and mental toughness to be an elite goalie in the NHL.
Draft Day Plan
With all of their needs, we are in a great position to address them in the draft. They will likely take their typical late round strategy and draft the best available player regardless of position; however, if that player doesn’t necessarily meet any of their needs, I could certainly see them trading down or out of the first round in an attempt to move up in the second. The most likely scenario, in this case, would be to try to swing a deal with the Islanders to snag either the 31st or 37th pick in the 2nd round in an attempt to land a goalie prospect – most likely Fargo’s Mike Lee. There are no goalie prospects in the draft that would warrant a first round pick, but there are a couple that could warrant a second rounder.
In addition to their first round pick (23rd), we hold seven other picks -- one in the second round (54th), two in the third round (73rd and 84th) and one in the fourth (114th), fifth (143rd), sixth (173rd) and seventh (207th).
Mock Draft Predictions
Going over about 10 mock drafts on the web, here are the selections that they have us taking, as well as a couple that I think could be possibilities.
Chris Kreider, Center, Andover High-MA
Stefan Elliott, Defenseman, Saskatoon (WHL)
Tim Erixon, Defenseman, Skelleftea, SWE
Landon Ferraro, Center, Red Deer (WHL)
Scott Glennie, Right Wing, Brandon (WHL)
Nazem Kadri, Center, London (OHL)
Louis Leblanc, Center, Omaha (USHL)
Nick Leddy, Defenseman, Eden Prairie High-MN
Kyle Palmieri, Right Wing/Center, U-18 USDP
David Rundblad, Defenseman, Skelleftea, SWE
Calvin De Haan, Defenseman, Oshawa (OHL)
Peter Holland, Center, Guelph (OHL)
The problem with predicting draft picks is that there are so many variables and you never know which team has who ranked where. You could be certain that there is a player who is a lock in the last ten picks of the first round, and some team could be so impressed with him that they take him with the 8th pick. The good thing about this draft, though, is that it is a deep first round. While the top-end talent may not necessarily be as deep as years past, the depth in the first round could prove to be the best since the 2003 draft that saw us take Parise.
Woo’s Thoughts
We’re looking pretty solid from an organizational stand point at defense. Their need for defensemen is more of an immediate need rather than a long term need, and there are really no defensive prospects that they could pick up here that would be able to fill in immediately. That said De Haan was the most consensus pick from all of the mock drafts that I saw.
Woo’s Pick
My personal opinion is this…I think that Lou will look for a forward that could potentially step in immediately. If Glennie is available (which I highly doubt he will be), there is no doubt in my mind that he will be our pick. Glennie, while not the largest, has a fairly projectable frame on him. He was 6’1”, 177 lbs as of the combine and this kid can flat out score and has developed a bit of a power forward mentality. The biggest problem with Glennie, however, will be his availability. He is undoubtedly one of the top players that will be available in the middle of the first round; however, if teams are looking to fill organizational needs he could certainly slip to us. I, personally, don’t believe he’ll be available.
If that is the case, I would look to three players if I were the Devils.
First, Kadri. Kadri’s attitude has been called into question by numerous scouts; however, we have the leadership and experience in their locker room that could benefit him. He’s got a big frame (6’0”, 167 lbs) and he is an elite stick handler (his stick handling abilities have been compared to Mario Lemieux and Vincent Lecavalier). He patterns his game after Lecavalier and is a shorthanded threat as well, leading the OHL with 10 shorthanded points (5-5).
Second, Kreider. At 6’2”, 201 lbs, Kreider already is well on his way to having an NHL power forward frame. To go along with his size, he is an explosive skater (perhaps the best in the draft) and he has the potential to be Marian Gaborik-like explosive in terms of his first step. In other words, he gets to full speed in one stride. He has excellent vision and anticipation, making him a great penalty killer, and he can score. He’s a solid character player too, providing good leadership. The biggest knock against him, however, is that he played in high school as opposed to juniors.
Third, Holland. Holland has dropped like a rock in the draft rankings since the mid term rankings. So much so that a lot of mock drafts don’t even have him going in the first round anymore. Holland is a fantastic skater, but the thing that stands out most about him are his hockey smarts. He reads the ice as well as anyone in the draft and at 6’2”, 185 lbs, he’s got a fantastic frame on him for a future power forward. He’s very good in both ends and he can certainly score. The biggest reason why he has dropped, however, is his competitiveness. Teams just aren’t sure if he’s able to compete night in and night out. Just like Kadri, though, Holland could be a diamond in the rough that falls to us, especially with the leadership they already have on the team.
If I had to pick one of these three, I would pick Holland. The more I learn about him, the more I like what I see. I think both he and Kadri have the best shot at stepping in and contributing right away as well, while Kreider may take a year or two to develop.
One dark horse pick here may be Palmieri. He has ties with the Devils organization, playing on their under-16 team and he’s got terrific offensive instincts.
With the 23rd pick in the 2009 Entry Draft, the New Jersey Devils select Peter Holland from the Guelph Storm.
e-mail: [email protected]
New Jersey Devils Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»